Grant Wahl of SI.com talks Beckham, the U.S. women's team opener and the U.S. men vs. Brazil. To make Becks a success next season, Wahl names five things the global superstar needs. One, the L.A. Galaxy and England manager Steve McClaren have to be on the same page when it comes to internationals. A player in his condition should have never played back-to-back 90-minute games in two different continents. Healthy players shouldn't be subjected to that. Two, the Galaxy schedule needs to be more sensitive to the needs of its players. Three, a superstar like Becks needs a coach (like Juergen Klinsmann) who won't tell him everything he wants to hear. Four, Beckham needs a capable team around him — in other words, don't expect to many players to stick around for next season. And five, most importantly, he needs to be healthy.
As for the Women's World Cup, Wahl says signs indicate that this year's tournament will be the closest yet. The U.S. women were actually outplayed a little by the North Koreans, he says, although the decision to take Abby Wambach out for 10 minutes to receive stitches was poor coaching by Greg Ryan. As important as Wambach is, 10 minutes with ten players is a long time in soccer, and the North Koreans duly took advantage, scoring twice. For a favorite, a 2-2 draw in your opening game against the group's bogey side is no way to start. The tournament can only get better from here for Ryan and co.
As for the U.S. men, Wahl says that losing five games in a row "has almost zero importance" because the U.S. is finally learning some tough lessons from some tough games. Most importantly, "the U.S. looked like it belonged on the same field as the Brazilians."