From the Guardian:
'Alexi Lalas, the president of LA Galaxy and the man responsible for taking David Beckham to Major League Soccer in the United States next month, has suggested that the Premiership is an "inferior product" whose global success is largely down to American marketing techniques.
'"There's no accounting for bad taste," Lalas said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. "That a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business. English football now has the haves and the have-nots. It's just that the Premiership have become so skilled in presentation. They took a page out of American football and so now they have Saturday Showdowns and Super Sundays. I love it. This is high-calibre marketing - taking an inferior product and improving it through packaging."'
More from the interview:
"English football now has the haves and the have-nots, and even the top four in the Premiership may be narrowing down to two. But because of the structure of our league and the salary cap our competition runs deep. It's just that the Premiership have become so skilled in presentation. They took a page out of American football and now have Saturday Showdowns and Super Sundays. I love it. This is high-calibre marketing: taking an inferior product and improving it through packaging.
"Beckham is not going to change anything overnight but the hope is that this will be a big stepping stone towards the point where we see ourselves in 20 years. We want to emerge as America's first super-club, to compete with Madrid and Man United. Some might say that's a pipe-dream but I prefer to call it our vision."
Part of that ambition extends to the idea that a world club championship might eventually rival the Champions League, with the likes of Manchester United playing LA Galaxy and Barcelona meeting River Plate on a regular basis. "In this global economy I'd say that's almost inevitable. It's what we're working towards."