David Beckham finally accomplished something other than over-exposure on an American soccer field. The only man who can actually “bend it like Beckham” did it in a game that’s purpose is hard to fathom.

I truly don’t understand why they were playing.

I consider myself the average-American soccer fan. Therefore, I obviously don’t know all that much about the sport. The World Cup is fun to watch every four years, foreign soccer fans are 10 percent passionate and 90 percent crazy, Brandi Chastain took her shirt off after scoring a goal, and David Beckham is trying to create buzz about a sport which, in America, most little kids play and most adults don’t follow.

So when I received a text message from my one soccer friend seconds after Beckham bended it to the back corner of the net on Wednesday, I assumed it was in front of a sold-out crowd at the Home Depot Center for an important MLS game.

It wasn’t.

Actually, the stadium wasn’t close to capacity, and it was for a SuperLiga match. What a SuperLiga match actually is I don’t know, but I do know no other sport in this country would have other matches during the season.

I don’t think Bill Belichick would let Tom Brady play in a seven-on-seven tourney during the Patriots’ bye week, and I don’t think A-Rod would take a few days away from the Yankees because his 40-and-younger team was a game away from the Westside Rec. League finals.

America doesn’t need David Beckham to create buzz for soccer. The small town I live in has thousands of kids playing every weekend.

America needs a league they can latch onto and call their own. I don’t care if David Beckham bends it 400 times to the back corner of the net on a free-kick during those “other” games. I want to see him score the game-winner for the L.A. Galaxy during the championship match on network television. I want to see other great soccer stars play for the Major League of Soccer, not tear it up during spring training-esque contests.

Maybe then the next time I scream, “Gooooooaaaaalllll,” it’ll actually mean something.

Anyone who has ever suffered a severely sprained ankle knows that it can take weeks or even months to heal. For David Beckham and the MLS, the timing couldn’t be worse. Understand that the Beckham signing was a gamble from the outset. Amid the hype it was going to be interesting to see if the American sporting public would respond to Beckham’s game.

Soccer is a game of subtleties. Beckham’s game accentuates the subtleties. Don’t get me wrong - Beckham is a superstar. But, he’s not a LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett-type of superstar. He’s more Jason Kidd. The first three can stir a nation, the latter can’t.

What Beckham did have going for him was that America bought into the hype. When he landed in July, America was focused on his arrival like no British import since the Beatles in 1964. Yet, while the Beatles delivered, Beckham’s ankle has limited him to a couple of token appearances in eight games. Worse, think about how the sporting spotlight has shifted since Beckham’s arrival. Craig Biggio notched his 3,000th hit, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken entered the Hall of Fame, Tom Glavine won #300, Alex Rodriguez smashed his 500th career home run, Bonds broke Aaron’s record, Tiger won another major, the Yankees have made up 10 games on the Red Sox, NFL exhibition season is underway, and college football starts in two weeks.

While Beckham’s fame will endure, the MLS has had its 15 minutes in the spotlight. There is still room for professional soccer in this country, and the sport will succeed. However, the booster rocket that was going to launch the sport to unprecedented heights has fizzled. Funny thing about luck.

Beckham could have been the right guy in the right place. Now, in all probability, we’ll never really know.