Odds and Sods

Not that we would ever accuse American sportswriters of spouting off about soccer without doing even a modicum of research, but it appears that some fallacies about Beckham’s relationship with the England national team may have leaked into the media. Here is a correction to them.

The first, as debated on PTI and other programs, is that Beckham isn’t playing because he is saving himself to play for England. This is a ridiculous assumption.

Playing in what is perceived to be a vastly inferior league on another continent, Beckham is hardly guaranteed a call-up to the National team. The only way for him to earn a spot in the squad is to prove his fitness, which he can only do by playing and playing well. Every match his ankle injury keeps him out of hurts his chances to play for England.

It’s not like say Basketball where players get breaks every minute or so, and Shaq can take off 30 games in the middle of the season to rest his legs. Soccer is such a cardiovascular drain that if you aren’t fully fit, you can’t make it through a full match. Beckham needs to play his way into shape in order to be fit for England, so he is in no way “saving himself” for the national squad.

Another debate, which occurred on Monday’s PTI, was whether or not the national team was more important to Beckham. It may be more important, but it doesn’t really matter. As even the mighty Lalas was forced to acknowledge, the club and, to some extent, the player do not have control over national team call-ups (unless it is Real Madrid petitioning against a small African nation).

He could announce his retirement from international football, and McClaren could respect his wishes by not calling him up. But, if he is called up, he has no choice whether or not to go. Even if he feigned injury, he would be ineligible to play in the Galaxy matches he would have missed.

As long as Beckham keeps himself available for the national squad, he is eligible to be called up during the season. Premier League stars like Essien, Drogba, and Kolo Toure leave their clubs in mid-season to play in the African Nations Cup. American players leave MLS mid-summer to play in Copa America and the Gold Cup. Beckham is no different, and he is not committing a crime against ticket-holders by missing matches for international duty.