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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.
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Riot Squad makes annually what Beckham makes in a day.
This'll strengthen Beckham's resolve to return to Milan, which will most likely secure his spot on England's World Cup squad. He'll most likely succeed in Serie A, and have an interesting climax to his England National Team career.
And the 'Riot Squad' will still be somewhat retarded, at the end of the day.
I am not entirely sure how any of that even matters.
Why do people insist on qualifying a person's character based on how much $ they earn? *That* seems retarded to me.
I highly doubt that anyone that was booing cares about what he does next, so long as it is not placing further damage/burden on the Galaxy. I am sure many of those people would be happy to see him leave permanently, perhaps even help him pack his bags. The sentiment is also not limited to the Riot Squad. I know plenty of people that have nothing to do with them that wish he'd just go away.
I even have people ask me in Spanish: "Que paso con la Beckham?" i.e. What happened to the Beckham? but using the feminine version of "the".
Quoting Angel - "even have people ask me in Spanish: "Que paso con la Beckham?" i.e. What happened to the Beckham? but using the feminine version of "the". "
Duh...they are asking about Posh...HELLO?
ROFL
I never thought about it that way. Maybe those folks think they are one in the same.
hahahahahh
Good one.
Was this game not televised? Why are we all relying on second hand accounts of what happened? I'm betting that MLS/Galaxy has gone extra lengths to limit the video exposure to avoid any further embarrassment from the failed "Beckham Experiment." Nike did the same thing last week when LeBron James got dunked on in a summer league.
It was televised. There are also several clips floating around the net on the matter.
My LAist colleague, Jimmy, also sent me this link. This is a good shot of what happened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-c720nNtgI&feature=player_embedded
What many 'fans' of the game here in the United States don't understand is that the rest of the world plays soccer 10 months out of the year. The MLS plays 7-8 months off. Beckham, in the twilight of his career, wants to desperately make the England national squad. His name alone cannot carry him anymore. He must prove to England that he is fit. To do that he must play. Period. Instead many fans expect Beckham to waste away in the MLS off-season. Let's also remember, the Galaxy agreed to the terms of the loan. The Galaxy are as much to blame for Beckham not being the 'messiah' to the team and MLS everyone expected.
There is a long way to go here in America when it comes to soccer. Not only the play but in etiquette. Fans certainly have the right to protest a player, but the 'fans' of the Riot Squad showed no class or respect.
One addition, if this had happened in any other country, that fan would be banned from ever going to a league game again.
Also, I do want to say that Beckham's notoriously short temper got the better of him and he shouldn't have acted the way he did at half-time.
Well as you said If it were another country but it isn't. We are building our own soccer culture slowly and these europeans act like aristocratic arses just because they play in europe. Tell me why US soccer team keeps getting better and better in the european stage and we are still seen as "Has a long way to go" etc etc. It may be true but as I mentioned in a post below this guy was not forward with the fans and he could care less about USA soccer and its fans. His focus was definately on kissing the butts of his former Milan players and getting back to England as soon as possible.
Having our own soccer culture is fine and I hope that we can. Because soccer is in its infancy here, we haven't had to deal with tragedies like in European and Latin American Stadiums. Riots, destruction of stadiums, and deaths have occurred. If we continue to allow such activity in the stadium and at events, it's only a matter of time before it happens here. God forbid I wouldn't wish you harm while viewing a game, yet you throw threats to others.
US soccer does have a long way to go. If you don't understand that, then you are, as you've admitted, a newbie. They played two great matches during the Confederation Cup. Two good matches does not a good team make. Lately with their second team in the Gold Cup, they are playing very nice soccer. Again, we're playing teams in our region. Not major competition. I have high hopes for our US national team next year.
There is a difference in 'kissing the butts' of his former teammates and showing respect. What's he to do, ignore the men he played and trained with for six months at, might I had, a much higher level than the MLS. Again, being a newcomer to the sport is one thing. But please understand there is a bigger picture than just little old USA here.
FedUpWithHaters,
I think you make a point that, frankly speaking, I see as worn out and invalid.
