Thoughts on Beckham's injury, SuperLiga, MLS stars

David Beckham's MLS career has consisted of nothing more than token appearances as a late-game substitution in two matches. Nick Laham/Getty Images

MAILBAG Grant Wahl will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

With the mail that's been piling up from readers lately, I figured it was time for a soccer 'Bag. Lots of stuff to talk about, so let's dive in:

So what's your take on the "David Beckham Era" in MLS so far? Pretty exciting stuff! (Not.)
-- Jon-Claud Nix, Washington, D.C.

Well, if you're talking about Beckham's on-field efforts, let's be honest: The guy has only played for 20 minutes in a competitive MLS game, and there's no denying that Beckham's lingering ankle injury has been a huge buzz-kill for ticket-buyers (like the ones in New England, who had to buy tickets for four games if they wanted to see Beckham, only to have Becks not dress for the game in Foxborough on Sunday).

Still, I try to bring the voice of reason to this column, and Beckham's standard line these days ("I'm here for five years") is worth remembering. It's not like he's faking the injury, after all, and he's in a tight spot.

Would Becks and the Galaxy have been better served if he'd stayed in L.A. to rehab his ankle instead of playing only 20 minutes on the Galaxy's three-game road trip?

Sure, but it would have been a p.r. disaster if Beckham hadn't at least been in the stadiums. (I do have a problem, however, with the fact that it was never announced to the fans in New England that Beckham was unavailable to play. It reeked of an attempt to keep people in the stands -- and buying concessions -- for as long as possible.)

Injuries happen in sports, and it's a shame for MLS and the Galaxy that they haven't been able to fully capitalize on Beckham's arrival, which received as much publicity as they could have hoped for. So yes, he's here for five years, and yes, he'll have plenty of chances to rescue a banged-up Galaxy team that is pretty miserable these days (3-7-5) despite having one of the league's more talented rosters on paper.

But even Beckham fans have to acknowledge that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, especially with the masses who may be checking out MLS for the first time.

One last Becks note: It's unlikely that the Galaxy (or ESPN) would be at all pleased if Beckham goes to England next week but then doesn't play in the friendly against Germany on Aug. 22. The Galaxy meet crosstown rival Chivas USA on Aug. 23 on ESPN2, but it's hard to envision a scenario in which Beckham could play for L.A. if he also travels to England.

And while it's one thing for Beckham to play against Germany, it's another if he doesn't. "It's important for all the [England] players to get over there and get together, even if I can't play," Beckham said over the weekend after meeting with England manager Steve McClaren in Washington.

Keep in mind, FIFA rules stipulate that the Galaxy have to release Beckham for all international calendar dates if he's called up by his national team. It's just one more reason why MLS needs to stop scheduling games that conflict with the FIFA calendar.

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