Gerrard to be a better DP for Galaxy than Beckham Steven Gerrard, an Englishman not afraid to push out his chest and proudly represent a city or country, is heading to the Los Angeles Galaxy as its new designated player. He will arrive in the sunshine with his family by July and, at 35, some are wondering if he will be a success. Many in the English press are wondering if he'll be a "bust" like Jermain Defoe or a "success" like David Beckham. While all the comparisons to other players are nonsensical, Gerrard has the potential to be far more successful than the rest.

Kristian Jack TSN Soccer Analyst Follow|Archive

It was the character Colin Frissell in the movie Love, Actually who declared so proudly that he was coming "to America."

"American girls would seriously dig me with my cute, British accent," declared Colin, who took off to a place his accent broke down into three syllables: "Wiss-Conn-Sin."

Colin’s move turned out to be a tremendous success, as he accomplished exactly what he set out to do when he arrived.

Not even David Beckham can say that.

There is a unique charm about an Englishman’s view of the United States.

Many refer to it as a one-worded nation: "America" - a big country full of big people with big mouths, big expectations, big portions, big dreams and big ideas.

Introverted by nature, the Brits, from their quiet, reserved perch, have a tendency to look down and both judge and envy their allies.

Americans can be an easy target for the Brits and, as much as they can mock them for their tendency to "be massive," there is a large amount of respect across the water when it comes to seeing them push out their chest and believe in themselves.

English people often wish they could be more American in that way - to fly their flags proudly, not just when it’s during a World Cup or an Olympics, and not be afraid to show the world exactly how they feel.

When he arrived to play in Los Angeles, Beckham repeatedly said how much he enjoyed how much the country itself and everything in it.

“It's one thing I like about America - they respect the sportsman," he said. "They put them up on a pedestal. They don't try to knock them down. And that's a great thing, to be respected by the whole country. It's so patriotic."

"America." That one word again.

“I can tell the supporters I will be going to play in America,” said Steven Gerrard this past week when announcing he was leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.

Gerrard, an Englishman not afraid to push out his chest and proudly represent a city or country, is heading to the Los Angeles Galaxy as its new designated player. He will arrive in the sunshine with his family by July and, at 35, some are wondering if he will be a success.

Many articles in the English press have been written over the last couple of days asking whether Gerrard will be a bust "like a Defoe or Lampard" or a success "like a Beckham."

In truth, all the comparisons are as nonsensical as the judgments based on the other players.

Gerrard is his own man and has the potential to be far more successful than any of the others, including Beckham...on the pitch.

Brand Beckham will always be royalty when the discussion of Major League Soccer designated players is broached. This week, in the wake of the news that Gerrard was coming to MLS, the BBC ran an article called "10 things you need to know about MLS" in which they explained Beckham had a rule named after him. In truth, more people refer to it as the DP rule these days, but they had a point.

When Gerrard makes his LA debut, he will not have the movie stars in the crowd that accompanied Beckham, but also gone will be the high maintenance issues that followed him around. There will be no constant flirting elsewhere with loan deals, subsequent injuries on the pitch that came from that and, to be frank, regular adequate performances at best on the field.

In Gerrard, the Galaxy are getting a fully committed player who has always approached the game that way. They're getting a player who has rarely been injured, who plays in central midfield, an area where he can both dictate the tempo of the game and the overall final score.

We must remember Beckham rarely dominated MLS matches. For all of the glitz and glamour he brought, the spotlight was rarely deserved for the actual talent he showed on the field. Yes, he could pass a ball like no other, but he has never had the drive, workrate or talent to impact a big game from a central position. He made the annual MLS Best XI, which is awarded at the end of each season, just once, despite it regularly being a place for All-Star names to be given recognition.

MLS, first and foremost, offers Gerrard a significant pay packet. That should not be forgotten, but along with it comes an opportunity to play every game in a position he has succeeded in throughout his career - something he was no longer able to do every game for Liverpool.

For the Galaxy, he will be able to influence more games than Beckham did and play as a box-to-box midfielder. The modern day game has seen a turnaround in fortune for central midfielders in the past decade, thanks, in part, to the popularity of the 4-2-3-1 formation and with more and more emphasis on transitions.

The modern day box-to-box midfielder is no longer looked upon first as a physical threat or a stopper. This is a valuable asset, but more and more successful teams have central midfielders in their team who are all around footballers. Gerrard fits the bill in MLS. He is an adequate tackler, an outstanding reader of the game and a great passer who can give the first pass out of a transition or the final one in a move that ends in a goal. He can play in the Galaxy’s 4-4-2 or have them evolve, against better teams, into a fluid 4-3-3 with a trio of Juninho, Marcelo Sarvas and Gerrard. He gives Bruce Arena options and is a big-game player for a big name club. In America.

His loyalty to Liverpool throughout his career means he is more than likely to do the same during his time in MLS.

Gerrard does not walk into something without his eyes being fully open to the task ahead. It is that determination that has seen him carry a club on his shoulders for the best part of a decade and a half.

This is not going to be an English DP who is going to call out the media when he suddenly sees them approaching his locker inside the changing rooms.

This is not going to be an English DP that will annoy fellow players who will devote full chapters in a book to talk about him.

“When David first came, I believed he was committed to what he was doing,” said Landon Donovan in The Beckham Experiment by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl. “He cared. He wanted to do well. He wanted the team and the league to do well.”

According to Donovan, at the time, things changed.

“I can’t think of another guy where I’d say he wasn’t a good teammate, he didn’t give everything through all this, he didn’t still care,” Donovan added. “But with [Beckham,] I’d say no, he wasn’t committed.”

Defoe and Lampard have also seen their commitments rightfully questioned of late.

With Gerrard, it will be different.

This is not going to be an English DP who other players will look on with envy and wonder why on earth he is getting paid the amount he is. It is impossible to find any of his fellow professionals who will talk badly of Gerrard. He is a grounded star who, throughout his career, has been a role model to many of his teammates and opponents.

When he was a 15-year-old schoolboy on the books at Liverpool, the club asked him to fill out a self-appraisal survey. His answers showed then what kind of man he would turn out to be.

“I am easily approachable, always up for a laugh and try to get on with everyone,” he wrote.

He added: “In five years’ time, I see myself hopefully playing first team football, settled with a girlfriend and talking of houses and family.”

The Gerrard Plan came true. Twenty years on, it has been diverted to a place some call "America."

An Englishman is coming to America and finally, the potential is there for love to be all around.