David Beckham came to MLS in hopes of aiding its international growth. It’s time designated players like Thierry Henry and Oscar Boniek Garcia step up and follow suit.

MLS has grown substantially since its inception in 1996. 

The league expanded from 10 to 19 teams. There are now 13 soccer-specific stadiums, and MLS signed its most lucrative television contract to date in 2011. 

The three-year deal with NBC Sports was for a reported $10 million a year.

All this progression has not changed the perception of MLS internationally. It's still considered by many to be a “sub-par” league “struggling to survive.”

Not even Sepp Blatter could abstain from his habitual blathering when asked about MLS in an interview with Al Jazeera TV last year.

"It is a question of time, I thought -- we had the World Cup in 1994. But it is now 18 years in so it should have been done now. But they are still struggling."

In order for MLS to alter this warped perception it must rely on its biggest stars and unknown commodities. Current MLS DPs must carry out the protracted mission Beckham set out to finish when he signed in 2007.

With Beckham embarking on a new mission in Ligue 1, here are the three DPs that could pick up where he left off in growing MLS internationally.

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