If the US is not yet fully conversant about soccer, it is on a first-name basis with celebrity, which drew 50,807 people to Giants Stadium for Tuesday's exhibition between England and Colombia.
Out came David Beckham, conglomerate, alongside David Beckham, midfielder and captain, in his US professional debut. Product placement was apparently as much on his mind as the placement of his famously bending free kicks.
For England's 3-2 victory, Beckham trotted out his signature US$210 silver cleats, to be unveiled as part of an apparel line Wednesday, and a mop of hair that veered somewhere between early Beatles and late Trump.
An appearance on the "Today" show was also scheduled for Wednesday, followed by the opening of a soccer academy outside Los Angeles on Thursday. Such was Beckham's breathless arrival that one kept waiting for word of a planned cure for Social Security by the weekend.
His teammate Michael Owen scored three times in the England victory, consolation for an uneven club season at Real Madrid, but Beckham didn't disappoint, either, before a curious and adoring crowd.
His tabloid life as the husband of Posh Spice, Victoria Adams, belies hard work and considerable soccer skills often eclipsed by sensationalism.
On the right flank in the 58th minute, Beckham bent a pass with splendid precision to the foot of Owen, who volleyed the ball into the net for a 3-1 lead. Beckham raised his arms, as if to say: Think Eli Manning could do that?
Late in the first half, Beckham drew a free kick for England after taking an elbow to the back of the head from the Colombian midfielder John Restrepo. A quick restart by forward Peter Crouch freed Owen in the penalty area, and he punched the ball under Colombia goalkeeper Farid Mondragon for a 2-1 lead.
Neither Owen nor Beckham played in England's victory last Saturday over the United States, remaining in Spain to complete their club season with Real Madrid, but their presence was exhilarating Tuesday.
Which is exactly why Eric Hiemenz and Scott Mason drove up from Baltimore, Mason wearing one of the replica Beckham jerseys that were plentiful in the parking lot.
"The Beckham brand," said Hiemenz, 43, a graphic artist.
Ryan Miller, a law school student from Englewood, New Jersey, owns six Beckham jerseys. He lent several to friends Tuesday, and he and his buddies tried to replicate the cockscomb hairstyle that Beckham wore for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Miller said Beckham could do wonders for soccer visibility in America if he finished his career with Major League Soccer. On Monday, Beckham said he would consider it, though it seemed to be more polite conversation than serious intent.
"Freddy Adu is pretty good, but Beckham is an icon," Miller, who is 23, said. "Ask people here who Ronaldo and Zidane are, and most of them will say they're hockey players. If America is going to have any shot at soccer, Beckham's it."
In the US, where rooting interest is directed toward alma maters and local professional teams, there is no equivalent to the passion that England has for its soccer team.
Afterward, Beckham waved to the crowd and clapped in appreciation.
Later, dressed in a suit and sweater, he walked from one clump of reporters to another, speaking graciously but saying little in his high-pitched voice, as if he were walking the red carpet with Posh Spice at the Grammy Awards.
"Fans get excited on occasions like this," he said of the crowd. "That's what this country needs for soccer."
Then he made a beeline for the Metro Girls, spokesmodels for the MetroStars of MLS, signing autographs as they shrieked and photographed him on their cell phones. "Even if he was ugly, we'd like him," Cynthia Dale said.
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