By Richard Snowden

In recent days, we've been hearing the term "manufactured crisis" quite a bit in the news. Ironically enough, Major League Soccer appears to be in the midst of a manufactured crisis of its own these days.

As most readers will be well aware, L.A. Galaxy and England star David Beckham looks set to join AC Milan on loan in the near future. Having just completed a horrid campaign with the Galaxy, which failed to reach the MLS playoffs for the third year in a row, Beckham is reportedly eager to keep up his match sharpness with the Serie A superclub.  

Much of Beckham's motivation, of course, derives from England coach Fabio Capello's edict that only players who are playing regularly will be considered for call-ups. Not surprisingly, Beckham – who has made no secret of his desire to set a new England record for international appearances and play in the next World Cup – would prefer not to let MLS's lengthy off-season hamper his pursuit of those worthy goals.  

The loan deal would see Beckham join the Serie A giants for three months, returning in time for the start of the next MLS season. Yet despite assurances from both MLS HQ and Beckham's handlers that the arrangement would be purely temporary and that he has every intention of seeing out his MLS contract, a veritable who's who of U.S. soccer pundits are crying foul over the deal.

Martin Rogers of Yahoo! Sports was the first to pile on. Asserting that "Beckham is showing the Galaxy and the league a chronic lack of respect," Rogers went on to chide Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group for their acquiescence in the matter: "Beckham is placed in an inflated position of strength because the Galaxy cherish their cash cow so dearly that they are afraid to stand up to him."

ESPN Soccernet's Ives Galarcep, meanwhile, remarked that "a loan deal that would keep Beckham away from his club's preseason training camp would certainly be questionable." Moreover, he wrote, the deal "would set a bad precedent and would be a step toward the Galaxy's maintaining its reputation as a circus rather than a respected club."

Galarcep's ESPN Soccernet colleague Steve Davis also mocked the Galaxy organization as a "circus" over the matter. Asserting the widely held belief that Beckham's handlers, not AEG, are pulling the strings in L.A., Davis added, "[S]hame on AEG president Tim Leiweke for hanging Galaxy GM and manager Bruce Arena out to dry on this one."

For SI.com's Greg Lalas, the Beckham loan is proof "that people let him get away with all kinds of shenanigans." Lalas offers a variety of recent quotes from Becks as evidence of his haughty attitude toward MLS and concludes that "Ultimately, what the league and the club must demand from Beckham himself is a measure of respect."

Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney offered the harshest criticism of all, going so far as to claim that MLS and Galaxy honchos would "look like sniveling weenies by giving in to this [deal]." Blasting Becks as a "headstrong child," Mahoney wrote, "By kowtowing to Beckham, MLS and AEG are flushing down the toilet a great deal of what he brought to the league in the first place: attention and notice, if not respectability and prestige."

Some strong words indeed, neatly summarizing the widespread outrage the Beckham loan deal has inspired among U.S. soccer observers. With all due respect for these fine gentlemen, however, this whole matter seems like much ado about rather little.

To begin with, the deal seems relatively straightforward. Beckham wants to set a new England caps record and needs to keep playing to do so, and AC Milan wants to take advantage of Brand Beckham for a few months for fiscal reasons. This hardly appears to be the sort of insidious power play that some appear to be claiming. Is there really any compelling reason to say no? Is Beckham's presence during preseason all that important?

As it happens, there's a precedent that suggests it isn't. As many will no doubt recall, veteran Chicago Fire forward Brian McBride went to England on three-month loans twice while with the Columbus Crew, first with Preston North End during the 2000-01 season, and later with Everton during the 2002-03 season.

In 2001, a persistent blood clot from his Preston stint saw McBride play just 15 times and score one goal, but in 2003 he returned from Everton to score 12 times in 24 games. This suggests that loaning out a star player for a few months poses little problem. Of course, the potential for injury is always there, but in Beckham's case, he could just as easily get hurt during the Galaxy's busy schedule of cash-grubbing off-season exhibition games.

In reality, there are actually some compelling reasons to say yes. For one, should Becks perform fairly well in Milan, as his recent spot duty with England suggests he is capable of doing, it would likely improve MLS's image and credibility abroad, helping encourage other top talent to consider MLS as an option.

In addition, giving Beckham the chance to pursue his dream would likely help inspire him, encouraging him to show his gratitude via his performances in MLS next season. Denying him such an opportunity, on the other hand, would surely have the opposite effect, which could well prove harmful to the Galaxy's chances of turning things around.

Perhaps most importantly, the deal could prove lucrative for MLS. As Greg Lalas suggested in his column, for instance, the Galaxy and MLS could insist on a cut of Brand Beckham merchandise sales as part of the deal, further bolstering MLS's bottom line. And given Beckham's massive wages, having a rich European team pay them for a few months certainly wouldn't hurt, either.

Even in the unlikely event that Beckham wanted to return to Europe permanently, MLS would hardly be half the losers some seem to be suggesting. Lest we forget, Becks is only halfway through his five-year deal, which means that such a move would bring a large transfer fee for a player who came to MLS on a free transfer. Yes, he's 33 now, but his marketability alone would ensure a hefty sum for MLS if he were to leave.

All things considered, then, it would seem that the Beckham-to-Milan arrangement, far from hurting MLS, could even prove beneficial on multiple levels. Perhaps we should take a wait-and-see attitude before rushing to judgment here.                        

HAVE YOUR SAY…
Would you allow Becks to make the move to Milan if you were in charge? What are the benefits and detriments to the possibly arrangement?  Send your emails to Soccer 365 by CLICKING HERE.

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READER FEEDBACK

Beckham must go and play for AC Milan. US football is low standard compared to Italian football. Why not allowing him to go and play? Let the man to have a chance of playing competitive football once again. MLS is not competitive. I’ve watch few games and Beckham is the exciting player. Let him go.

Andile M