Thierry Henry > David Beckham

Once considered a minor sport in America, soccer has begun its ascent into becoming one of the big 4 sports. While NFL, NBA and MLB will always dominate the headlines, the recent FIFA World Cup shed light on the growing popularity of soccer in America.

With record numbers of fans tuning into watch the games (and not just the ones the US team was involved in) the sport is beginning to get a foot hold with the public that started with the arrival of David Beckham in 2007.

The arrival of David Beckham from Spanish giant Real Madrid was supposed to ignite the passion for soccer in the States. There was a lot of pressure on the Englishmen to deliver brilliance every time he stepped on the field. He was not only supposed to carry his new team, LA Galaxy to a MLS championship, but he was saddled with the duties of being the face of the league in all their marketing. That marketing wasn’t just for the league it was also for his other sponsors.

As a player, Beckham could still create on the field and off the field as a spokesman he was everywhere, but fans still wanted more. There was so much pressure on him from every angle; there was no way for him to live up to the hype. When Beckham struggled initially on the field because of injuries and because he was part of a team with no real talent, he became the target of fans and the media. He turned it around sufficiently to earn a loan to AC Milan and make the England World Cup team only to suffer a torn Achilles months before the FIFA World Cup and forcing him to watch from the sidelines in South Africa. Beckham may eventually return to play for the LA Galaxy (he is still under contract), but he accomplished what he could in North America and for him, the place to end his career is back playing for a European team.

A “new” Beckham has joined MLS to take his place – former Arsenal, Barcelona and French international star Thierry Henry. At 37 years old Henry will join the NY Red Bulls and will no doubt be expected to contribute right away. He will be able to do so because even at 37, Henry still has his scoring touch, great pace and vision to make a difference in the MLS. He will also end up making more of a difference than Beckham.

Henry will have a far greater impact than Beckham on growing the game in the States because he scores goals. Beckham is a great player with excellent touch on the ball, no one can deny this, but the Americans love the glory players. Whether you hit home runs, score touchdowns or score goals that is what is valued in American sports. Therefore when Beckham didn’t put the ball in the back of the net he was vilified. Henry won’t have this problem. There isn’t the same expectation on him to be the face of the league and he scores goals. He will light up some teams and be a constant threat to defences.

With soccer now being a recognized sport in the States that has a following much greater than three years ago when Beckham joined, Thierry Henry has an advantage to be considered a much better player than Beckham in the eyes of the American soccer public.

Here is a short clip from Jimmy Fallon last night - Thierry Henry was the guest...