It appears counterintuitive to state that David Beckham’s omission from the next England squad by new England manager Fabio Capello is a positive sign for MLS.

On its face, Beckham’s omission hurts both the player and the league, but that viewpoint glosses over the underlying benefits caused by the snub.

Many in England wanted Beckham to take a valedictory stroll around the park against Switzerland on February 6. Beckham would earn his 100th cap for the Three Lions, entering an exclusive club with the likes of Peter Shilton, Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, and Billy Wright.

Beckham has trained with Arsenal for the past month in an attempt to persuade Capello that he could feature in the friendly.

Capello rejected Beckham’s rationale and “match fitness” and instead offered another idea, according to Sky:

Find your match fitness and match form with the Galaxy and then we’ll talk.

The boost to the league is implicit in Capello’s argument.

Much like Poland coach Leo Beenhakker’s endorsement of a potential move to the league by star striker Maciej Zurawski, Capello’s statements, if communicated, imply that the standard of play is of a requisite quality that Beckham will remain in consideration under the Italian’s watch.

While former England boss Steve McLaren agreed with Capello’s assessment when he recalled Beckham last season, it was not necessarily the case that Capello would concur with his predecessor’s judgment.

(Nor should Capello’s concurrence with McLaren’s flawed reign be expected when the provisional squad for the friendly is named later today.)

The league and the Galaxy reap other, more tangible benefits from Capello’s actions. The midfielder can halt his farcical training stint with the Gunners. The league can avoid the negative press it wound inevitably face from shilling a current England player around Asia with the specter of injury looming over his head with every wanton tackle while his England teammates are playing Premier League football.

More positively, the move shifts Beckham’s focus back to the playing field and creates further incentive for Beckham to bed in with Galaxy and excel on the field. 

In the end, a fit, focused, motivated, and in-form Beckham benefits both England and the Galaxy. Capello’s decision to push off Beckham’s 100th cap increases that likelihood for the foreseeable future.

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