First and foremost, MLS clubs that don't make the playoffs are, at most, away only 5 months. If you count preseason camps, the time away is actually much shorter, not the 7 - 8 you are implying. If they make the playoffs, the time away is even shorter.
Secondly, the notion that people are not educated enough about the game to understand that he wants to stay fit is ludicrous. That point is in part an example of the aristocratic attitude that John is referring to; that somehow we are too unsophisticated to understand the intricacies of the game, when the reality is quite the contrary.
What fans are upset about is the following:
1. The manner in which he went about working the deal
and
2. The rammifications of having him on the squad, whether it'd be on or off the field.
I fail to understand why people feel the need to defend his shortsightedness. It was his shortsightedness that led him to sign with the Galaxy, figuring he wouldn't be in the 2010 England squad, hence no need to stay in Europe to play at the highest level. That's his mistake, not anyone else's.
In the same token, his actions did impact everyone that attended Galaxy games. By my calculations, ticket prices have gone up about 30% from the time before he arrived to the present. Some fans have been completely priced out of being fans, at least one that would go to a game.
Fans that were able to do so, bit the bullet and dealt with it. I've yet to hear anyone from the Beckham camp, or Beckham himself, apologize to any of those fans even though many of them bought tickets because of him. On top of that, Beckham takes off for half the season because he realized he made a mistake and does it in a rather underhanded way.
Personally, I have little sympathy for people that bought Beckham tickets instead of Galaxy tickets. Just like I have little sympathy for Beckham with regards to his status on the England squad. Perhaps if someone could explain to me how him lifting the World Cup in 2010 directly translates to the Galaxy winning some silverware, I *may* have a more sympathetic ear. I don't even care if England qualifies to be honest.
Few people seem to remember that he went to Arsenal prior to the 2008 season. Nobody had a problem with that because in contrast to the AC Milan move, everything about that deal was out in the open. There weren't any back door shenanigans going on with him trying to extend his stay or the like. I highly doubt anyone would be annoyed about the Milan move had he treated it in a similar manner.
If people want to make the point that he is somehow entitled to go to the World Cup, they should not leave out the part about L.A. fans also being entitled to fair ticket prices.
Lastly, with regards to the halftime incident, Beckham was the one that specifically called out the fan, not the other way around. He's heard worse things in England. He simply lost it. There is no excuse for that. Had this happened in Latin America, he'd be in the hospital right now. Again, his shortsightedness is his weakness.
I am in no way defending Beckham in his actions. But I will defend people that vilify a man for simply taking a deal that was the best at the time. Maybe he's realized that it was a wrong decision. However, he himself and his publicity machine have made it clear that he wants to be on the Galaxy. The way it is interrepted by American fans is the problem.
You may not care about the man or his future aspirations. You may not care about other countries making it to the World Cup. It's not your job to. But, you have to at least understand the reasoning behind it. I refuse to believe like yourself or John here, that he had malice in his intentions of coming to America to play. He got offered an incredible deal and took it. Who would pass it up? His main goal in life is NOT to win MLS cups.
Again, you're blaming the wrong person for ticket prices. Beckham doesn't dictate ticket prices. Management, through their own hand, gave Beckham the contract knowing the ticket prices would go up. Blame the guy for taking $225m? Sounds like bit of jealousy.
And for the Galaxy to magically win cups because Beckham joined the team is, frankly speaking, childish. How can one man do that? Especially with such an inept defense as the Galaxy had when he joined. Then he gets injured and is out for months. But I guess that's Beckham's fault too.
I agree that he shouldn't have left bigger competition to the MLS if he wanted to stay fit to gain a spot on the England squad. I just don't see the need for such hatred for someone that honestly hasn't done that much to detriment the team.
I hope he does leave so this can all go away. Need more lower profile quality players in MLS like Freddy Ljungberg.
The problem is that said publicity machine, and the man himself, have also stated he would leave for a European team if an opportunity presented itself. Thus, he is sending two messages which happen to be contradictory to each other. To expect the average fan to interpret his true intentions is unrealistic because there is no way to know. One can only base one's opinion on history at this point.
