i promise you when i say that 95% of america doesn't give a fuck about beckham being/playing here. its not going to "catapult the game of soccer in the U.S." its just gonna sell tix/jerseys/merchandise and make ESPN, MLS and sponsors lots of money from the fans of MLS (which are hard to come by IMO).
the only aspect of his arrival here is the prospect of a new celeb couple to revel in and invade their personal lives. otherwise this whole beckham thing is really nothing. its more about the beckham's rather than david and the game.
as for the hype created -- ESPN hypes up anything and everything if they have anything vested in it. trust me, those mofos could hype up waiting at the airport if they tried.