Lalas: Galaxy will be out of this world with Beckham

David Beckham's boss at LA Galaxy has hit back at claims by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson that the midfielder will not be able to make 'soccer' popular in the USA.

Ferguson last week claimed that Beckham would be unable to have much impact on American sporting tastes and would fail where Pele, Beckenbauer, Cruyff and others had failed in the past.

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But LA Galaxy director of football Alexi Lalas insists that Beckham, who is currently injured, will help make the club one of the biggest in the world. He said: "We want to be a super club. We want anyone in London, Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, when they think of football to think of LA Galaxy. We want Galaxy to be the best.

"The main reason David Beckham came is the quality of the player. He came to compete at the highest level and to help us win. It's important to have big names in order to attract attention and raise the level of play. It's important to sign great players who are good on the field and have charisma away from it. It's important to have that type of player to attract people." He added that he one day hopes to bring veteran stars such as Inter's Luis Figo and Benfica's Rui Costa to join Beckham as part of the club's intended development.

The former US international added: "You only have to see the new stadiums, the great players, the public. In a few years soccer can become the most important sport in America.

"Be it in a stadium of 20,000 people, or a dirt pitch around the corner, I adore football. I'm American, but I'm aware that I'm part of the world and on a worldwide scale it's the most important sport, the one that brings the most people together. I like that a lot." He believes that US football is already more competitive than European football in some respects. "We're more competitive. In Europe there are always three or four clubs which win championships, have more money and the best players. Here, any team can win the league," said Lalas.