Malice is not the proper term, and neither myself nor John used that term, but he certainly put his own needs before those of the team. Fair enough. At the same time, there are still plenty of fans that put the team before any single player, now he has to live with the reality of that situation too. You've said it best, his main goal is not to win MLS cups. That unto itself is the crux of the issue. The team needs players that are focused on that goal, rather than as a side hobby. If they go beyond that, all the best to them.
I agree with your point that people that expected him to bring throngs of cups to the Galaxy are delusional. I spent a lot of time talking to people explaining to them that the nature of the sport would not allow for that. I certainly don't expect his mere presence to bring in the cups, but I don't think that expecting him to put in 100% effort in each game is too much to ask for. I've even defended him when he was injured. However, I rarely hear someone say things like "Yeah, he blew chunks the last half of 2008, but he should have the opportunity to play in World Cup 2010." The vast majority of people seem to be myopic, refusing to acknowledge there are issues with him fitting into the team/MLS and only seem to want to see one side of the argument.
Agree with your point about the ticket pricing policy being more the result of management decisions, but I do think there is a bit more to it.
I've heard a lot of people complain that he gets too much $ in the first place. I really don't care nor am I bothered by that. I've previously defended that point.
The way I see it is that someone was willing to give him all that money, he took it, move on. I don't see a problem with that. My point was merely to highlight how his signing has impacted a lot of people that would otherwise be stadium going fans. Once all the Beckham fans stop buying tickets, the Galaxy will be wishing they had those lost fans in the empty seats. Again, shortsightedness, this time on the part of AEG/Galaxy.
Where Beckham factors in that equation is that prices were raised in anticipation that he would be in L.A., not that he would be in Milan or wherever else he wants to be. He chooses to not be here. It is not like AEG/Galaxy are forcing him not to be here. He has direct say as to whether or not the Beckham fans will seen him in those games that they paid for and he chooses to allow them pay, but then not be here. Maybe it is just me, but I see those people as being cheated, but like I said, I have no sympathy for them either. They also chose to put a player before the team when they made their purchase, so tough luck as far as I am concerned. However, the same is not true for everyone that buys tickets, especially season ticket holders.
Couldn't agree with you more on him going away. I think that would be the best move for all parties involved, and definitely someone like a Ljunberg would be a better fit.
I am a newbie to soccer of sorts. As a fan of sports in general I percieve that Becks screwed his USA fans over. He had his mind on leaving Galaxy and LA as far behind him and as soon as he possibly could. I see it this way. Instead of being public about this he did a lot of back door dirty work to get out of here. By paying the Galaxy $$$ and Milan offering some freebies so that Galaxy owners make theirs he accomplished his goal. Howeve,r none of these tards went to the fans to get their opinion on this. This is the problem we all got screwed by this guy and his antics. This is what hurts USA soccer and this is exactly what we hope didnt happen when it was anounced that Beckham was coming to play in the MLS. I am still a fan of soccer and to be honest i like it more and more each time i see it live. So screw becks and i hope he breaks his leg before the world cup!
Personally, I have no problem with Beckham recognizing that MLS is a second rate league. With that said, second rate leagues don't translate well to top flight football, especially world cup football with a team that, although a nation whose reputation exceeds it's results, nonetheless, still a contender to win, albeit a small contender.
Put yourself in beckham's shoes. You play with the galaxy, Sure, it's convenient. Los Angeles, Hollywood, that whole bit. You're still not playing top flight. However, you're given the chance to play for LA and a well respected european club that can strengthen your chances of playing in the world cup with your country, which is every footie players dream?
I say, screw that. Anyone in his shoes would do the same thing. Screw the retarded riot squad. Screw the 'pub team'. Play for both, play in the world cup. So what if there was one retarded fan who probably got too drunk at the game, and is in the headlines for a few days.
The problem is that a good majority of US soccer fans don’t understand the sheer absurdity of a player of Beckham’s caliber coming to a junior league like the MLS. It’s akin to Roy Halladay leaving the majors to go pitch in China. So let’s say that Roy subsequently gets the opportunity to pitch back in the Majors for a World Series contender for two months on loan. Naturally he’ll jump at it, because while the Chinese league will always be there, the opportunity to contend for a truly meaningful championship is rare and fleeting. Now, as a fan, what are you to do? Should you patiently wait for your newly acquired Megastar to take his final shot at real glory and subsequently return to give your team a monumental boost in every way imaginable, or should you whine and cajole and berate him for “not playing hard enough” in your chickenshit league? Obviously the good ol’ galaxy fans are inclined towards the latter, and obviously this comes off as being irrational to the point of lunacy from the perspective of the player.
