The US Soccer Hall of Fame welcomes its newest class next spring, with Beckham potentially being one of the foreign-born legends to be inducted. The Englishman has gotten no shortage of recognition, but his contributions to the American game deserve an official title. Beckham's playing career with the LA Galaxy (2007-2012) was in some ways more successful than Pelé's, with him working alongside Landon Donovan to lead the club to a pair of league titles and two Supporters' Shields.
Beckham's true effect, though, came at a league level. Major League Soccer created an entirely new roster mechanism – the designated player rule – to accommodate Beckham's arrival, a guideline that fundamentally changed its reality. The Hall of Fame inducts candidates in three categories: player, veteran and builder, the last of which is reserved for those whose work was primarily off the field. Beckham's inclusion this year comes in the veteran category, where he's nominated alongside nine other deserving candidates.
The presence of Beckham's name has been the subject of much debate among the hall's voters, with some arguing that he stands a good chance of making it in the "builder" category. However, Beckham's playing career alone stacks up favorably against many members of the hall, and his mere presence on field legitimized a still fledgling league and led to a decade-long boom that saw it nearly double in size.