I watched Everton totally outclassed last night by RSL which prompts a couple of comments. First, similarly to the match with Real Madrid last year, RSL raised their game dramatically. Whether Everton were jetlagged, on summer holiday or affected by the heat and altitude, they were outclassed in midfield with the exception of Neville who looks better than ever. Everton had no movement or imagination. However, none of us should fool ourselves that these nights mean much. I watched English football (in England) since the early seventies and the MLS is lightweight even if there are flashes of technical brilliance. My condolencies to the travelling Everton fans I spoke to. Beattie won't last long at that level

Jerry, Salt Lake City, UT

As a Chelsea fan living in Santa Rosa, CA my son and I totally enjoyed watching Chelsea play the Division 1 equivalent LA Galaxy sitting in the front row right behind the Chelsea bench. There was a sense of excitement in the air, and the traveling Chelsea fans added a certain level of reality theatre.
I usually see one or two games a year at Stanford Bridge. Yet, it takes a game like this for me to truly appreciate the extraordingary quality of Chelsea and EPL play.

Charles Biderman, Santa Rosa, CA

It's funny to see the U.S. soccer vs. English football.
With so much American ownership of EPL teams, I think everybody has to start taking a more global look at the sport.
I think there's a lot of irony insulting the American soccer game when Chelsea is foreign owned and the majority of players are foreigners that were imported because they have talent that England couldn't provide themselves.
Just enjoy your game and let others enjoy theirs

Jay, Tulsa, Oklahoma

The same day, by far the worst MLS side Real Salt Lake (one win with half the season gone by) dominated Everton - one of the top Premiership sides outside the top four. I fail to understand the British derision of a young, but very well-run league. Sure, some (if not most) of our players can make more money applying their college degrees than playing football, but how does that affect the football?

Ilya, New York, New York, USA

In Football a 1-0 win is a great result (Arsenal Supporter)- its a win - winning 10-0 or 1-0 is the same result, a win, sure its better to watch a 5-4 game but its the same result. Beckham referring to Football as Soccer is clearly for his target audience as he'd never say that in the UK hence the ironic reference to it in the press. It would be great for world Football if the US produced a strong team with great support etc, but I'd never take a serious interest in American Football, Baseball, Ice Hockey or Basketball and I'd assume most Americans would feel same about Football.

steve, Romford, UK

1-0 might not appear dominating to you, but if you watched the game, you'd realize just how pathetic the galaxy were. this is also pre-season for chelsea, and they weren't taking this game seriously, as it showed.. the same should be applied to the everton and celtic games.

football will never succeed in the u.s. as long as it's always relegated to a colts/kids recreational game. there's also very little passion for it, and americans -yes, i am one, btw- don't typically like sports that: aren't dominated by hands, sports they don't naturally dominate, and sports where height and size typically trump pure talent (being 7', 340lbs gives you no advantage over a marauding 5'8 midfielder who doesn't need to be subbed every few minutes or need play stopped every few seconds or yards).

mike, new york, ny

It says something when the top viewed US sport in the UK is "professional" wrestling. Ironic is the pure snobbery when it comes to "football." Congratulations, you can import great talent and sprinkle in a few of your nat's to keep the nationalists pacified. Get below the mega-spenders and the quality is just like every other "mediocre" league in the world. I seem to recall a certain newly promoted Prem side getting run off the "pitch" in consecutive outings against USL (our Coca-ship equivalent) teams.

Lennox, Seattle, USA

I'm a new fan of Soccer from the US. I find it a bit odd that "Football" fans in the UK are not pleased that a sport they love is finding it's place in America. After years of being largely ignored by sporting fans in the US, MLS has and is trying to be a competitive league and are attracting many new fans to the sport. One of the best things is the arrival of Beckham. You should be proud of a native son who in the later part of his career is helping spread an exciting sport to a new audience. I would have had no problem with Micheal Jordan leaving the NBA in his later years after many championships going to the UK to help build Professional Basketball.

Charles Dodson, Corpus Christi, USA, Texas

I believe that it is important to provide the history of the word "soccer." It is not an American invention, and came to our shores by the English who spread the game around the world. Often, I do not see the explanation in the British or North American media. Americans assume that they created the term.

In the same manner that "futbol" or "futebol" do not literally mean "football" in either Spanish or Portuguese, the English influence has been felt around the world. In Italy, the coach or gaffer is called "Mister" as a mark of respect, along with a historical link, to the early British teachers.

Association football was abbreviated to "assoccer" and then to "soccer" by the English upper classes. When it reached the common man, it became "football." In the USA, the original FA was called "The US Football Federation." Not as it is known now as the "The US Soccer Federation."

Thank you, and all the best.
http://calcio1.blogspot

Steve Amoia, World Football Commentaries , Washington, DC, USA

Yesterday, Real Salt Lake, perhaps the MLS' weakest team, defeated Everton 2-0.

