While David Beckham is the headliner, players such as Juan Pablo Angel and Juan Toja might be every bit as important to the future of soccer in North America.

The two Colombians, who came to the United States this season to play in the MLS, each scored goals to lift the MLS All-Stars to a 2-0 victory over Celtic FC at Commerce City, Colo., on Thursday night.

Eddie Johnson, left, battles Celtic's Stephen McGeady for the ball.
(Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Beckham wore a suit, watched from the commissioner's suite and made a brief appearance on the field between halves.

During a halftime interview, he said his much-anticipated debut Saturday with the Los Angeles Galaxy could be delayed by a nagging left ankle injury that has been slow in healing.

Nobody wants to rush it because Beckham is here for five years, over which he reportedly will earn $32.5 million US in soccer salary and $250 million US overall and become the top ambassador for the sport in a country that has not embraced it over the decades.

"For one of the biggest sporting nations in the world not to have soccer as one of its top three sports is pretty amazing," Beckham said. "So, if I can help grow the game here, then I want to be part of that."

Angel, voted the most valuable player in the all-star game, took the same leap of faith this year, bidding adieu to Aston Villa of the English Premier League to play for the New York Red Bulls.

Angel might be the best player in MLS, though neither his arrival nor his $1.5 million US salary are on the level of what Beckham is receiving.