Alexi Lalas says whatever happens with David Beckham, MLS and LA Galaxy can be happy with their decision to bring him to the 'States. With AC Milan pushing to sign Beckham permanently, former Galaxy supremo Lalas told rockerrazzi.com: "What David Beckham brings, not just to the Galaxy brand but to Major League Soccer and to soccer in general is an incredible amount of interest and curiosity and it's all been good.
"There have certainly been challenges and there's certainly been problems on the field but the reality is that the perception of soccer has been raised with his arrival and David Beckham is going to come and go but his impact will be felt for many, many years.
"So in the bigger picture, I don't regret it for a second having David Beckham be a part of the Galaxy and having him being part of MLS. It's a smart thing to do from an economic standpoint and from a brand building standpoint but the most important thing is obviously the play on the field and right now the Galaxy needs to do better, not just for the Galaxy but for the league and for soccer and I believe that they will. It remains to be seen what is going to happen with him, he is applying well at AC Milan.
"It's gonna be hard, how are you going to keep him down once they've seen AC Milan."
Asked about the hype and intensity surrounding Beckham's stay with Galaxy, Lalas also said: "It's so hard to explain to people the intensity that is his world and I don't claim to even understand it at this point. It's a very, very different world that he and his family live in.
"He's done a very good job in insulating himself in his family so that he can function in that world but to go on the road with him, to go to different places and see the reaction of the fans is just incredible.
"Even in this town that is built on celebrity, to see how people react to him, it's pretty incredible and he handles it so well.
"I got a lot of respect for him on and off the field."
While between soccer jobs, Lalas is pushing his own music and revealed: "I still play and record and perform, I got a studio at my house and obviously nowadays the ability to record and the ability to distribute your music is so much easier than it was back in the times when we were growing up with the four tracks and the eight tracks and all that.
"I still do it, it's still out there and anybody who wants to download it, it's fine, you're not taking any money away from me, find it, download it until your heart's content, as long as people have the tunes that's all I care about."
