Freddie Ljungberg, who made his MLS debut this past weekend, was interviewed by Dave Hollander recently.
Now that Beckham won't be playing in the MLS anytime soon, who will replace the sex symbol as the Google object of female soccer fans? Can you say "Freddie Ljungberg?" Well, maybe you can't, but the former captain of the Swedish national team signed a multimillion dollar deal with the Seattle Sounders FC of the MLS. Voted Swedish player of the year (2002, 2006) and Swedish midfielder of the year (2004), he has also graced the covers of numerous magazines and is an underwear model for Calvin Klein. So who needs Beckham, right?
Before an adidas commercial shoot this summer, Kevin Garnett and David Beckham battled it out in a game that combined elements of soccer and basketball. The object of the game, you ask? To kick a soccer ball into a regulation basketball hoop. Take a look at the results below:
Ouch. I feel Martinez's pain, man. When I was 13, I ran up to block a corner kick and took a shot right to the crotch, which left me incapacitated for the next half-hour or so. But did anyone think to squirt water down my shorts? No. We didn't have any magic spray back then, either. Horrible.
Tiger Woods isn't just the best golfer in the world. He's the world's second most powerful celebrity -- second only to Oprah Winfrey.
At least, he's the No. 2 celebrity according to the Forbes Celebrity 100, which ranks celebrities using a formula that incorporates earnings over the last year, Internet presence, magazine covers and how often the celebrity is mentioned in newspapers and on TV and radio. Woods actually ranked first among all celebrities in the world in terms of his number of press clippings.
American soccer doesn't draw much in the way of TV eyeballs, but when there's a highlight like this one, it becomes a sensation on YouTube:
That was David Beckham from about 70 yards out against the Kansas City Wizards Saturday. That clip is the most-viewed video on YouTube in the last 24 hours, and the goal has been viewed about 2 million times.
Admist all the hype and bluster and jersey lawsuits, we tend to forget sometimes why David Beckham actually came to America -- to play soccer. He reminded everyone on Saturday that he's still got game with a pair of brilliant bending goals that salvaged a 2-2 draw for the L.A. Galaxy against Real Salt Lake.
By the way, that turf they're using in Utah looks like it was purchased on a Blue Light Special at K-Mart. Real Salt Lake Stadium can't open soon enough.
We've known for a while that Alexi Lalas is the Matt Millen of Major League Soccer. Various pundits in the soccer media have been blasting him for building a team with three millionaire stars and a bunch of guys making less than the dude who shines Lalas' shoes at the airport. Now it's the mainstream sports media's turn to rip into Lalas.
The center of the latest controversy is a lawsuit over a David Beckham jersey. The L.A. Galaxy star gave the jersey to two kids in Honolulu who were holding up a "Go Beckham" sign during the Pan-Pacific Championship last February. Neither family can agree on which kid actually took the handoff from Becks, and now they're going to court over it.
Alexi Lalas, of course, took it all in stride.
"This is a great opportunity to teach and learn a lesson about sharing. My suggestion is that the judge get a pair of scissors, cut the thing in half and give half to each. It's certainly not anything that we would ever want to have happen and certainly not anything that David or any of our players who hand out jerseys would have intended.
"This was a huge thing in any child's life and it's a pity that it has gotten to this point."
Today on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, Michael Wilbon was having none of that.
What do you get for the international soccer star who has everything? Well, in most cases, you give him a year's supply of Trojans so that he doesn't give it to anyone else. *rimshot*
For David Beckham, though, you give him this gold-plated, personally inscribed iPod Touch to honor his 100th cap for the England national team. Golden Balls' England teammates all raked their Saturday night poker game pooled their cash and sprung for this $1,188 gadget, which will likely end up unused on his mantle, comfortably resting between his UEFA Club Player of the Year trophy and his wife's Billboard Music Award.
At this point, though, Beckham would probably consider auctioning off the iPod and using the funds to buy some semblance of a back line for the L.A. Galaxy. Alexi Lalas couldn't manage a Quizno's, let alone a salary cap.
While all of England and half the soccer fans in America are all a-twitter over whether David Beckham will earn his 100th cap with the England national team -- and I think I speak for much of that crowd when I say just get it over with because we're sick of hearing about it -- a new report has surfaced suggesting that Beckham could have his heart set on a new goal: becoming an MLS owner.
Beckham reportedly has the option to buy an MLS franchise after his playing contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy is up in 2011. This juicy tidbit is expected to be part of a 60 Minutes profile of Ol' Goldenballs by Anderson Cooper that will air this Sunday.
Given the value of his contract (5 years, $25 million) and endorsements, Beckham could certainly afford it. The Paul Allen-led Seattle group paid a $30 million fee for the expansion franchise. An existing MLS franchise probably won't be worth more than $45 million by 2011. Becks should have that much stashed in his wife's underwear drawer.
In other news, I suddenly feel dirty for letting CBS manipulate me into giving 60 Minutes a free plug.
Some soccer fans like to crack on David Beckham for being more focused on being a celebrity than being a soccer player in Los Angeles. This video of him teaching Snoop Dogg's kids how to play isn't going to help change that perception very much, is it? Of course, it only makes sense that Snoop would come to Beckham, given that most American soccer coaches just don't get the game.
My favorite part of this video? David Beckham having lunch at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. That may be the only time he ever sets foot in that joint. Maybe if Snoop ever heads to Manchester, Cristiano Ronaldo can take him out for steak pies.
Freddie Ljungberg, who made his MLS debut this past weekend, was interviewed by Dave Hollander recently. 
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We've known for a while that Alexi Lalas is the Matt Millen of Major League Soccer. Various pundits in the soccer media have been blasting him for building a team with three millionaire stars and a bunch of guys making less than the dude who shines Lalas' shoes at the airport. Now it's the mainstream sports media's turn to rip into Lalas.
What do you get for the international soccer star who has everything? Well, in most cases, you give him a year's supply of Trojans so that he doesn't give it to anyone else. *rimshot*
While all of England and half the soccer fans in America are all a-twitter over 
