What is Major League Soccer?

America’s national professional football league, which took over the reins from the defunct North American Soccer League in 1996. There are two divisions, the Eastern Conference, which has seven teams, and the Western, with six. Toronto FC have just joined.The clubs are franchises, which means that the league exercises a central control over player contracts and revenues, and can relocate or shut them down if they are not successful. Each side plays 30 games. The top two teams from each conference and the next best four from either league make the play-offs, which are a knockout competition to decide the winners of the MLS Cup. The season runs from April to November.

How major is it?

Very minor to the average American, who thinks of “soccer” as a sport for kids, women or foreigners, but major to the nation’s immigrant communities. There is such a well of Latin American supporters in Los Angeles that in 2004 an MLS franchise called Chivas USA was launched to target Mexicans with the slogan “goodbye soccer, football is here!” They share the Galaxy’s stadium, and the two are not friends.

What’s the standard like?

Underrated by snobbish Europeans. While the skill levels and tactical awareness are undoubtedly below the grade of the top European leagues, the players are mostly very fit and athletic. Apart from the has-beens who fancy playing out their last days in a cushy environment, that is. Overall, you could argue that the calibre is similar to the Coca-Cola Championship. The MLS All Stars beat Fulham in 2005, while Chelsea defeated DC United in the same year as part of their pre-season preparations.

Is Beckham the biggest star to play in MLS?

He easily surpasses names such as the youngster, Freddy Adu, and oldsters such as Carlos Valderrama, Youri Djorkaeff, Hristo Stoitchkov and a pensionable Lothar Matthäus. Oh, and Steve Guppy. But Beckham may soon be joined by Edgar Davids, the 33-year-old Tottenham Hotspur and former Holland midfield player, who is in negotiations with FC Dallas.

Who are the LA Galaxy?

MLS’s biggest franchise; one of the few profitable ones.

What sort of a home is the Home Depot Center?

A sporting complex on a university campus a few miles south of central LA, so not too far from the shops or Tom Cruise’s house. The centrepiece is a 27,000-seat stadium opened in 2003 that hosts internationals. Conveniently, it is where the David Beckham Academy is located. There is another one in Greenwich near The Valley, but evidently a move to Charlton Athletic did not appeal. The Depot Center is reached via Victoria Street, so Mrs Beckham will feel welcome.

How many punters will turn up?

Crowds at the Galaxy average about 24,000 in a good year — compared with an overall average of 16,000 in MLS — so with the Beckham factor, sell-outs are certain. The most telling test for the “Beckham effect” will come when the Galaxy play in New York. The New York Red Bulls play in front of sparse crowds, but their home, Giants Stadium, holds 80,000. Beckham has played at the Home Depot Center, in a friendly for Real Madrid in 2005. “Amazing. Amazing,” Beckham said. “I love LA. It’s a great place.”

Who is the Galaxy’s head coach?

None other than the former Ipswich Town stalwart, Frank Yallop, a Canadian born in Watford who has also managed Canada and the San Jose Earthquakes. According to the Galaxy, he posted a “41-25-18 record” in San Jose, which is apparently pretty useful. He took charge in June last year.

Are they any good?

The 2002 and 2005 champions were the only team in MLS history to qualify for the playoffs in every season until last year, when, in American parlance, they “sucked the big one”. They were fifth out of six teams in the Western division, with 11 wins and 15 defeats from 32 games. Their future prospects will be partly reliant on Friday’s MLS Superdraft, a convention in which the teams sign top prospects.

Any other stars in the Galaxy’s firmament?

They consider Cobi Jones to be a legend. This is the midfield player who spent the 1994-95 season at Coventry City, where he was useless. Beckham’s peak may have passed, but he will still fancy his chances of deposing the 37-year-old. Somewhat younger is Landon Donovan, who spent a season with Bayer Leverkusen. Considered a gifted creative forward, he was the great hope of the United States team at the 2006 World Cup finals, and look what happened to them. Donovan has a depiction of a hummingbird on his left wrist, so he can swap tattoo tales with Beckham. What’s more, his wife is an actress who was in Dawson’s Creek, as was Katie Holmes, one of the Beckhams’ celeb friends.

Cyberspace views from across the pond . . .

• “The only thing that irks me is that this pretty much means he will be coming in mid-season. I want to start off with a strong team.”

  — LA Galaxy official website

  — Bigsoccer.com

  — Galaxy official site

• “I’m sorry to say, just because David Beckham might be in town for a game still will not make me want to go see it or even watch it on TV. I’m a true American, I hate soccer.”

— Soccernet.com

• “Something that has been proved to work is having a strong right full back behind him, if he’s to be played as a wide midfielder, that is rather than in the middle. Is Gary Neville going to be next in?”

  — Galaxy official site

  — Galaxy official site

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