In a recent interview at an international soccer conference, Danny Bahar, the head of Red Bull GmbH, said the anticipated arrival of players like David Beckham, Ronaldo and Luis Figo in Major League Soccer will make soccer “one of the major four sports in the U.S.” in the next 5-10 years. He said that Red Bull’s purchase of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars was a precursor to the company’s plan to attract international stars. “It was a rational decision to make the move [to MLS] before the U.S. starts building soccer-specific stadiums and attracts the likes of Beckham, Figo and Ronaldo,” Bahar said. After buying the MetroStars, Red Bull spent an additional $75 million on naming rights and 50 percent ownership of the team’s new stadium, which is being built in Harrison, N.J. Of course, yesterday, the L.A. Galaxy said it would love to sign Beckham, who could become available for transfer as soon as January. Beckham is thought to be more interested in a move to L.A., where he has a soccer academy. MLS Commissioner Don Garber believes his presence alone would be enough to boost the league’s attendance, which has been stuck at around 15,000 since 2002. “Beckham is a cultural world icon, and if we can get him in this league, people will care and they’ll come out and see our games,” Garber told Bloomberg Radio. He said league officials are now crunching numbers to see what kind of return the league would get on an investment in Beckham. Money, of course, could be a problem. Nine of twelve MLS teams lose money, and their average payroll is about $2 million per team. Beckham makes three times that per year playing with Real Madrid in Spain.