FanHouse MLS

In a very unsurprising development, AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani declared that the club is "95 percent" finished on bringing back David Beckham to the club in January on loan. Galliani went as far as to call it a "done deal."

Unlike last year when there was a lot of alarm and acrimony when Beckham announced his intentions to play somewhere else during the break in the MLS season, this time there doesn't seem to be too much problem that he'll be away from the Los Angeles Galaxy for a period of time after the 2009 season wraps in November.

If I had a nickel for every time I read a rumor about an aging soccer star linked with a move to MLS, well, I might be able to buy something tasty off the McDonalds Dollar Menu.

Saturday the latest of these rumors shifted toward Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira who revealed to Orange Sport that this would be his final season playing in Europe. On top of that, the 34-year-old said he'd consider a move to the United States citing the influence of former France teammates Youri Djorkaeff.

Electronic Arts took a tried-and-true method for the North American cover for 'FIFA 10', choosing something old and something new ... and, well, something Frank Lampard.

EA selected a pair of MLS stars -- Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Sacha Kljestan -- to flank the Chelsea midfielder for the game's cover. This is a tactic the company has used in the past, with a Mexican and American player sharing the cover spotlight with an established world star like Ronaldinho and Wayne Rooney.

Word of warning before proceeding, take anything reported by The Sun with a grain of salt. That said, the always reputable rag reported that American Clark Hunt is in the mix to possibly buy West Ham United.

Hunt, the son of the late Lamar Hunt who was one of the main architects of MLS, currently owns the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas. Should this rumor actually come to fruition, Hunt would join Stan Kroenke in owning an MLS team (Colorado Rapids) and a Premier League team (Arsenal, which he owns 28 percent).

Almost two years ago to this day, one-time U.S. teenage sensation Freddy Adu swapped his Real Salt Lake colors for a high-profile transfer to Portuguese giants Benfica. In the summer of 2007, the move seemed like a perfect spot for the much ballyhooed midfielder, who made his MLS debut with much media fanfare at 14 years old for D.C. United.

Little did most observers at the time realize this marriage was probably doomed from the start. Monday it appears its only a formality before divorce papers are filed, with Goal.com reporting that Adu was told by Benfica coach Jorge Jesus he isn't needed at the club. In response, Adu says he wants to make a move to a club in the Dutch Eredivisie.

After what seemed like almost years of speculation, U.S. forward Kenny Cooper finally transferred away from FC Dallas, however his destination causes the minor raise of an eyebrow.

Cooper, who was named to the all-tournament team at the 2009 Gold Cup, had long been linked to a slew of clubs in the English League Championship, most notably Cardiff City. Friday, it was announced he finally left MLS for of all places TSV 1860 Munich in the 2.Bundesliga for an undisclosed fee.

The other day, driving to a Fourth of July barbecue, I saw a pair of young kids riding their bikes. Obviously that's not all that unusual, except these two weren't wearing jerseys for LeBron James or Eli Manning. Rather, one was in a Liverpool FC top, the other a Los Angeles Galaxy shirt with the No. 23 and the name of a certain famous English midfielder printed across the back.

I wasn't sure whether I should shake my head or smile.

Ah, David Beckham. Two words that can elicit reactions from people everywhere from Athens to Zanzibar and, yes, America too -- or at least on Madison Avenue. Beckham, the man with the misreported $250 million salary -- is back in America with the Los Angeles Galaxy this month after his much ballyhooed loan stint at AC Milan.

Thanks to the hard work of a few enterprising, internet-savvy fans -- or perhaps owing to a well-timed leak from the front office -- we can now relax and enjoy Monday's unveiling of the name and logo of Philadelphia's MLS expansion team rather than go into it with a sense of dread.

According to captured (or leaked) shots of logos and merchandise (see right), the club entering the league next season will be nicknamed the Union and will wear a circular, blue-and-gold badge featuring a coiled snake and 13 stars. The symbols are rich in Philly tradition and strike a perfect balance between the outdated, cartoonish logos introduced at MLS' foundation and embarrassing, Euro-poseur names like Real Salt Lake.

Assuming this logo is authentic, it represents a positive step in MLS's effort to define its image.

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?

The full interview is after the jump.

Yesterday, D.C. United announced a new five-year sponsorship deal with Volkswagen, which involves slapping a big VW logo on the Major League Soccer club's jerseys and trying to sell the Screaming Eagles on the joys of Touareg ownership. In turn, D.C. United will receive $14 million over the next five years.

That's $2.8 million a year. The MLS salary is currently $2.3 million a year. So for all intents and purposes, Volkswagen is covering D.C. United's player salaries for at least the next two years. There's probably enough left over to pay most of the coaching staff, too.

MLS has its share of problems, but it seems the league's biggest problem is the lack of money available to players not named Beckham or Blanco. The MLS Players Union desperately needs to address that issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, which would take effect in 2010. The salary cap should be at least double what it is now. The minimum salary for senior team players needs to be raised. Roster sizes should be increased. Most importantly, developmental players should be making a living wage. That would allow a youth program prospect like Matt Kassel to stay with his club rather than leave for college.

Those are just small steps the League and the Players Union could take to make MLS more appealing to both players and fans. Without that, MLS might not be quite as appealing to other advertisers in the future. But hey, kudos to D.C. United for getting someone else to pay their most important employees, right?