| ESPNsoccernet: MLS |
David Beckham insists he is not expecting his arrival at Los Angeles Galaxy to spark a revolution in American soccer.
The former England captain is moving to the USA from Real Madrid at the end of the season after agreeing a five-year, £250million deal.
Both the club and Major League Soccer are contributing to the package and league organisers hope the arrival of a player with such superstar status will provide a huge boost to the game in the States.
Beckham himself claims he is not harbouring any illusions about the football in America.
He said: 'I'm not silly enough to think that soccer is going to be as big as baseball, American football or basketball.
'But if I can help in some way bringing the kids through in the US then I will have achieved what I want to have achieved.'
Beckham also insisted the move will not be an easy option in the twilight of his playing career.
He added: 'I don't think it's going to be that easy - the standards over there are high.
'Just because there's not much coverage of the MLS in Europe I don't think the standards are as low as some people have been saying.
'I know physically I've got to be right and that's another reason why I wanted to do this challenge at the age I am now.
'If I had gone over there in two, three or four years' time people would have said more what some are saying now - that it's all about the money.
'It's not, it's a fresh challenge and something I'm excited to be doing with my family.
'The American side interested me a lot and after spending some time over there I felt it was the right place for me to go and make a difference in some sort of way.'