I don’t really have much of anything to say about the new book by soccer writer Grant Wahl, “The Beckham Experiment.” It has some pretty salacious sports gossip and cat-fighting, if you’re into that sort of thing, but from what I’ve read so far it seems like a pretty interesting and in-depth look into…well, the Beckham experiment. All that aside though, I’m hugely amused by this anecdote from the book:

Joe Cannon took a sip of his drink and surveyed the scene. For nine years the Galaxy’s All-Pro goalkeeper had waited for this, waited for MLS to feel like the spectacle of the NBA and the NFL, waited for gorgeous women in skintight sequined tops to flash come-hither looks his way just because of the team he played on. Cannon knew this would happen once Beckham arrived. Wasn’t that what he’d said at Cobi Jones’s birthday party in June when one of the players’ girlfriends had asked if Cannon was dating anyone?

“Nah,” he replied. “I’m kind of waiting for David to get here.”

“What does that mean?” Alan Gordon asked.

“You know, all the girls.”

Gordon couldn’t take it. “Joe, what do you think is going to change?” he asked. “Seriously. You’re still the same person. Like a girl is going to want to get with you just because David Beckham is on the team. What are you gonna do, pull a little Beckham out of your pocket and say, ‘See, look! Here I am!’ No, dude.”

Now of course the fuller excerpts is about the whirlwind of attention that follows Beckham wherever he goes. But the thought of Joe Cannon, a fairly successful American soccer player in his own right, waiting for Beckham to arrive so as to increase his personal chances of getting laid, amuses me to no end.

Ken Silverstein, who I’ve been reading for awhile, went ninety degrees with an unusual (for him anyway) soccer-related post, in which he reveled in the U.S. defeat by Brazil on Sunday:

All the hype in American newspapers about the national team’s second place finish obscures the fact that the U.S. team is mediocre and should never have been in the final to begin with. They lost three of their five games and stumbled into the second round by pure luck. Yes, they beat Spain, but upsets can happen on any given day, especially in a tournament where (after the first round) every match is an elimination game.

The U.S. got lucky early against Brazil, but showed its true colors by sitting back the rest of the way and being stomped into submission. It leaves me very hopeful for the team’s early exit from next year’s World Cup.

Now today he provides some context for his seemingly context-less hate; he lived in Brazil for some years and apparently fell in love with the quality of Brazilian soccer. So his oddly bitter comments about American soccer are motivated merely by the fact that he’s a fan of the team that won the match, so there’s nothing at all unusual there (read any of my comments about the Redkins or Eagles after a Cowboys victory over them; few things are as pleasurable as kicking someone you don’t like when they’re down.)

Anyway as you can see, success by the US men’s soccer team prompts the oddest of reactions. Silverstein, and some of his readers, can’t stand American soccer because of the dull and unimaginative play of American soccer players. Which is not really the team’s fault, and anyway you really have to hold 98% of the soccer being played in the world in low esteem if Brazil is your favorite squad.

Then there’s the over-selling of the team’s success, and the over-disappointment in the team’s failure. To both of these columnists I would like to say: the success of soccer in America does not necessarily rise and fall with the success of the US men’s national team. In fact, the success of the US men’s national team doesn’t necessarily follow the success of the US men’s national team. Now certainly it doesn’t hurt. I think the case can be made that but for the success of the squad in the 1994 World Cup, Major League Soccer may not have been so quick to take off. But remember, MLS was already in the works when that tournament began; it was just a little bit of luck that the men’s team did so well and put some extra butts in the seats those first few years. But it seems that sports journalists and other pundits are always looking for that “breakthrough” moment in soccer, that one victory (or string of victories) that will finally cement American soccer as a sport of eminence in our nation. But that just isn’t how it works. No one victory can launch soccer onto the national stage in our country, to rival football, basketball, baseball (though maybe hockey…someday) and no one victory will “prove” to the world that the US is the equal of long-standing soccer powers like Italy, Germany, Brazil or Argentina. For one, witness the past success of US teams. In 1994 they upset Colombia to make it to the second round. What happened four years later in 1998? They lost all three first round matches and finished 32nd of 32 teams. But then in 2002 they defeated powerhouse Portugal, defeated Mexico in the second-round and went toe-to-toe with Germany in the quarterfinals. But then in 2006 they were clobbered by the Czech Republic, upset by Ghana, and left after the first round. As I stated earlier, success has not guaranteed success…at least from one tournament to the next. However, if you look back over the last twenty years, you can see a team that has gone from being an outsider on the international scene, to a team that can reliably be expected to qualify for the World Cup. That’s progress, but of the gradual sort. So too is the progress of the popularity of soccer among Americans. Fifteen years ago there was no national professional soccer league. Now there is one that is expanding. Fifteen years ago only a handful of Americans were good enough to play soccer overseas. Now, dozens of Americans play for European soccer squads. A victory over Brazil would not suddenly see a dozen or more Americans starting with top-flight European clubs, and the loss does not mean that those players will be sent home and MLS will fold. If anything, the media attention is only an indication of how the non-soccer fans feel about the sport. It’s nice to see the reaction, especially if it gets US, MLS or even European club games on ESPN or ESPN2, but it’s not necessary to get their approval for soccer to advance in this country. Soccer’s been growing in popularity for almost two decades now, and it looks to continue to do so…at a slow and steady pace, and that’s fine by me.

