The LA Galaxy still have six league games remaining in the 2009 MLS regular season, appear to be headed for the playoffs, and could still overtake Houston for the Supporters Shield; simply put, David Beckham and company have everything to play for, a shocking turn of events after last years complete and utter debacle.
But instead of discussing his club's chances for the MLS Cup or Supporters Shield, LA's English superstar is covering anything but. His potential destination after the American season has concluded is a hot topic; throw in some rumblings about his possible involvement in the ownership of an MLS club when his career is over, and we seem to have veritable "flurry" of distracted Beckham news this week.
First, the loan: that Beckham is bound for European shores come January is not news, but which club he ends up with is a hot topic for some. Most of us assumed it would be back to AC Milan, and the Italian giants are at the top of the player's list; but other teams have been mentioned, and Beckham himself claims that "three or four" other clubs are interested. Beckham is desperate to get into Fabio Capello's England World Cup squad, of course, and heading back to Europe is therefore a necessity.
Beckham has also hinted that a return to the Galaxy after the World Cup is not necessarily a foregone conclusion, despite his earlier statements that he was committed to a return; the Englishman's MLS contract has an option in his favor after this season, one he could use to get out earlier than expected.
That Beckham is considering leaving America early isn't much of a surprise, especially in light of the negative response he's received since returning to MLS this year. At this point, it's almost impossible to take anything he says at face value, with his consistent flip-flopping on his "commitment" having become the most reliable thing he does.
The other bit of Beckham news revolves around his potential involvement in MLS as a team owner. According to Jack Bell at the New York Times Goal Blog, Beckham and the various entities that surround him have reached out to Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo to partner in the Canadian club's MLS future.
Saputo danced around the subject of potential partners when questioned, and the league stated that they have no knowledge of Beckham's interest in Montreal. The timetable on the Impact entering MLS (something which is viewed as a certain eventuality) is still undertermined, with most observers believing 2012 is the best bet. Saputo, interestingly enough, has registered domains for both 2011 and 2012 (following the MLS model for expansion teams of "montrealmls20XX.com").
Beckham "owning" the Impact in some capacity is an interesting is a possibility that I had never considered, though I suppose it's as good a place as any for this option to be exercised. MLS would still like to place a second team in the New York market, and it's believed that Garber would push Beckham in that direction.
Either way, I question exactly how "involved" Beckham would be, no matter which franchise he becomes involved with; I suspect that he would be a silent partner trotted out on occasion for a photo op every now and then, rather than a integral part of the club's operations.
What do you make of Beckham's most recent volley of Europe talk, and his potential involvement in a Montreal MLS team?
