Anyone who says Beckham is overrated is merely talking out of their bottom..or just an ignorant ass.
He was a scapegoat for Englands miserable performance in the world cup, and the reason he was the scapegoat is because he played for the most hated team in England, Manchester United, although chelski seem to be taking that title from us lately..the three best players for England during that campaign were...Beckham, Hargreaves and Lennon. Even though United are still the best team in the Premiership they have not been the same since Beckham went to spain...it's what he does for the other players that makes him great, ie. putting the ball on the toe of strikers like Van Nistlerooy, that makes him one of the best players in the world, and makes other players look better than they really are, ie Van Nistlerooy...it's a team sport if you hadn't noticed.
I don't know if he can promote the game of "soccer" in the US to a level the MLS is expecting, but if nothing else he might show them how to play the bloody game, and that's a step in the right direction. It's about scoring, not preventing the other team from scoring, which seems to be the tactic stateside. I really tried to support the MLS by watching DC United, but it's just a boring game the way it's played over here.