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Its most famous player once again will miss out on a chance to play in its best market, but for Major League Soccer, it's not so bad.
The pooh-bahs of MLS have to be thrilled that the David Beckham who signed on with them last year is not – as had been widely reported – some half-retired glamour boy trotting out his rapidly fading skills against second-rate opposition in return for an easy California life and a big fat paycheque.
A glamour boy, to be sure, but it also seems he's still pretty darned good – good enough to be first choice for manager Fabio Capello's England side as it begins the long process of attempting to qualify for the World Cup in 2010.
That includes exhibition matches against the United States at the new Wembley Stadium on May 28 and in Port of Spain against Trinidad and Tobago on June 1.
And that means Beckham almost certainly won't be available to join the Los Angeles Galaxy at BMO Field in Toronto on May 31.
Anyone who followed Beckham's final season at Real Madrid, when Capello was in charge, understands that his return to favour with England is hardly a sentimental decision. The two clashed repeatedly there, and Beckham was for a time sent into exile. He wasn't called back until the season looked lost and Capello became desperate to try to save his job. That about-face helped both of them win a most unexpected championship.
In the midst of the Real soap opera, Beckham's signing with the Galaxy was announced, which to most signalled the end of his international career. If he was serious about regaining his place with England, surely he would have found employment somewhere in Europe, where he wouldn't be out of sight, out of mind.
But plenty has changed in the past year.
England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 tournament. Steve McClaren was fired, and Capello (who was dumped by Real despite winning La Liga) took over. Beckham slowly returned to health, as the bum ankle he'd hurt in Spain that marred much of his first MLS season finally healed.
This year, he has looked far more comfortable with the Galaxy, with a spring in his step and with the trademark free kicks and crosses dropping in with pinpoint accuracy. Having journeyed to America to watch Beckham up close, Capello named him to his squad for a series of exhibition games.
For MLS, that's just about all good. They got what they paid for – and more.
Except that Beckham will once again be prevented from playing in the home of the league's one great shining success story, Toronto FC.
That makes two years running that the saviour of North American soccer has missed his scheduled date here (last season, he was reluctant to test his dodgy ankle on the stadium's ersatz grass). Beckham will be in the Galaxy lineup in Edmonton tonight when they play the Vancouver Whitecaps in an exhibition game, and presumably he'll be in Toronto when the MLS All-Stars play West Ham United on July 24.
But that's not much consolation for those who snapped up tickets for the TFC-Galaxy match in good faith, including many who were willing to pay several times the tickets' face value on the secondary market. And it's not great for the team's owners, who as part of the league's collective structure among other things make a contribution toward Beckham's salary.
The official word from MLS headquarters is this is the unfortunate but unavoidable price paid for having international-calibre talent in the league. Stuck with playing a summer season, they are in mid-schedule at the time when European leagues are on break, and when both major international competitions and many exhibition matches are scheduled.
This year, there's Euro 2008 in June and the Olympics in August. The Olympics will strip away some of the league's best young American talent. In 2010, the World Cup will present another challenge.
Now if Beckham had turned out to be what his many detractors said he was, none of this would be an issue. Has-beens don't tend to get summoned for international duty, and over-the-hill opportunists aren't often considered for the World Cup.
For public consumption, the MLS would rather have him here, in streamer-flinging Toronto, in front of the loyal paying customers. Privately, though, what better endorsement could there be than to have their big investment summoned back to the big stage?
