Don't Expect The World When It Comes To Becks

July 13 is quickly approaching, and that can only mean one thing. Yes, David Beckham makes his debut in Los Angeles among the legions of footie novices that will now, no doubt, be rabid fans of the world's game. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Will Smith, and all those other Hollywood and Vermont Avenue freaks will be out in force to cheer on their man.

Am I excited, sure. Rarely are we given the opportunity to see a person that transcends his sport and becomes the icon for a game throughout the entire world. However I think that both the media and the marginal fan are going to lose their love with this sport and Becks shortly after they sit though an entire 90 minutes and Becks doesn't score. This begs a primer.

Becks get lauded as a goal scorer, and the above video illustrates why he was become a house hold name through the years. Yes, no one can quite bend it like Beckham, however as a midfielder, Beckham isn't exactly Ronaldo when it comes to being a prolific scorer. As a person who's job it is to deliver service, or passes, to forward players, Beckham is only as good as his forwards are. In the case of the Galaxy, the two up top that will have the added burden of having to convert a great crossing pass into a goal will be little known Nate Jaqua and American all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan. Sure LanDo knows how to score, but his game is greatly limited by a lack of one-on-one abilities that differentiate players like him to other MLS forwards such as Taylor Twellman or Brian Ching, although their talents are somewhat suspect as well. Landon is a "catch it in stride and hope to beat the keeper off his line" type of forward that has trouble running at defenders or winning balls in the air, ah la Brian McBride.

Also, Becks isn't the most nifty of foot, so to expect him to hold the ball in the midfield is also going to be a big ask. Beck's dribbling abilities are pedestrian at best and the visions that many have of him taking a ball in the lower third, dribbling up field, and delivering a cross at the foot of his forwards are also far fetched. Not only is Becks not going to play the hold the ball and wait to create an opportunity, but he is going to look to pass as soon as the ball is at his feet, something that runs counter to out "hold the ball for the last shot" mentality.

So what the hell am I trying to say? Well, don't look for the Galaxy games to look like the exciting brand of football that is seen in Europe. At they end of the day MLS is a league fill of guys that couldn't make it in Europe and want to live by the beach. However, if you care to watch and learn, then you will see why the subtleties of Beckham's game is the reason why people love him, and not the tattoos, brilliant fashion sense, or wild hair styles. For those that notice, the nuance is what it is all about, the above goal not withstanding.