When David Beckham decided to grace the MLS with his presence, all (media) indications were that this was a new era for the sport. From his first gimpy day forward, the league’s history would be BB and AB-Before Beckham and After Beckham. Well, even though he’s still garnering most of the headlines (oh look, he’s in Australia!), league deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis is now publicly acknowledging that the best players didn’t come from across the pond, but across the southern border.

Gazidis insists Beckham’s transfer to the Los Angeles Galaxy wasn’t the biggest event in the league this year.”What is the real story of 2007 for MLS?” Gazidis said Monday. “The actual story has been looking to South America and importing players from South America who are very significant performers in our league.”

Gee, are you talking about the short list for MLS MVP this year: Brazil’s Luciano Emilio (in the pic, holding the trophy), Columbia’s Juan Pablo Angel and Mexico’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco? It’s nice to see you’re not ignoring them like Beckham and some cancer kids.

MLS looks to South America, not Beckham [Fox Sports]
Image [cbsnews.com]