Soccer (yes, we'll probably always call the sport "soccer') is still a "minor" sport in the US. Football (my personal favorite), baseball and basketball are far more popular and will remain so for years to come. But interest in our MLS and national teams is growing. And our teams' performance is clearly improving.

A critical problem, and the one that Beckham's US career hopefully will help to solve, is the sport's inability to retain young talent. Many young players leave the sport after a few years, drawn away by the popularity of other sports.

Beckham alone may not be enough to save the Galaxy, but he is already creating a much higher profile for the sport in the US.

Incidentally, Americans are also beginning to take an interest in UK teams.

Chris, Payson, Utah

the article was not mocking the term 'soccer'. It was commenting on how quickly David Beckham had made the "switch" from 'football' to 'soccer'. It's called irony, in that they're the same sport, but in England and America, they are treated so differently, it's almost as if they're different sports. Maybe it was just too subtle for all of you.

sam gosney, reading, berkshire

Is the largest, most important international tournament the World Cup of Football ? I think not. It's not just Americans that call football, soccer. In fact, the world's governing body (FIFA) primiere event is called the World Cup of Soccer.

RMR, Toronto,

David in London is quite right, it is time to stop sneering at Americans for using the term "soccer".
In Ireland, gaelic fooball is the dominant sport so association football is called soccer.
In Australia, Australian Rules football is the dominant sport so association football is called soccer.

Some countries call football "soccer". I don't understand why this is such a big deal for British commentators.

Patrick, Dublin, Ireland

An American sportswriter, one Mr. Jim Rome, said soccer will never be popular because American fans find the sport too boring. Not true. NASCAR is the fastest growing sport in the nation, and it might be the only sport more boring than curling. Soccer will never be as popular as American football, nor as respected as baseball, but with a vacancy in the Four North American sports left by Hockey's tearful demise in the US, soccer's built-in audience of Hispanic and Hispanic-Americans coped with the youth that might be influenced by a big star gathering so much media frenzy, may make soccer popular and respected in this country.

Martin, Mount Airy, US/GA

Did they sing the song about Beckhams wife?

Matthew, Sacramento, CA, USA

Mr Cartagena ,

Truth is Chelsea are just coming back from their holidays and are stretching and yawning, while mr Mourinho tinkers with his team for the forthcoming season,
send your best American team to Stamford Bridge in December for a rude awakening

Jules, Caerphilly, Wales

Why must Americns who dislike non-American sports (Kevin in Atlanta) always sneer at them?

I am a Brit living in America and I can't say that I care much for the top 4 US sports: American football, baseball, basketball and NASCAR. However, I don't deride those who do.

Joe, Houston, Texas

I'm now back in the US, but lived in the UK while Beckham was at the top of his game at Manchester. The game is covered so differently here, with cutaway shots and interviews with celebrities in attendance, to hold the American attention span. This country has no idea what we've just inherited and sadly, probably won't ever know or care.

What a waste of a great talent. Seeing Beckham in such a cheesy American setting just broke my heart.

Carmen, Nashville,

Conquer - To defeat or subdue, by force

Conquer is used in a corret context Kevin, Daniel...

And Daniel, if the MLS All-Stars were in the Premiership or any of the big leagues, they would be luck to reach double digits in the points tally.

Alex, Barnsley,

The Galaxy are not the best team, but look at the MLS All-Star defeat of a full strenght Celtic. There is no doubt American Soccer is getting stronger and I think a lot of Europeans don't want to see a country like the US succeed in football because it's not the top sport in America. Look at the US U20s at this years world cup. The US are dominate continintal champions and there are more American footballers being exported.

The US has more registered youth soccer players than any other country, it's Beckham's job to keep those kids playing the sport to senior levels, to improve LA is only a bonus. Beckham is not here for the Galaxy, he is here for MLS and young American footballers.

Luciano, RAF Lakenheath, UK

1-0? You call that "conquering?" How sad that a "World-Class" powerhouse wins by such a slim margin over flailing club in an up and coming league and without their star.

The Galaxy's effort is a sign that Americans Will shortly dominate this sport, just like we do every other sport we play.

Daniel, Cartagena, Colombia

1-0 is not a conquering, per your headline.
Beckham overall will do little for US soccer.

Soccer is a joke, boring boring boring.

Kevin, Atlanta, GA

I guess Vicky is now happy there with all those shops to spend her day and all those plastic friends of her to talk about what she will be wearing next.

ROSS, lONDON, UK

You really must stop this sniping at Americans for calling football "soccer". In England we make the distinction clear between association football and rugby football by referring to the latter as rugby (or rugger in some circles), and as American football is the senior sport in the US there is no reason they shouldn't do the same by using a separate label for the imported game.
Rather than making Americans look stupid, it makes Brits seem so - and petty too.

David, London, UK