There's a lot more time for David Beckham and Real Madrid to reverse course yet again on whether he will come to MLS earlier than the summer. True, the European transfer window closes next Wednesday and Beckham's contract with Real doesn't officially expire until June 30. However, in the case of a player under contract moving between teams in different countries, his eligibility to be registered and play in competitive matches is determined by the transfer window in the country of destination, not the country of departure. In either case, there's much more flexibility with the American transfer windows …

BEAS BUZZ. With Claudio Reyna joining the New York Red Bulls, the question becomes: are there any other U.S. internationals bound for these shores? Real Salt Lake would take DaMarcus Beasley yesterday, of course. Yet since he's on loan from PSV Eindhoven to Manchester City, which just terminated Reyna's contract so he could join MLS, any transfer is complicated by the FIFA transfer windows. PSV would have to take Beasley back from Manchester City before January 31, when the European transfer window closes, and then transfer him to MLS. Not impossible, but very complicated …

Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has publicly declared he won't field David Beckham again. Even if Beckham finishes out his Real contract, he could play for the Galaxy before the USA summer transfer window opens Aug. 15, for the windows regulate competitive play only. Upon expiration of his Real contract June 30, he would able to play in friendlies right away. Such as the All-Star Game. And while family matters and contractual obligations might prove cumbersome, with the primary USA transfer window open until March 31, a deal might be struck by which the transfer is completed to register …

With hundreds of NSCAA Coaches' Convention attendees roaming in and out of the ballroom staging the 2007 MLS SuperDraft and sections of Columbus and Chicago fans waving scarves, chanting and cheering - or booing - certain selections, the league began its first full day of the Beckham Era.

• 2007 MLS SuperDraft Picks

Beckham's team-to-be, Los Angeles, sitting cozy with the No. 5 and No. 10 picks and five of the first 23 selections overall, traded away both of those slots for allocation money totaling $250,000, which is the value of a major allocation. New England used …

Since its early days, MLS has designated its allocation process as the method by which teams can sign U.S. internationals when they either enter the league or return to it from overseas as well as obtain other high-profiled players. Implementation and administration of the process, as in all player-distribution processes used by the single-entity league, has always been at the discretion of the league office. The value of allocations, as well as guidelines for their distribution, has fluctuated over the years, with $250,000 to $300,000 the price for so-called major allocations and between $100,000 and $125,000 for …