KEY POINTS:
David Beckham has yet to perform on a US soccer field, but this weekend he is able to bask at his Beverly Hills home in a reception from the American press that bordered on the ecstatic.
As first-night notices go, they could hardly have been more enthusiastic if
his arrival in Los Angeles had been the Second Coming.
Which, in sporting terms, it sort of is.
His unveiling at the LA Galaxy stadium on Friday - to the accompaniment of 500 media, a thousand flashbulbs, and the squealing of his teenage fan base - drew headlines such as "A US Premiere That Already Looks Like a Blockbuster" from The New York Times, "Beckham Worth the Fuss" from FoxNews, and "Beckham Given Hero's Welcome" from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Nancy Armour of Associated Press began her piece: "It's safe to say no athlete, no matter how famous, has ever gotten a welcome quite like David Beckham. Hundreds of fans at the airport, and thousands more at the stadium - decked out in his brand new jersey, of course ...Beckham is worth every bit of this fawning."
The Seattle Times wrote, under the headline "Beckham Brightens Galaxy": "It has taken David Beckham less than 24 hours to start thinking like a Californian."
MLS.net called him "cool, polite, articulate and charming" and the Los Angeles Times said he "pulled off a minor miracle ...Soccer in the US may never be the same."
Beckham was cheered and screamed at - by fans such as Priscilla Flores. Afterwards, having recovered what passes for her 15-year-old composure, she cooed: "It was so awesome, he looks better in person than in the magazines."
The West Coast's reporters were hardly less fulsome.
Paul Oberjuerge of the San Bernardino County Sun wrote: "It was a pitch-perfect performance. Galaxy's new megastar was relentlessly charming. Enthused but not cocksure. Confident but not haughty. Eager to lead but equally eager to blend in ...This guy could sell some tickets. You bet."
If this is all hype - and it may not be - then it appears to be working.
The 27,000-seat stadium is nearly sold out - fans have paid up to US$500 a ticket - for his first game (against Chelsea).
One of the 19 cameras will be trained exclusively on him.
And LA Galaxy have orders for 250,000 shirts - no mean feat considering they are US$92 a pop.
And all this before he's even pulled on a pair of shorts.
Heaven knows what'll they do here if he actually scores a goal.
- INDEPENDENT