Some reading for your Friday afternoon:

1. Ayatollah Khamenei escalates the rhetoric and says opposition leaders will be responsible for “bloodshed and chaos” if the protests continue (a possibility that members of hard-line militias may seek to ensure becomes a reality.) He denies that Iran’s election was rigged, though he’s contradicted by what evidence is available. Roger Cohen lauds the protesters, and says Obama should be more firmly on their side. I disagree. I think Obama has struck the proper tone of concern and and caution. Were it not for our history of meddling in Iran’s internal affairs, I might think otherwise.

2. More details on Obama’s new financial regulations plan. Changes no doubt, but maybe not the sweeping kind that we need, according to Paul Krugman. The bad news on the economy in general has slowed, but Martin Wolf says we shouldn’t be too hasty about thinking we’re out of the woods yet. Certainly some (like small businesses) are having a very rough time of it.

3. Check for flying pigs outside your window, because today Ken Starr has come out in support of of Sonia Sotomayor.

4. John Shalikashvilli, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs under Clinton, says that arguments against gays in the military are poorly reasoned and insupportable.

5. Egypt shocked Italy 1-0 in Confederations Cup play yesterday, a result that perhaps shouldn’t be so surprising given their play against Brazil. Fortunately for the U.S. this means that a win against Egypt tomorrow means the US will make it out of the first round. Unfortunately, the fact that Egypt is playing so well against the giants makes such a victory highly unlikely.

6. Today is Juneteenth round these parts, a celebration of the day that slaves were liberated in Texas.

Some interesting soccer news in the last few days:

1. The Confederations Cup kicked off in South Africa on Sunday. The Confederations Cup is a tournament that pits the winners of the various regional soccer confederations against each other in what’s regarded as a “dress rehearsal” for next year’s World Cup (also in South Africa.) The US, as the winner of the Gold Cup, is representing CONCACAF this time around. Unfortunately the US got stomped by Italy and the traitorous Giussepi Rossi, an American born Italian citizen who happens to be very, very, good and also, uninterested in playing for the United States. Such are the pleasures of dual citizenship. The US plays Brazil tomorrow morning and though Brazil struggled somewhat with Egypt on Monday, that game is likely a loss as well. Still, some new faces played well against Italy and getting solid players playing time against giants like Italy is always a plus.

2. Iraq also joins in the US in the Confederations Cup, courtesy of their win in the 2007 Asian Cup. The faced off bravely against Spain today, and lost by the respectable score of 1-0. This is especially noteworthy given that Spain had obliterated New Zealand 5-0 only three days before.

3. Speaking of dual citizenship, Jermaine Jones, a high quality mid-fielder for the Bundesliga’s Schalke 04, has indicated that he’d like to suit up for the United States thanks to a recent FIFA rule change. He makes no effort to disguise the fact that he’s doing so because he can’t get on the German national team (Jones is a German and American citizen courtesy of his German mother, and was born in America before moving to Germany at a young age.) He isn’t Rossi, but he’s quite a good player and shouldn’t have much trouble getting on the national team later this summer and in time for plenty of practice before next year’s World Cup.

4. Iran’s national soccer team wore green armbands in their World Cup qualifcation match against South Korea today, to signal their support for the dissident supporters of Moussavi. Unfortunately they were only able to manage a tie on the road against South Korea, and will miss next year’s World Cup in favor of…North Korea, who drew against Saudi Arabia in Riyadh today. The win leaves Saudi Arabia in a playoff Bahrain in a playoff for the chance to play New Zealand for a slot in the World Cup, and it leaves Iran on the outside looking in.

Things worth reading:

1. An earthquake in Italy is estimated to have killed a hundred people so far, and left tens of thousands more homeless.

2. Florida: bringing back debtor’s prison (sort of.)

3. Turkey: President Obama visits Turkey, calls Turkey an important ally, speaks of resolving the conflict over the Armenian genocide. Turkish PM Erdogan tells us to accept the reality of Hamas.

4. Thirty-three Iraqis die in coordinated car bombings in and around Baghdad.

5. The brain: Researchers are working on ways of “editing” memory. Scientists have also concluded that the stress of being poor alters the brains of children.

6. Secretary of Defense Gates proposes to make cuts to several big-ticket defense items. To which I say, we’ll see about that.

