Healthy Beckham leads Galaxy to NY

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A year ago David Beckham the player, the brand, the idol invaded the United States amid tabloid headlines and paparazzi flash bulbs. And by all indications it was a very good year for Beckham the brand and idol.

There were massive crowds everywhere he appeared and his Galaxy No. 23 jersey was the most popular in the world.

But Beckham the player suffered. An ankle injury sustained before he arrived in MLS limited his playing time to only a few games. His team didn't make the playoffs and there were rumblings that Beckham might head back to Europe.

One of the few highlights on the field for Beckham in 2007 was playing in front of 66,000 fans at Giants Stadium against the New York Red Bulls. While many of the fans, some who had never been to a soccer game before, came just to catch a glimpse of one of the world's most famous people, what they witnessed was an extraordinary display of attacking soccer, a combined nine goals and a 5-4 victory by the Red Bulls.

As Beckham makes his return to New York and prepares to again face the Red Bulls at Giants Stadium Saturday, he does so injury-free in his first full season in MLS.

"This season, I've been able to play in every game, take part in 99 percent of the training sessions," Beckham said. "I've enjoyed it. Soccer is definitely changing in this country. It's getting bigger and it's growing. But it takes time. I've said that at the start."

There might not have been the media crush when Beckham held a press conference Friday that there was last year, but 45,000 tickets have already been sold for the highly anticipated match. His influence on Major League Soccer is undeniable.

"As long as they're here and as long as they're watching the game, whether it's because of celebrity or whether it's because they want to watch the Galaxy play or whether it's just because they want to watch a soccer game, it's so important that people turn out and enjoy the game most of all," Beckham said. "We had a great crowd last year and hopefully we'll have a good crowd this year. But we need to win the game and that's the biggest thing for us. Hopefully they'll come and enjoy themselves and see a Galaxy win."

Beckham has also been a major influence on his teammates, especially Edson Buddle, who is tied with teammate Landon Donovan for the league lead with 11 goals.

"I think David uses his experiences, he has been at the highest level," Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit said. "When Edson needs information he can go to David who will explain to him what it is to be on the highest level. I think that Edson at the moment is doing extremely well."

There's another part of the Beckham experience, as MLS Commissioner Don Garber calls it. That's Beckham the ambassador, who travels North America spreading the soccer gospel and, as was the case on this trip to New York, who at times denies interview requests so he could attend a team meeting, and who will fly to Toronto a day early to visit sick children in area hospitals before appearing in his first MLS All-Star Game.

"He's a tremendous ambassador for the league and obviously he's been performing very well for the club, his celebrity continue to grow in this country and the respect for the league and the awareness of the league is growing abroad," Garber said. "The Beckham experience has been a good one and we hope to continue to see it grow and grow through the end of his agreement."

And Beckham said he's committed to helping MLS grow in the coming years, as well.

"It's a long-term plan to raise the profile of this game in this country," Beckham said. "I think it's going well so far."

That has happened already -- and not only off the field. The level of competition in the league, he said, is a bit underrated.

"I've always said the level is a lot higher here than people actually think it is," Beckham said. "Being here you see some of the talented players that are in this league and some of the talented teams. Every game is a tough game and of course we do want to get to the level of other leagues in the world. It will take time, but we're not that far away."