Major League Soccer's New International Rivalry: Henry vs Beckham?

Major League Soccer has long struggled to gain the fame and respect of both football fans around the world and the leagues that house the most successful clubs to take the pitch. Trying to change the face of American soccer at times seems as difficult as changing the world's perception of our calling the game anything but it's rightful name—"football." But steps have been taken, and if you want to make your mark in the world's most beautiful game, by any name, there's no better way than to attract the world's best players. Conversely, growing the national team can only continue as young Americans continue to travel with their cleats to the most prestigious pitches abroad. Brazil is still the benchmark for international soccer, and their recipe has always been the same: develop youth players in their leagues, but then ship them off to Europe's leagues to play the world's best on a daily basis. MLS is still young in the grand scheme of soccer, but the baby steps taken years ago have turned into longer strides today. Two notable steps were the signings of David Beckham and Thierry Henry, two of the most respected and recognized names to be sold on the back of a jersey.

Henry's decision to come to MLS and don the Red Bulls jersey was certainly taken after much deliberation, and one person who aided in that choice was Beckham himself. Having made the jump from Spain to the US in 2007, Henry has stated that Beckham helped him decide to change his residency:

"I did approach David on my move. He told me he enjoys everything in the game here. He encouraged me to play here."

Both men at first glance appear to have made moves that mirror each other: phenomenal success in the English Premier League, national heroes for wearing their countries' colors, a stay in Italy, leaving England for Spain, and then crossing the pond to find exile in the US. But a closer look would show what could be described as a rivalry every step of the way. Beckham's tour of duty always included England's Three Lions, with stops at Manchester United and Real Madrid, before settling on the West Coast with LA Galaxy, and a final stint at AC Milan. Henry bleeds France's Les Blues, opened with a stint at Juventus, then had stops at Arsenal and Barcelona, before finding a home on our East Coast with the NY Red Bulls.

Indeed, two former opponents who played in the world's top three leagues, often together, have taken two different paths to land in the US. They've also come with different aspirations, had different impacts, and will have to be looked at in different manners. While Henry has begun to play better of late, it's difficult to say he's made the impact many thought he would make as a member of the Red Bulls. In his first game, it appeared he'd be everything US soccer fans had dreamed of and more, assisting on two goals in a 2-2 draw against Houston. But that game may have been either a curse or an apparition, as he often looked disinterested, if not a bit lazy, and distracted the rest of the season, only assisting once more and scoring twice. His statistics equalled Seattle's Sanna Nyassi, not the impact Red Bulls fans, nor MLS owners, were hoping for.

This season, he again started off slowly, but a recent streak of a goal per game put him on level terms with Beckham, leading the MLS All-Stars against Manchester United. While Beckham is tied atop the standings for assists, Henry's finally tied atop the league in goals. If his form continues, there is talk he could become the Most Valuable Player, and Red Bulls executives will breathe a little easier. But when he signed, Henry was expected to help Major League Soccer become one of the world's elite soccer leagues, according to the league's marketing and communications departments. MLS was looking for him to elevate the game's profile both within the US as well as globally, but also to increase merchandise, sponsorship, attendance and ratings.

There's no doubt that Henry has made an impact. In fact, it was only two weeks ago that he led his current squad against his former, getting a hero's welcome at Arsenal while wearing a Red Bulls jersey. Although the match was only a preseason trophy, Henry's pass led to a goal, a 1-1 draw and the Red Bulls hoisting the Emirates Cup. Still, it was preseason. In the two matches since, the Red Bulls have lost 3-0 to Real Salt Lake and drew 2-2 with Chicago, leaving them in third place with a 6-6-13 record. More importantly, MLS has grown frustrated that the other teams in the Northeast are drawing larger crowds than that from the world's largest city.

Yes, the team plays in New Jersey. But in soccer's heyday, the Cosmos filled the Meadowlands with 70,000. For that reason, a new team in New York may replace a new player in New York as the business model for righting the ship. But that's another article.

Suffice it to say that Beckham did what he set out to do. He brought his marketable image here, and Americans couldn't get enough. From posters of him in his underwear to his wife's reality show, and every burger eaten in between, he often had 50 cars following his every move. I was there in the crowd of 66,000 when he first brought the Galaxy to Giants Stadium and assisted on two of their four goals. Beckham also added to the legitimacy of the league, as he flew to Italy to also play with Serie A giants AC Milan in his bid to return to the English national team. (An injury was the only thing that prevented that comeback.)

That legitimacy has in turn led to more foreign players packing their bags for this side of the pond, including Mexico's Blanco and Marquez, Argentina's Scheletto, Sweden's Ljungberg, and Germany's Frings. This week there's talk of Ireland's Roy Keane making the leap, just a week after playing for the Cosmos against Manchester United at Old Trafford. And then there's the role Becks had in Henry's decision. The bottom line is that MLS needs international exposure to gain international respect. To that end, attracting international players is essential. I understand that there needs to be the steady influence of our players from the grass roots level for the national team to grow. But that in and of itself will not breed success.

The Cosmos were the ultimate American soccer team. They had success on the pitch, marketability, ratings, crowds—everything. Yes, their dominance led to other teams attempting to sign players they couldn't afford, and the league fell. We must learn from that mistake, (as many European teams are learning, failing economically from trying to keep up with their Joneses). A team needs a balanced attack, offensively and defensively. A league needs the same. Protect your home, grow your own talent. But attack when it's time with big player signings. Why not? It's only when those names are in our stadiums, and those jerseys on our children's backs, that some of our country's best athletes will choose soccer over other sports. Right now, that's not happening on a large scale. Soccer is a dominant sport among our youth, but it isn't being chosen in those numbers as a profession. But with men like Beckham and Henry setting the table, we may find our best athletes soon pulling up a chair.