7. President Obama aims for a world free of nuclear weapons.

8. Millions of shelter animals die, while morons buy designer “hybrid” breeds raised in appalling conditions.

9. Sports: Can Brazil’s talented soccer player Marta revive women’s soccer in the U.S.? Speaking of soccer, FC Dallas has stunk it up in the first three games of the season, losing all three while giving up seven goals and scoring only two. The Dallas Mavericks, as is typical in this up and down season,lost to a woeful Memphis team with less than half their win total on Friday night and then blew out similarly struggling Phoenix on Sunday. They are now one win or one Phoenix loss away from wrapping up the eight seed in the playoffs, and still-amazingly-in the hunt for the seventh seed, which they can get with some help from Utah. And the Texas Rangers open their season today with a game at home against Cleveland.

For your edification:

1. Via Volokh, Congress takes on the issue of cyber security.

2. A federal judge rules that some detainees being held at Bagram in Afghanistan can challenge their detention in court.

3. Social Security is clogged with a backlog of disability cases. In my law school’s legal clinic, I was very bluntly informed by the senior attorneys working there that the Social Security Administration always denies an initial application for disability, regardless of the merits. And that they will fight tooth and nail to deny benefits to all but those who are most clearly disabled (such as with blindness, paralysis, loss of limb, etc.) The SSA’s role should be to to fairly dispense entitlement benefits, but they seem to regard themselves as the government’s moneysavers.

4. Speaking of government malfeasance, immigrants die in custody and not only does nobody care, but nobody even bothers to report it. I understand the need to enforce immigration laws in our country, but we treat detained immigrants worse than we treat terrorist being held at Guantanamo Bay.

5. The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously strikes down the state’s ban on gay marriage finding that it violates the Iowa State Constitution forbidding . According to Maggie Gallagher, teenagers will now begin fornicating left and right (more than they already do, I presume.)

6. Photographs from the day Martin Luther King Jr. died.

7. The U.S. Men’s soccer team beat Trinidad and Tobago the other night, 3-0. The score probably should’ve been worse for T&T, who looked out of sync and discombobulated all night. All three goals came from the feet of Jozy Altidore, who’s put in two phenomenal performances for the national team. But nobody should declare him the great American hope yet, as we’ve seen this sort of thing before (Eddie Johnson, anyone?)

8. The Mavericks cling to the hope that they can grab the 7th seed and avoid a first round match-up against L.A. They’re getting a little help from Utah, but they need to win out to have a chance.

Things to note in the world today:

1. Iraq: Sunni militia members in Baghdad revolted Saturday, prompted by the arrest of an Awakenings movement leader by Iraqi forces. The crisis was resolved, but it raises fears that the relationship between the government and Sunni militias-many of which are not being paid as promised-could be strained to the breaking point.

2. A profile of anti-tax nuts, many of whom never met a crazy legal argument they didn’t like.

3. The Federal government says GM and Chrysler are not viable, and refuse to offer more aid. Bankruptcy looms for both companies.

4. Mexico faces extreme difficulty putting down the drug cartels, and critics are beginning to call for a change in approach.

5. The women’s professional soccer league, version 2.0.

The new Dallas Cowboys stadium is on its way to becoming the Texas soccer Mecca apparently. In addition to hosting two quarter-final matches for CONCACAF’s Gold Cup in July, the new stadium will also host an exhibition match between the Premiership’s Chelsea and Mexico’s Primera Division Club America. The events are a week a part, meaning it’ll be a hellaciously awesome week of world-class soccer in the Metroplex come July.

Major League Soccer kicks off it’s 14th season tonight as the New York Red Bulls take on MLS’ brand new club, the Seattle Sounders. As annoying and embarrassing as the David Beckham saga has been over the winter, MLS as a whole is enjoying an unprecedented level of success. The league now hosts 15 franchises, but will add a new team in Vancouver that will begin play in 2011. MLS Commissioner Don Garber also announced plans to bring on two additional teams by 2012, though MLS has not announced yet where those teams will play (though in the mix are cities like Portland, St. Louis and Ottawa, as well as Miami, which lost its MLS franchise the Fusion in 2001.) Things are not looking as bright for FC Dallas, which as of the beginning of the month had sold only 5,000 tickets for the home opener on Saturday and which in general is having trouble putting a good produce on the field and putting people in seats out at the park at Frisco. But hope springs eternal…FC Dallas has brought in some quality players that will hopefully make an immediate impact (though it seems we say this every season) and while it’s hard to imagine FC Dallas as a top club in MLS, it’s somewhat easier to imagine them doing well enough to make the playoffs.

Last month Brett Daniels, Dallas Cowboys spokesman, indicated that the new stadium in Arlington was already slated to host international soccer matches this year. Although he indicated fall was the timeline, the Cowboys announced today that the new stadium will host a Gold Cup double-header on July 19th. The Gold Cup is CONCACAF’s main tournament, and it’s played every two years to decide the champion of CONCACAF. The United States has won the last two tournaments, and I’m sure would like to continue that streak this year. As near as I can tell no brackets have been established so there’s no telling even what kind of game will be played. Anyway, it’s great that some (hopefully) quality international soccer is coming to Dallas.

UPDATE: More information here. Apparently the Cowboys stadium will host two quarter-final matches. The other two will be played in Philadelphia the day before.