Riot Squad 1 - Beckham 0
Galaxy players celebrate Bryan Jordan's second half tying goal against AC Milan. Photo by ckdisco via Flickr.
David Beckham made his much talked about return to the Home Depot Center on Sunday night as the Galaxy hosted a friendly against Italian giants A.C. Milan in front of a sold out crowd.
Milan took the lead at the 16th minute after Thiago Silva redirected a free kick past Galaxy 'keeper Donovan Ricketts. It was one of the few opportunities on goal generated by the Italian side in the early going. The rossoneri did not field their entire first team and their lack of play was evident at various stages throughout the first half.
The Galaxy managed a slight advantage over the 7 time European Champions and threatened on several occasions. Beckham played a critical role in the Galaxy offense, helping generate several quality chances including a great 50 yard pass to Eddie Lewis. Lewis would charge the goal and find himself in a great position to score only to take a poor shot and waste the opportunity to open the scoring only minutes before the rossoneri took the lead.
Beckham would later find Landon Donovan on a similar play after picking up a clearance deep in the Galaxy defensive end and charging down the flank for about 40 yards. Donovan drew the defense then found an unmarked Alan Gordon in the penalty box with Milan 'keeper Zeljko Kalac completely caught out of position. Gordon tapped it in and the score was tied.
Milan would take the lead again in the second half, but Beckham would again help lead the blue-and-gold to the equalizer, sending a well placed corner kick which Bryan Jordan converted for a final score of 2 - 2.
While the game provided some great entertainment, with some sloppy play here and there, there was far more to Sunday's match beyond the action on the field.
Beckham arrived at the Home Depot Center amidst a myriad of questions regarding his commitment to the Galaxy and MLS after having almost forcibly extended his stay at Milan earlier in the year. Fans greeted him with a loud chorus of boos from the moment he stepped onto the pitch for warm ups. The scene repeated itself when his name was announced over the P.A. system when the starting 11 were announced, then every time he touched the ball once action got underway.
The real fun came as the first half drew to a close.
Milan was awarded a corner from the spot closest to the most vociferous of the L.A. supporters groups, The Riot Squad, who had come prepared to express their displeasure with Beckham's antics, displaying signs such as "23: Repent", "Here Before, Here After, Here Despite 23", more than a fair share of middle fingers and other comments. Beckham approached the area to defend and the Riot Squad let him have it. Moments later, Beckham was wagging his finger at people in the stands. Milan would earn another corner immediately thereafter to be executed from the same spot. Beckham would return and so would the reception from the Riot Squad.
This time the finger wagging wasn't enough. Beckham made his way to the electronic billboards, pointing his finger and arguing with one or more fans. He then began to gesture for them to come down to the field, as if to settle the matter on the spot. The fan accepted his invitation, jumped down and Beckham immediately attempted to jump over the boards to meet him without any indication that it would be a friendly meeting. Security stepped in to grab the fan and also hold Beckham back, thus diffusing the situation.
Beckham would later state that he had only asked the fan to calm down and to come shake his hand as if to make amends, adding that the fan would have none of it. If we were to take his explanation at face value, it would seem as though he has a habit of trying to lunge at people when shaking hands. People may not be too eager to want to shake his hand in the future if that's how he approaches those situations. It also interesting to note that Beckham specifically lays blame on the fan by saying that the fan was unwilling to accept his friendly gesture when the fact the fan jumped down upon his gesturing proves otherwise.
When asked about the fan reaction, Beckham would go on to say "It doesn't affect me." He might want to consider watching a replay of his reaction at the end of the first half and rethink his comments.
As the second half began, Beckham was the last out of the locker rooms and was again greeted by a chorus of boos. His delayed entranced caused him to only briefly participate in the team huddle as the last joining member, but nevertheless he found the time to greet and hug several AC Milan players while he casually made his way to the team huddle. Later in the match, he would serve up a great corner kick for the tying goal. The kick was executed in front of the Riot Squad and he immediately turned around with his arms stretched out as if to say "Now what do you have to say?" to the throngs of fans in that corner and followed it by blowing them a kiss. Classy. Lest we forget he was the one accusing teammate Landon Donovan of not being professional.
By the time he was substituted, some of the booing and jeering had died down. Beckham came off the field and before he shook the hands of his teammates on the bench, as is customary, he ran over to the visitors bench and shook the hands of new Milan manager Leonardo.
Perhaps Beckham intended his actions towards Milan as a friendly gesture towards his prior teammates. He might want to consider not being so overt about the matter in front of his current teammates. His actions can easily be interpreted as him wanting to be with his prior teammates more than his current situation. Overall, his behavior put a damper on an otherwise stellar performance on the field. If he continues to produce in a similar manner, he may yet win over the Riot Squad and other critics, at least somewhat.
Time will tell.