Sports

BOOT-Y CALL

David Beckham‘s move to American soccer has been a success everywhere – except on the field.

The possibility of seeing the English star has attracted more fans to the stadium and viewers at home to the Los Angeles Galaxy’s games.

Saturday night’s Red Bulls-Galaxy game will have the Meadowlands looking more like a Sunday afternoon in December than a Saturday night in August. The Red Bulls have sold 55,000 tickets, up from around the 10,000 they normally average.

It still is uncertain if the crowd will get what it paid for, because Beckham is not sure he will try out his achy ankle on the field turf of Giants Stadium. He has publicly spoken out against field turf, saying soccer was meant to be played on grass.

On Wednesday night, though, Beckham showed what he is capable of when he gets significant minutes. In a Superliga semi-final, a mid-season tournament with teams from the Mexian League and MLS, Beckham buried a free kick in the back of the net from 27 yards out and assisted on another goal in 63 minutes of action in the Galaxy’s 2-0 win over D.C. United.

“The reason why he is here is because he is the best-known soccer player, not the best soccer player,” said ESPN soccer analyst Eric Wynalda, the joint all-time leading scorer for the U.S. national team. “I thought managing disappointment was the most important part, the disappointment of him not actually playing.”

His lack of playing time has not stopped more people from tuning in, adding some support to the dreadful MLS ratings.

The Galaxy are having a tough season, and Beckham has barely made it on the field, but ESPN has shifted programming on a few occasions to try to get as much Beckham action as possible. Beckham’s MLS debut in last Thursday’s Galaxy-D.C. United game saw ratings jump as soon as he entered the game.

The game averaged a .45 rating, but when Beckham was in for the final 18 minutes the rating went up to .8. Which means approximately 350,000 people tuned in for the closing moments of the game to see him play. The rating was the highest for an MLS game on ESPN2.

“The goal of the business side of American soccer has always been to win over new fans and not just take care of the ones that we had,” said Wynalda.

“Beckham solves all those problems. He gets the soccer moms to watch because he is a good-looking man. He gets the average sports fan to watch because they just want to know what is so great about this guy.

“I think he brings a lot of experience and a lot of calmness to a very nervous team. Free kicks are his forte. It changes the mindset of the opposition when you know you can’t foul the other team 30 yards or in. The last thing in the world you want is him with a free look from there, because he is so good at it.”

Fox Soccer Channel, which will air Saturday’s game, has received increased advertising and distribution since Beckham moved to the MLS.

“We are very hopeful he plays in the game,” said David Sternberg, general manager of FSC.

Hopeful is a good word to describe the state of MLS.

Hopeful Beckham’s ankle heals and he is able to play more this season. Hopeful his presence in the league is more than just a novelty and has long- reaching effects. Hopeful the league’s tenuous ratings can increase.

justin.terranova@nypost.com