NEW YORK — The e-mail promises “a private room and 10 minutes with David Beckham.” The P.R. staff insists no topic is off limits for the most famous soccer player on the planet.

And, you bet, the mind wanders with the possible questions from the soccer-cynic part of the brain, one most Americans have: “Wait a minute. You’re still here?”

From the quadrant controlled by the spirit of Chris Farley: “Remember that time you curved a corner kick directly into the goal? That was awesome.”

From the voice belonging to my 16-year-old niece: “Can you sign this Calvin Klein underwear spread of yours? Oh, and include your cell phone number, too.”

But Beckham knows what question is coming first. It follows him here more than the British press. He is in the fifth year of his great experiment with Major League Soccer, a partnership with the L.A. Galaxy that was supposed to raise the profile of the sport to new heights.

So has it?

Bend my ear, Beckham.

“When I look back over the five years, I’ve seen record attendance, seven new franchises — and seven very successful franchises — and nine new soccer stadiums,” he said.

“That’s incredible in a country that’s not renowned for being a soccer nation. I’ve seen 24 million people watch the World Cup in this country, which is an incredible number. I’ve seen the interest and it’s exciting to be part of that.”

He is right on all points. But how much of the credit belongs to Beckham — the tattoo-covered, camera-attracting underwear model married to a Spice Girl — is certainly debatable.

Beckham and the MLS All-Stars will play his former team, Manchester United, Wednesday at Red Bull Arena, a pitch-perfect pitch that would have been built even if Beckham had stayed on the other side of the pond. The game would have been a sellout without him, too, because soccer fans here have always been attracted to the best teams and the biggest names.

The MLS would be making slow, steady progress without Beckham. Still, it isn’t hard to find his impact. It is all around him, nearly everywhere he goes, especially at an event like this.

More MLS All-Star Game coverage:

• Complete coverage of the MLS All-Star Game by NJ.com

Beckham is the reason men are rushing cameras and portable lights in and out at this SoHo loft today, the attraction that brings everyone — CNN, “Today,” the Wall Street Journal and, as his representative says, “all the chat shows” — on the day before a signature MLS event.

“This is something I’ve enjoyed for a number of years,” Beckham, wearing the earth’s whitest T-shirt, said when asked about all the attention and cameras. It comes naturally. He is as smooth dealing with the media as he is on the field, a rare combination in sports.

He gets the eyeballs. So okay, most of them ask about his new baby (Harper Seven is his fourth child with his wife, Victoria) long before they slip in an obligatory question about the game. But they weren’t coming here for Kyle Beckerman or Brad Davis, his teammates Wednesday night.

Beckham has given the league a bit of buzz, and that never hurts in pro sports. Are fans coming just to see a celebrity when he plays? Or are they coming to see a soccer game? The best equation, for any league, is to have a little of both.

“When I arrived, I said I was committed to make this sport bigger in this country,” Beckham said. “I know it’s gotten bigger in the last five years, but it can keep getting bigger and I want to be part of that. The mission will continue going on — it’s not just about the five years I signed here.”

And it’s not just about Beckham. He watched the women’s World Cup this month along with everyone else, saw the interest that gradually built during the U.S. team’s run to the championship game. The same groundswell of interest happened in 1999 when the U.S. women won the title, long before Becks moved to Beverly Hills. Americans root for winners.

The MLS hasn’t made that kind of impact and probably never will. But enough people care in enough communities to make it a viable league, one that should keep growing. Beckham is noncommittal about 2012 — “I’m going to see how my body feels and then decide,” he said — but if he doesn’t return to the Galaxy, chances are, a big-name star will take his place in the future.

The Red Bulls already have Thierry Henry. Maybe a Wayne Rooney follows in a few years. Maybe the MLS will finally start spending more on players to attract a star in his prime.



"It's going to take more than three or four years to make this league a top league that competes with the rest of the world," Beckham said. "But I believe it will happen. In 10, 15, 20 years, this league will be a league that competes with some of the best in the world."

Who knows, in 20 years, maybe little Harper Seven Beckham will be a big soccer star herself. Her father has made an impact, but even if he leaves and never comes back, soccer here will be just fine without him.

Steve Politi: spoliti@starledger.com; Twitter.com/StevePoliti