January 12: Beckham Makes MLS Move

Ireland Euro 2012 Jersey

After spending his career at the likes of Manchester United Football Club and Real Madrid, David Beckham decided to make a move to Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy on this day in soccer history in 2007.

"After considering several options to stay in Madrid or join other major British and European teams, I have decided to join LA Galaxy," Beckham said at the time of the signing. "I am proud to have played for two of the biggest clubs in football and I look forward to the new challenge of growing the world's most popular game in a country that is as passionate about its sport as my own.”

Beckham agreed to the deal at a down time in his career when then manager at Real Madrid, Fabio Capello had benched the England star. He went on to help lead the Spanish giants to a La Liga championship that year, however, after returning to favor.

--- David Beckham is a soccer icon and the World Soccer Shop has a great selection of official Beckham gear.---

MLS paid a £128 million transfer fee in the first marquee signing under the designated player rule, more popularly known as the Beckham rule, which was geared toward bring top name talent still in (or close to) their prime to the U.S.

"One of the interesting things that I think people are going to see, is first off, the attention he's going to bring to the sport and to American soccer," LA Galaxy general general manager Alexei Lalas told BBC Five Live.

"People are going to see the quality that exists over here, and I fully recognise that many people over in England don't have a grasp of what's going on with major league soccer on or off the field.

"But the fact is that we have competitive teams, competitive individual players and a very good and growing league. It's not that we can't get better and I would put our teams up against some Premiership teams in a second"

Despite a roster that include Beckham and U.S. national team star Landon Donovan, the Galaxy failed to make the MLS playoffs in each of Beckham’s first two seasons although he was plagued with injuries in 2007.

And also on this day in soccer history in 2004, Alexi Lalas hung up his soccer boots...this time for good.

Soccer Birthdays

1948 - Kenny Allen, English footballer
1949 - Ottmar Hitzfeld, German football manager
1967 - Marco Boogers, Dutch soccer player (RKC, Sparta, West Ham United)
1968 - Mauro Silva, Brazilian footballer
1969 - Robert Prosinečki, Croatian footballer
1977 - Dominic Etli, American soccer player
1978 - Bonaventure Kalou, Ivorian footballer
1979 - Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer

Soccer Deaths

2009 - Friaca, who scored for Brazil in its 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the final game of the 1950 World Cup, died Monday in Itaperuna. He was 84.