David Beckham's successful crossover to MLS could pave the way for the arrival of more stars -- like Ronaldinho or Thierry Henry, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said yesterday at the Reuters Media Summit. Garber described Beckham as "a home run for us," but was quick to point out that MLS needs to attract more talent in order to convert the so-called "casual" soccer fan into "a ticket-buying fan of the league".
Garber's aiming high: "I would hope to see guys like Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry, who has expressed interest in coming here at the end of his contract [with Barcelona]." At least he hopes to see players of that caliber in MLS during his tenure as league commissioner. "And with Beckham being successful and being signed, it's hard to imagine you wouldn't see players like that in MLS," Garber added confidently.
Beckham has definitely been an unqualified success. He only played five games during the regular season, but wherever he and the Galaxy went, huge crowds followed -- even for games he didn't play. Yesterday, the Galaxy attracted 15,000 fans at practice during its tour of New Zealand. MLS has never seen anything like this.
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