Celebrity won't affect Becks decision

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- Major League Soccer says the Los Angeles Galaxy will make the decision on whether to try to re-sign David Beckham based on his soccer ability and not his celebrity.

MLS president Mark Abbott said "there have been so many benefits" to the league's having Beckham, who is in the final season of a US$32.5-million, five-year contract he signed to leave Real Madrid.

The midfielder, who turns 36 next month, has been criticized for leaving the Galaxy twice on loan to AC Milan. He missed most of the 2010 season after tearing an Achilles tendon while playing in Italy.

Beckham will travel next week to London for the royal wedding April 29. The Galaxy plays at Dallas on May 1 but Abbott said the league doesn't have an issue with his schedule.

"He came here first and foremost as a soccer player," Abbott said Thursday at a meeting with the Associated Press sports editors. "You can't ignore that he's a famous soccer player."