European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 7, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 72007 stars and stripes Page 37 thirteen teams compete for the mls cup major league soccer begins its 12th season on saturday later in the season English midfielder David Beckham will play for the los Angeles Galaxy which has caused a big stir around the league note a stats from 2006 season chivas Usa 10913 coach Bob Bradley left team has Young Patent and Veter an leadership Colorado rapids 11138 a new stadium Hopes to get past conference championship game this year pc Dallas 16124 has a potent front sine new coach Steve Morrow Aims to Advance further in the playoffs los Angeles Galaxy 11156 David Beck Ham arrives in july this wit be Gobi Jones final season real Salt Lake 10139 Freddy Adu arrives team took to make the playoffs in its third year Houston Dynamo 11813 Dwayne Dero Sario and Brian Ching return after league championship win Chicago fire 13118 Cuauhtemoc Blanco joins team in june team will rely on its youth until then Columbus Crew 8159 last in scoring in 2006 must avoid injuries that plagued team last year United 15710 new coach and new ownership league map Christian Gomez will Lead the team Kansas City wizards 10148 new owners and coaching staff team in a transitional stage new England revolution 12812 Clint Dempsey is gone but team should be Strong under Steve Nicol Razov 14 Burpo 121 Ruiz Donovan Cunningham 13 12 16 Cannon 155 Saia 124 Hartman 114 Garlick Onstad 125 Thornton 125 Gaudette 118 Perkins 113 Osh Onisi 141 Twellman 11 Reis 109 new York red bulls 91112 undergone a roster overhaul adding Claudio Reyna and Clint Mathis Guevara 8 Toronto pc expansion team first year Strug Gles expected under coach to Johnston local interest is High w goals for s against goal leaders Conway goal ending 100 leaders Western conference Eastern conference a Beckham new Era for league Beckham from Back Page recharge Bis batteries before join ing the Galaxy still his signing has overshadowed everything else As mls be gins its 12th season we have so Many things that Are going on positively and we View the Beckham signing As just one of those things mls com missioner Don Garber said this has taken on a life of its own and it really truly garnered More at Tention than we Ever expected what else is there besides Beck Ham theres a new expansion team Toronto pc the leagues 13th franchise and the first in can Ada there Are new stadiums in Denver and Toronto which Means there Are now seven teams that have profit friendlier soc cer specific venues to Call Home All games will be televised for the first time in league history teams can now sell advertising space on the fronts of their Jer Seys a practice unique to major american sports but common place elsewhere we have lots of individual things that Are happening that Are making the league More popu Lar Garber said Overall Atten Tion and fan following and com Mercial opportunities continue to grow but if s growing at a slow steady that our goal i have no doubt that major league soccer will be a dominant league in this country if s not a matter of if its a matter of when and we just dont know when when is but anything the league says or does right now is a Blip compared to Beckham who has a five year playing contract Worth about million and will make tens of millions More from endorse ments and other sources his sign ing is the result of a new Rule nicknamed the Beckham Rule allows teams to exceed the leagues modest salary Cap to sign one or two major players his move to the us echoes the signings of aging soccer greats Pele Franz Beckenbauer Johan Ruyff and George Best to the Longan defunct Nail in the 1970s David the Colorado rapids Nicolas Hernandez works out in the major league soccer teams new stadium in the Denver suburb of Commerce Chy Colo on tuesday the rapids open the season saturday against do United at the new stadium seven of the leagues 13 teams now play in soccer specific stadiums the red bulls the former metro stars signed former us Captain Claudio Reyna and the Chicago fire added 34yearold mexican Star Cuauhtemoc Blan co who was left off his country roster for last years world cup like Beckham Blanco will report in july Beckham who will turn 32 in May was dropped from in glands National team following the world cup i certainly  Call it a Lalas said is it a statement on where weve come without a doubt a very positive statement i think when you Are Able to entice a player still in the prime of his career who has played for two of the Best clubs in the world and is also one of the most famous people in the world that s not a gimmick even so mls is doing All it can to take advantage of a Beckham arrival it Bac loaded the Gal axes schedule with Road games to maximize his exposure nation ally even though it will put his own team at a competitive disadvantage during the Homestretch of the season if s hard to imagine the nil or Aba going to such an extreme for one player with All the fuss the league can Only Hope that Beckham Doest break a leg in his first game or that fans wont become Disen chanted when they realize Hes a midfielder who usually Doest score a lot of goals i will Tell you right now Lalas said i dont think if s Ever going to be possible for David Beckham to live up to the expectations that have been put out there yes said Lalas Beckham will make the Galaxy better but the league is too competitively balanced for him to make los Ange Les an instant title favorite in Many ways Beckham us adventure will have much to do with managing expectations in the con text of the american soccer Cul Ture i fully recognize that there will be people in the stadiums this year that May have never been to an mls game or dont follow soc cer Lalas said and its unrealistic for them to come in a stadium and expect that there going to see the most famous footballer in the world and expect him to score three goals and Bend it Here and there and do All that he is if anything a role player a very important role player he finds a Way to fit into the team Hes not the Type of player who going to dribble through everybody or be a Speed Demon he is a player that going to work his butt off first and Foremost and be a part of the team changes abound for mls in 07 the associated press David Beckham int the Beall and Endall for major league soc cer in 2007 heres what else is new expansion Toronto pc be comes leagues 13th team and first in Canada All 14000 season tick ets have been sold team will play at the new20000seat boo Reid the Colorado rapids also have a new stadium Dicks sport ing goods Park which holds 18000 fans seven mls teams now have soccer specific stadium m wild cards for the first time Only the top two teams in each con Ference earn automatic playoff berths  be joined by four wild cards the teams with the next highest Point totals in the standings regardless of Confer ence h a new to contract ensures that every game will be televised for the first time in league history the leagues to partners Are uni vision Fox soccer sports in Espanol and Hodnet super Toga a tournament Fea Turing four mls teams and four mexican dubs debuts in july with a million prize going to the win Ner for the first time us soccer has hired full time referees to work some mls games four have been hired the rest Are still Par time new players in addition to Beckham los Angeles new faces include Claudio Reyna new York red Cuauhtemoc Blanco Chicago Jim Brennan Toronto Roberto Brown Colorado Conor Casey Toronto Luciano Emilio do Fred do unit Markei Galindo chivas Carl Robinson Toronto Rob Bie Rogers Luis Tejada real Salt Juan Carlos Toja pc Dallas and Andy Welsh Toronto h new coaches Preski Radosav Ujevic chivas Tom Soehn do Curt Onalfo Kansas City and Steve Morrow pc dal