When David Beckham played in his first World Cup in 1998, Jozy Altidore was just eight years old and finishing up the third grade.

Now 17, Altidore is a top class striker who has garnered plenty of attention over the past few months - although it doesn't compare to the hype machine surrounding the England midfielder.

However, it was Altidore's two goals that ruined Beckham's night on August 17th as the New York Red Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 5-4 in a thrilling match in front of 66,237 fans. The game may very well have been the most riveting regular season match in Major League Soccer history. Altidore's two goals would earn him the league's Player of the Week honors.

After the game, Beckham bestowed Altidore with the honor of calling him a 'great player', adding that 'when good players get chances, they put them away'.

Unfortunately for MLS, Altidore's success this season may mean he no longer plays in the league come next season. His MVP performances for the Red Bulls - and US National Team at the Under-20 World Cup in July - could mean that he will follow in the footsteps of his friend Freddy Adu, who signed with Portuguese club Benfica this summer, and play in Europe.

Like it or not, MLS - like the Argentine and Brazilian leagues - is becoming a supermarket of burgeoning talent where wealthy European clubs can shop for starlets. As soon as MLS produces a promising young player, the league will almost always lose him to a European club.

Unlike in the past, players now enter MLS with dreams of making it somewhere else. While Americans playing abroad certainly helps make the US National Team more competitive, it hurts MLS.

Unlike Adu, Altidore was not touted as a future star before joining the league. Selected 17th overall by the Red Bulls in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, he immediately impressed everyone during his rookie season, tallying three goals in seven games despite spending most of the time in Florida trying to get his high school diploma.

This season, he missed a game because he attended his prom, but has been consistently featured in the starting line-up by coach Bruce Arena.

Altidore - who is 6'1" and 175 pounds, built like an armoire with seemingly not an ounce of body fat - truly has it all: speed, strength, agility, great vision of the field and an instinct for scoring goals. He has grown into a great striker thanks to Arena, who has a proven track record of nurturing young players and rebuilding teams from the bottom up.

"He's a dangerous player," said Arena. "What I like about him is that he is a young kid that has a lot of confidence. The physical ability, and now, the technical side is starting to surface for him."

" His first touch is improving. He's doing a much better job holding up the ball. When he faces defenders, he can go by them and he can finish off his chances."

The only reason I believe that Altidore is still in MLS is because FIFA has a regulation barring the transfer of players under 18. But he turns 18 in November, and only then can he start negotiating with European clubs.

No doubt, these teams will be knocking on Altidore's door this fall. He has said he is not interested in a move to Europe at this time, but I find it hard to believe that Altidore doesn't daydream about playing in, for example, England.

Whether he chooses to respond to possible interest from foreign clubs remains a question mark. Frankly, Altidore would be making a mistake if a European club came asking for his services and he declined.

For now, he has said he has no plans to go abroad, says he enjoys playing alongside Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna. Undoubtedly, however, Altidore's mindset could slowly change with every goal he scores.

Until MLS teams can start paying higher salaries, young players will seek fame and fortune abroad. Altidore could soon provide another fine example of how MLS is becoming a victim of its own success.