Changing that has been the mission of soccer devotees for generations, and periodically one of the great stars from overseas will come to America to play and to be hailed as the savior of soccer in America.

The latest such star is David Beckham, the 32-year-old English great who signed a five-year, $32 million deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy of the Major Soccer League, America's top professional league.

What impact will Beckham have on soccer in America?

Those who play and coach soccer in Hattiesburg think it will be a boon to the game, especially if Beckham's signing lures other foreign stars to sign with MLS teams.

"I think it's going to have a lot of impact," said Rob Hunt, who starred for Presbyterian Christian High School before graduating this past spring. "I think it's going to get more talent into the pro league and make the teams better.

"Right now, not too many people care about soccer. It's not an American thing. But maybe this will get some people to check out some games on TV."

It is an old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and Beckham has been getting plenty of publicity, as much for his marriage as anything else.

Beckham's wife Victoria is a member of the English pop group The Spice Girls, and a celebrity in her own right.

"I think they've signed him and his wife," said William Carey University men's soccer coach Nigel Boulton. "She brings a second ingredient into it. I'm sure you'll see them on all the chat shows and current events programs.

"I don't think they could buy that kind of advertising. That part is as important as what he does on the field."

And what will American soccer fans see when Beckham takes the field for the Galaxy? Are they getting a bonafide superstar or a fading athlete trying to stay in the limelight any way he can?

Beckham's first game for Los Angeles will be a friendly Saturday against English club Chelsea.

"He's still a class player," said Boulton, a native of Wales. "His athleticism isn't as strong as it used to be, but playing in the MLS will help him. It's not quite as athletic as the leagues he's played in before. He'll have a lot of opportunities to show his stuff."

At age 32, Beckham certainly doesn't have the speed he once had, but that's never been a big part of his game. Beckham's biggest asset is his passing and shooting ability, and he's still very close to the top of his game in that aspect.

Will Beckham's coming to America have a long-term effect on American soccer? Will he be the one that galvanizes youngsters to take up the game?

"He's already very well known around the world, and it's all over the TV," said Allison Cooper, who will be a senior for the PCS girls soccer team this fall. "For him to be in America may excite little kids to get involved in the game."

But will Beckham's rock-star persona draw more boys or more girls to the game? Oak Grove High girls coach Clay Smith likens it to the push girls soccer got from the United States team winning the women's World Cup in 1999.

"That's something we'll have to see," Smith said. "But I think it will impact boys more. I think it will bring some light to pro soccer, and get guys to look at pro soccer as an attraction.

"It gives boys an actual hero like Mia Hamm is with girls. She still influences girls now. They still want to be Mia, they still want to wear No. 9 (Hamm's number on that winning U.S. team)."

And while Beckham may not be able to bend 'em like he once did, he's still one of the most recognizable names in soccer, a true superstar.

"Any time you can get a superstar, it's good for the game, even if he's a little past his prime," said Gary Cooper, who has coached youth teams in the past and is now a keen spectator of the game.

"He's such an international star, and he's getting a lot of attention for coming to the United States. It has to help the sport."