LAist: Galaxy: Season Recap

Stanley

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:57:33 -0800

Too bad all around. I worried when I first heard about the Beckham deal that the pay disparity alone would make the mix impossible. But friends who play said that players would be excited about having him on the team and the "big game" excitement -- so much for what they know -- and one of Beckham's greatest strengths (pre-Galaxy anyway) has been as a teammate, so I hoped for the best. You're right, I don't think anyone in power handled the situation well from the beginning. The MLS/Galaxy FO was indeed horrendous, and more of Beckham's sporting decisions seemed to be being influenced by 19 Entertainment rather than solely by his long-time friend and football agent as in the past -- never a good thing. The sad part comes when setting all else aside and looking at the football. I've never seen Becks have a dip in form and drive like the second half of this season -- and I'm sure Galaxy fans were well put out by it. I've talked about it with other friends who have followed the lad and we don't come up with an answer -- the one thing that's never lagged for long is the workrate and his will as a team booster. As I said, if the Galaxy want him back, the best thing that could happen would be if he finds his form and enthusiasm on the Milan training grounds. Thanks for taking the time to give this so much thought. It's certainly an interesting situation, especially if you wish the best for a player who has given so much to the game in the way of both success and entertainment, as well as wishing the best for fans of his new team -- who may not have reaped any of those benefits in the past.

Angel Magaña

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:36:14 -0800

Great and valid points. I should also stress that I don't believe he is the source of the team's problems per se. The Galaxy had issues before he arrived and the probs persist (with new ones). The Galaxy FO certainly hasn't made it any easier for him either. They've made plenty of questionable decisions on their own. My criticism is two fold: no single player should be considered greater than the club, and while beneficial for Beckham, there is an inherit risk which would affect LA and MLS, yet LA/MLS is likely only getting a minimal return on the deal (if any). His comments about his reasons may be sincere, but that still leaves an open question of how much gas he'll have in the tank when the latter months of the MLS season arrive, especially if he is flying to Europe for qualifiers during the season. I would echo your comments about him never having spoken badly about MLS/teammates. He is a professional and that shouldn't be overlooked. Along the same lines, some people seem to think that his presence has been a failure because the Galaxy has not won anything since he arrived. Every time I hear that, I sit back and consider the source. It is impossible for him to carry the team in the manner people think he should, not for lack of skill, but because of realities of the game. Even someone like Kaka would likely "fail" if he were in Beckham's shoes. It is a testament to his determination and professionalism that he doesn't go off on people that constantly harp on that subject. Again, I don't want to make him the "bad guy" or scapegoat. Like I said, there were probs long before he arrived, but I do question strongly whether he is a good fit.

Stanley

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:08:24 -0800

I agree with most of what you've said, especially about Franklin and Klein -- wonderful to watch a young man step up like Franklin did, and to see a veteran appear to actually have improved since the previous season! Both were highlights for me. A correction regarding Beckham's European schedule. La Liga has a 2 week break over Christmas and New Years and then some teams are off for two months before pre-season. But Real Madrid did promotional tours during that period and international players had either tournaments, friendlies or exhibition tours added on to that. Look at it this way, when Beckham joined Real Madrid in June of 2003, they left immediately for a promo tour of Asia and went straight to pre-season training on return, while he also played Euro qualifiers for England. The 2004 Euros began immediately after that season was done, followed by an England promo tour in the U.S., and then training starting again after about a 3 week break. In 2005 a similar summer schedule only with a World CLUB Cup tournament instead of the Euros, plus World Cup qualifiers and then the World Cup itself in 2006. Etc.... Even if a European League does take a winter break, it is not 5 months, and successful clubs and National teams keep their players going for all but a few weeks of the year -- to the point where it is dangerous. If you've had a schedule like that since you were 16, and you were coming off of a season in which your form had struggled, as Beckham's had, you would not want so long a break before getting back into competitive action even if you didn't have other motivation -- and Beckham does. Whether he is a good "fit" or not for the Galaxy -- or just hasn't lived up to expectations -- fair enough for fans and press to voice their opinions. But Beckham has not been at all disingenuous about why he wants to go to Milan. He's always said he'd do anything necessary to keep playing for England, and the manager won't pick an inactive player. Remember, also, that Beckham truly loves his sport and what player wouldn't welcome the opportunity to at least train with players in the Milan side. He has never said a single word against MLS or a teammate, but I'm sure he would relish the challenge -- and also hope it brings his game back to where he, and any fan, would like to see it. Can't think of better justification than that.

Angel Magaña

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:07:48 -0800

sbla, I think you misquoted my article, but regardless, the team has, at best, 4 "talented" players that would do well on any team. That's not even half of a team. The disparity between the players is huge. The roster was not balanced at all, on a pay or talent scale, as you seem to want to imply. And not to be labor the point, Arena has repeatedly stated that things are not going to be fixed overnight. You seem to think they should. In some ways, I think the Galaxy is in this mess in the first place because they want to cater to reactions such as yours. Have some patience. Things will come around. I'd go as far as stating that if the FO had done the same and kept Yallop, the Galaxy would be playing this weekend too.

sbla9

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:17:00 -0800

You lost me at Bruce Arena being the most notable positive. Too late to do anything?? Too late to take one of the most talented rosters and make it cohesive? Too late to have the team quit on him at least 4 times down the stretch? Too late to deploy a coherent midfield strategy? Give me a break.

Linkracer

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:10:10 -0800

Finally, some decent Galaxy news and editorial opinions. Thanks Angel.