What we Learned from Beckham's Visit to Giants Stadium

One of the greatest games in MLS history played in front of 66,237 at Giants Stadium.

It was one of those sometimes rare moments in this country's soccer landscape when you think that this sport is going to make it big one day.

What did we learn from Saturday night at the Meadowlands?

- 66,237 people will come out for a game in an awful location such as the Meadowlands between simply two MLS teams. No doubleheader, no European super club.

- Although you had more than your fair share of primarily Beckham fans, a ton of the crowd supported the home team when all was said and done.

- There was a large portion of the "non-regular crowd" who were Red Bull fans. If you didn't know this all ready, there are a ton of supporters of the club who simply don't go to allot of matches for one reason or another. The event of Becks coming gave them the reason for this to be that one game to come out to.

- This crowd varied greatly from the one that showed up to pack the house about a year ago for Ronaldinho and Barcelona. The crowd at the Barca game had a much more Latin feel to it then this Saturday did. Becks seemed brought out more of those with European heritages. This was great to see the differing fan bases because it proves that the local club has two differing local soccer fan bases that it can draw from.

- There is no doubt that this game turned some first-timers as well as timid fans who only come out every now and then into fans of the Red Bulls and fans of MLS. You know this to be a fact if you were there.

- Now, the game obviously did not turn every one of the 66,000 + into Red Bull fans, but it proved that the people will come out, in very large quantities, if the club gives them that "in". For some that "in" is consistently winning, for others it is the new stadium. For many though, they won't get that "in" until there is a world soccer star suiting up for NY.

The fans are there, and it may not be as hard to convert them as we might have thought a year ago.