Center of attention? Former Galaxy striker Chad Barrett just knew there would be hordes of media types awaiting his return to his former club. Oh, wait…(AP Photo).

As hard as it is for us jaded Southern California types to believe there are still places on this continent where David Beckham is seen as a novelty. Of course, no one in Toronto has actually seen him play a competitive game in the city, despite this being his fifth year in the league, so perhaps the excitement over the 5 o’clock game tonight against the Galaxy is understandable.

And yet, not everyone is impressed.

“He looks tired of being here, which may be why he spends most of each off-season attempting to leave,” one Toronto columnist observed. Read that piece here.

Of course, Galaxy fans won’t get to see Beckham play tonight either unless they have Direct Kick or stream the game via mlssoccer.com (for a fee) since this is that rare game not on free TV.

However, another viewing alternative is here. I’ll see you there.

Just for balance, here’s a more charitable view of Beckham’s impact on MLS from Canada.

The Galaxy’s opponents tonight, well, they didn’t quite receive the attention Beckham did in Canada ahead of the game in their house.

Let’s let the overlooked Barrett have the last word, shall we?