After a thrilling conclusion to the regular season that saw the last two playoff spots decided on the final day of matches, Major League Soccer kicks off its playoffs tonight with the Chicago Fire hosting D.C. United. The only question is, will anybody care now that the L.A. Galaxy (who might as well be known as FC David Beckham) will be watching from home?

On the surface, one would think the MLS should thrive — soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world, and the US generally produces some of the best athletes in the world. On top of that, hundreds of thousands of children play in youth leagues every year (think back to your glory days in AYSO). But, alas, the beautiful game is shunned by many of our country’s sports fans.

I’m sure we’ve all heard someone preaching the enlightened philosophy that soccer is a “wussy sport.” Anyone who has ever gone down under a crunching slide tackle — or anyone who saw Zinedine Zidane’s awe-inspiring headbutt in the 2006 World Cup — can tell you that is certainly not true, so one has to wonder why this opinion, although declining in prevalence, persists.

One theory is that these naysayers believe in “American Exceptionalism” — basically, they think that America is on a higher level than the rest of the world and, therefore, does not need to adopt the world’s sport. Instead, they embrace sports created in America, such as football (although most of the world would argue that it is not real football), basketball and baseball. As globalization continues, though, this contingent is shrinking.

Interestingly, globalization has also negatively affected US soccer. Both the Internet and television have made it far easier for American soccer lovers to follow teams and watch games across the Atlantic, such as the English Premiership and Spain’s La Liga — generally regarded as the two best leagues in the world.

Because these possibilities now exist, fans can watch top-flight soccer in foreign countries and do not have to “settle” for the MLS, which is not a terrible league, but nowhere near these other two. Unfortunately, I have to admit to previously being a part of this group. I used to follow only Arsenal FC (currently top of the table in the English Premier League), even though they are an ocean away and the Chicago Fire played in my hometown.

It was almost like Arsenal played at such a high level that, after watching them, the MLS just could not measure up. To use an example I have commonly heard throughout campus, it would be like going to Cal after attending Stanford.

However, with the implementation of the “Beckham Rule” this season — basically allowing teams to go over their salary cap to sign a great player — I am warming up to the MLS again. The rule has allowed the league to bring in many players who have experience playing at the highest level, and even just one of these players on a team can make the quality on the pitch increase immensely.

Also, this act signifies that the MLS is serious about attempting to become a “big league.” It would be foolish to expect that to occur immediately, but over a long period of time it could feasibly happen. Yes, a lot of the buzz right now has to do with Beckham’s celebrity status (way too high in my opinion — The Beckham Cam??), and that will die down eventually, but as the quality of the league continues to improve, our country will have the resources to cultivate a major domestic league.

Many soccer players, no matter where in the world they are from, love American culture. This was obviously a major reason for Beckham coming here and was also cited by Thierry Henry as a reason for wanting to play in the MLS after he finishes his contract at Barcelona. So the more the quality of the MLS improves, the more of these players we can attract, and the better our league becomes.

And here’s the beauty in all of this: anyone can make a difference. Just by supporting and watching the games, you can help stabilize the MLS. Once the owners see the increase in support and stability in the league, they will be more willing to spend money on top-quality players and, thus, increase the league’s quality.

It’s basically a win-win. And if someone still tries to question why you would watch a “wussy sport,” you can always follow Zidane’s example.