What, exactly, has Beckham done wrong? The galaxy have been shit recently, but is that the fault of their most talented player, or of the mediocrity that surrounds him? The very fact that a team with Beckham AND Donovan can’t eke out a winning record speaks volumes about the rest of the team. And yet these fans seem intent on solely blaming Beckham for their woes. Worse, they are indignant because Beckham won’t pretend that playing for the galaxy was totally like, his boyhood dream and stuff. How dare he profess the desire to play with a real soccer team on partial loan, so that he may be given the chance to play out his international career? Doesn’t he know that he’s playing for the GALAXY now?! We’re like, two-time MLS champs!
It’s as if these fans are blinded by this misguided notion that the MLS matters. As of right now, it doesn’t. Sorry, that's the honest truth. It’s not even good enough to be a feeder league. People who get it, like grendel and FedUpWithHaters, understand that Beckham came to LA primarily for the money and the media hype. I’ll actually give him a little more credit than that, because I think that he genuinely wants to pull a Cosmos and try and act as the catalyst for US Soccer. That goal will ultimately require giving 100% to the MLS and winning titles, increasing exposure, pulling talent, etc. However, all soccer fans know that the absolute pinnacle of the sport is the World Cup. Beckham has one last chance to compete at that level, and no real soccer fan would blame him for taking his shot.
Once again, the argument that fans here don't understand/are ignorant rears its head.
I've yet to meet anyone that believes the level of play in MLS is higher than that in Europe. The argument that somehow people don't understand that is, again, a fallacy.
I iterated my reasons why I believe people are upset at him in my reply to "FedUpWithHaters" above. They have nothing to do with people's interpretation of which league is best or what opportunities Beckham should or shouldn't pursue. I've yet to hear anyone say: "I don't understand why he wants to play in Europe" or the like.
People that want to defend him seem set on not accepting the fact that not everything he touches is gold. I don't have a problem with people defending him, but I do think it is silly that people want to do it with blinders on, refusing to acknowledge any of the collateral damage, then top it off by insisting that the detractors are ignorant.
I, for one, was annoyed at the fact he was signed in the first place. I've never really seen the special magic that people are convinced he has, with the exception of him being very good at free kicks. Then again, I've seen about 12 other Brazilian players do the same, thus, again, nothing unique about him.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt and am willing to recognize that while hampered by injuries in 2007, he played his guts out when he was available. Same was true for the first half of 2008. I seriously thought he would make it work, then he decided to stop caring.
This is what makes me laugh about these discussions. I am willing to accept the positives he has displayed, yet all his defenders are adamantly opposed to acknowledging any of his faults.
Beckham is disrespectful to American soccer, MLS, and the LA Galaxy. Galaxy fans deserve dedicated players, not part-time players who come for a pay day.
Beckham wanted to stay in Milan in February, and the week he came back to MLS he was already talking about his next transfer to an English club or back to Milan. I don't support a guy that wants to be everywhere but here.
^^
This is exactly what I'm refering to.
is it so hard to believe that there are MLS fans who actually care about their home team? This is why its so frustrating, Beckham came over to our team and brought a circus with him. He came here and basically disrespected our team with no regards to the loyal fans by extending his loan in Milan.
I personally would have not had a problem if he came back when his original loan spell had expired, but he insisted on speaking out loud on wanting to stay and get out of his contract with the Galaxy. When he couldn't, he came back and lied that he's committed to the galaxy. Tell me now, how is that not disrespectful to the fans of the galaxy?
His actions only added fuel to our fire that night.
There is no coincidence why teammates were upset with him last season and even came down after the game to shake our hands. the day he leaves the team will be a glorious day. i will take a "pub team" over a david beckham's galaxy any day of the week.
Who the F*** is David Beckham?
As the G's go marching ON! ON! ON!