MLS must be more than Beckham

[bedir than average]

MLS warned not to become a one-man show - Times Online

Bernstein, who was on the 1994 World Cup organising committee and worked at MLS between 1995 and 1999, is now president and CEO of Premier Partnerships, a Los Angeles-based sports and entertainment sales and marketing firm. He believes the next step for the MLS is to begin recruiting other stars from around the world to the 12 other league teams.

"MLS now needs to fulfil each of the other teams' needs to build the quality of their individual rosters in addition to the Galaxy," he said. "If you can continue to build that type of credibility and mix that together with the type of star quality of a David Beckham in some of the other teams I think that would do nothing but grow the sport in a quicker fashion."

This might be why there is a rumor of an additional Designated Player slot already being considered, the expansion of the number of Senior and Youth International slots, giving even ground to Canadian/US players (possibly all CONCACAF), and additional dollars to the salary cap.

With two players this year that were grandfathered into the DP becoming DP next season right now the Galaxy must deal for another DP or deal Donovan. There is also about to be some serious pressure on the league for talent with the addition of three more teams in two years (San Jose for certain and two of StLouis, Philly, Seattle).

Those possible changes in rules would allow the league to expand at that right and maintain, maybe even improve, its quality. MLS should have as its first goal to actually be a national league (still needs representation in the South), then to be the best league in CONCACAF, clearly that's Mexico right now due to depth.