David Beckham’s MLS Adventure Is Almost Over: Was He Value for Money?

It was finally announced this morning that David Beckham’s MLS adventure is reaching its finale.The Twittersphere has been awash this week with tweets about Beckham supposedly opting for one last venture before retirement, but we are never one to comment on rumors or conjecture here at Bleacher Report. However, the tweeters were correct, and he will play his last game against Houston Dynamo, with LA Galaxy looking to defend their MLS title. The official announcement about Beckham’s departure from the MLS in December gave me the opportunity to pass judgment on his LA Galaxy career. Beckham joined LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007 to the backdrop of much media fanfare and the astonishment of the football community. His contract was worth an estimated $6.5 million per year, a sizable salary for someone who was already 32 years old. When he signed on the dotted line, he stated his intention to grow the MLS’s reputation, making it a household brand to compete with the global football giants like La Liga and the EPL.The football world was about to witness the emergence of a new powerhouse domestic football league. So, did the colossal expenditure justify the means? "No" is the simple answerIn a ...

MLS Paychecks: Is the American Soccer League Value for Money?

While doing some research for a future Bleacher Report article, I stumbled upon Yahoo’s list of the highest paid MLS players.Ex-European based players, such as Tim Cahill, David Beckham and Thierry Henry, are earning millions of dollars playing in America. Meanwhile, the MLS attempts to compete with gigantic established sports like the NFL and NBA.This got me thinking: does the long-term gain justify the expenditure? Do not get me wrong, the MLS has seen a huge increase in popularity and mainstream TV coverage, particularly here in the UK on ESPN and in North America on a range of stations, including NBC and ESPN.This exposure appears to have seen an upturn in fortunes for some of the MLS based players, who have secured lucrative moves to Europe.Landon Donovan’s successful spell at Everton, where a short-term loan deal turned into a mutual love affair, and Stoke City's summer signing of Geoff Cameron are just two examples of players who appear to have benefited from the MLS’s enhanced reputation here in the UK.  The financial regulations also make the MLS appealing for ordinary football fans.David Moyes would happily embrace the MLS’s ethos of financial parity and providing every team with an equal opportunity of ...