TICKET SALES SPIKE AFTER DEAL LOCAL FANS, PLAYERS ALREADY GIDDY ABOUT BECKHAM MOVE.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

VAN NUYS -- Thirteen-year-old girls may not care much about world soccer. But they know an awful lot about British soccer icon David Beckham.

And news that the handsome, fair-haired husband of pop singer Posh Spice joined the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday has them in full swoon.

``I couldn't believe it,'' Chandler Sella, 13, said when she first heard the news on TV. ``Was it `The' David Beckham? I asked my mom to make sure that it was him.''

But it's not just middle-school girls who are jumping up and down.

In the first hour Thursday morning, more than 500 tickets were sold to L.A. Galaxy home games at the Home Depot Center in Carson -- where before you were as likely to find an empty seat as a full seat in the soccer stadium.

The United States has yet to catch onto soccer -- the world's most popular sport that dominates the attention of sports fans in Europe, Africa and Latin America.

But many diehard soccer fans here hope Beckham's glam appeal will breath new life into the sport -- and even draw other world-famous soccer talent.

``I hope it will start a virtual cycle of bringing more fans to the stadium,'' said 54-year-old Michael Karlin, who has held L.A. Galaxy season tickets since 1996.

Whether Beckham's arrival will tip the scale for U.S. Major League Soccer remains to be seen. But even without the game, the 31-year-old arrives in Hollywood already a world-class celebrity on par with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

The Beckham brand was introduced to most American youths in the 2002 soccer movie ``Bend It Like Beckham,'' a teen drama about two high school girls in England who dribbled their way to college soccer scholarships in the United States.

``You don't see major films with him in it yet, but he's a brand,'' UCLA sociology professor David Halle said.

While many agree that Beckham will likely generate a new buzz for the MLS, local coaches don't think that enthusiasm will spark new interest in neighborhood teams.

``I'm not sure if this will engage people who don't play soccer ... because Beckham is purely of the soccer culture,'' said Alberto Bru, who coaches Real SoCal, a team in a local soccer league. ``There are plenty of kids who already play.''

Still, to the elementary school boys on Bru's team practicing at Pierce College on Thursday, Beckham's arrival has already had an impact.

``I feel very, very, very excited that he's coming to the L.A. Galaxy,'' said Luca Francini, 8, of Winnetka. ``I think he's going to get the play time that he deserves.''

Kicking a soccer ball across the field during practice at Reseda High School, 17-year-old Rocio Abundez said she's been a Beckham fan since sixth grade and has followed his overseas career ever since. In fact, it was Beckham who kept her interested in playing soccer for the past six years.

``Now I have a better chance to go see him because there was no way I could see him in Europe,'' the Sylmar teen said. ``I'm going to try to see him in as many games as I can.''

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Reseda High School varsity soccer players sophomore Nicole Jovel, left, and senior Rocio Abundez say they're thrilled David Beckham is coming to Los Angeles.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer