Beckham ready to begin mission

LOS ANGELES (TICKER) —David Beckham insists he can cope with the huge burden of expectation on him to transform football in America.

Amid all the hype surrounding his move from Real Madrid to Los Angeles Galaxy, Beckham has been championed as the player to take the game into the hearts of American sports fans and help it finally achieve the level of popularity it enjoys in virtually every other corner of the globe.

Tickets to see Beckham play have been selling fast, not just in Los Angeles but across the country, with the game at the New York Red Bulls already attracting 30,000 fans more than a month before matchday.

Following his Galaxy presentation ceremony at the team’s Home Depot Center stadium Thursday night, the England star felt no pressure.

“I’m not worried about it, to be honest,” Beckham said. “I think people know what I can do on a football pitch and what my game is. I think most of America is very positive about me coming here and about soccer in general. So I can never be worried about selling out stadiums.

“It’s going to be great. I’ve had pressures all the way through my career, especially this year, which has been one of the biggest years in my career on the pitch. I’ve had a rollercoaster year where I’ve been in the team and been out of the team on the club side and the country side. That turned around and (Real Madrid) ended up winning the league and I ended up getting back into the national team.”

But Beckham understands he is being counted on here in the United States.

“Of course there have been expectations here, but there have been expectations all the way through my career,” he said. It’s how you handle it and how you live up to it, and if I can do that in the way I’ve done in my career so far, I’ll be very proud.”

Beckham has no regrets about going through with his move to Los Angeles, which was agreed back in January when he was out of both the England and Real Madrid reckoning.

“I’ve only just arrived and I’ve already been thrown the question, ‘Do I regret this move?’ he said. “Of course I don’t regret this move. It’s a huge move for me, my family and my career. Of course, I’m back in the England team now, but I can handle it.

“It’s not a problem for me. I’m as fit as I was many years ago, I’ll just be clocking up the air miles a bit more.”