David Beckham will return to the LA Galaxy at the end of his loan to AC Milan, so says Tim Leiweke. The AEG president stated that AC Milan did not make a second offer prior to the Friday deadline set by Don Garber.

Really? No second offer? Maybe Milan didn't want Becks as badly as they insinuated. Are we to believe that despite being named the eighth richest club in the world, the Italian giants were unable to come up with a million or two more euros? Frankly, I'm shocked. As much as I wanted the Galaxy to make sure they got full value, I always expected the deal to get done. I can't imagine Leiweke backing down from his latest statement unless Milan drastically raise the offer, forcing the hand of both AEG and MLS, and it would have to be a pretty rich offer for Garber to sign off on the deal at this point.

I think a lot of people, myself included, took Beckham's departure to be a foregone conclusion.

So, where does this leave us? What does Beckham's return mean for MLS, the midfielder himself, and the future of the "grow the game" mission?

1. MLS is no pushover

No matter whose "fault" it was, AEG's, Major League Soccer's, or Milan's, the disintegration of the transfer deal will give foreign clubs pause when negotiating with the league. Short term, this could cause European clubs to think twice before looking to MLS for talent. While this might allow MLS to hang out to it's younger stars, it might also lower its profile as a strong feeder league. Regardless of the actual fallout, Don Garber will spin it as a positive; it's his job and we should expect nothing less.

2. Beckham the Villian

Beckham's image is now forever altered in the minds of not only soccer fans in the U.S., but the unconverted as well. Whether supporters of MLS or not, Americans are less likely to be enthralled by the Englishman after he tried to jump ship. The net effect of a heel turn could go either way; the die-hard MLS fans will certainly be present to boo Beckham mercilessly, but I'm not sure if the Beckham-mania tag-alongs will still show up.

3. Letting Donovan go just got a lot easier

Beckham's return opens the door for Donovan's departure, should Bayern Munich decide they want to keep him. While it's clear that Landon is the more important player in terms of on-field success, having Beckham back lets them justify selling off their other star.

4. Expect a Beckham mea culpa

I can't wait for the "Return of Beckham" press conference: Becks, dressed sharply in an Italian suit and flanked by Galaxy brass, will reiterate his commitment to the team and to the mission of helping soccer grow in America. MLS fans from around the country will laugh, ESPN will again fall over themselves to cover it, and all of us soccer blogger guys will have fodder for at least another week.

5. Beckham's effort level will be discussed all year long

Already, not more than a few hours after the story broke that he will return, there are those who are predicting that Beckham will sleepwalk through the MLS season. While it's certainly a possibility, I doubt that he'll do so intentionally. If anything, we'll see last year's Becks, a player of high quality subconsciously dogging it due to the less-than-stellar talent around him.

I'll be back later with the pros and cons of Beckham's return.

I meant to add a disclaimer as well- I'm not naive enough to believe that a deal still couldn't happen; I just think both the Galaxy and MLS (read: Don Garber) have decided they are being taken advantage of, and will continue to hold a hard line no matter if AC Milan comes back with an improved bid or not.