The general consensus is that 2007 was the best ever season for MLS. Game attendance was up, TV viewership was up, Beckham and -- to a far lesser extent, Blanco -- drew all kinds of media buzz, and some teams found a new revenue source in shirt sponsorship. Overshadowed by all these positives is the grand finale this weekend between New England and Houston. Few would question their right to be there, but a rematch of the 2006 final isn't exactly what MLS had in mind following such a hype-filled season.

But you know it's been a landmark year when names like Zinedine Zidane, Filippo Inzaghi, Luis Figo and Ronaldo are seriously linked with moves to MLS, says USSoccerPlayers' Clemente Lisi. Indeed, in a post-Beckham world, we're finally starting to see the kind of rumors that regularly fly across the pages of Europe's sports tabloids. Big- name coaches, big-name players (of course, most of them are past their prime), even big name investors either came on board or almost came on board this season.

Ruud Gullit's appointment as L.A. Galaxy coach is the latest example. The possibility was always remote, but didn't we allow ourselves to believe, just a little bit, that the likes of Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello and Juergen Klinsmann were viable candidates for the job? Not that Gullit isn't a big name, but from now on, in the back of our heads we'll always think: why not, they nabbed David Beckham, didn't they?

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