All the news over the MLS off-season was about whether David Beckham would or wouldn't return from Milan in time for the start of the campaign. But it's not a one-player league, says Robert Hughes, and the likes of Ljungberg, Blanco and even Darren Huckerby should keep us entertained.

Since its first season in 1996, Major League Soccer has been quietly going about the business of establishing professional football as a viable and credible sport in the United States. In contrast to the t