It’s almost inevitable that David Beckham will make the crossover to Major League Soccer, writes Grant Wahl of SI.com, but what’s now changed is the timetable for his possible arrival, and MLS should pounce on the opportunity, he says. No more two-year wait, as Beckham has alluded to in the past. He could become available as early January and be on the field for the Los Angeles Galaxy or the New York Red Bulls by the start of the 2007 season. Wahl says a number of factors indicate that the time to sign Beckham is now: one is the fact that he warms the bench at Real Madrid and has been dropped from the England squad. Two, is the fact that the Englishman remains one of the world’s most marketable soccer players, second perhaps only to Barcelona’s Ronaldinho. Three, is his age: at 31, Beckham could have four or five more years of competitive soccer left in him, as opposed to the two or three years clubs might be able to squeeze out of him in two years. Much like the role Pele played in bringing the NASL to prominence nearly 20 years ago, Beckham could attract that kind of publicity to a league in desperate need of some star-power. Wahl also argues that Beckham is still a high-quality player, one who could make a significant impact on the field in MLS. An early move would also make him anxious to prove to his critics that he’s not just “some old-timer wanting a fat paycheck and a vacation.” Furthermore, Wahl says that MLS insiders tell him that the so-called Beckham rule, which would allow teams to sign one player for whatever salary they choose without the league’s approval, could go into effect as early as this year. The billionaire owners of L.A. and N.Y., Philip Anschutz and Dietrich Mateschitz, respectvely,could easily afford Beckham.