Value for money? David Beckham was the first MLS DP five years ago, but most MLS clubs have gone after a very different sort of designated player (AP Photo).

When David Beckham joined the Galaxy in 2007, ushering in the designated player era in MLS, it was assumed he was the prototype for those sorts of players.

But five years on, most designated players in the league are quite different from Beckham.

I explore why in this week’s column