David Beckham - Let AC Milan have him

The L.A. Galaxy. A team that has ascribed to greatness with the addition of David Beckham. And yet the team has done an unremarkable bit of use of Beckham.



In 2008 Beckham scored 5 goals, in 2248 minutes. He had 1 game winning goal and 1 goal assist. He made 12 shots on goal for the season. In 25 matches that’s pretty poor for one of the top players in the world. Honestly Landon Donovan, a good player but nowhere near the top of the world, who played the same number of matches, had 20 goals from 65 shots on goal – given he is a forward. Still I would expect more from the caliber of player that Beckham is at.

The question though is this the fault of Beckham or the L.A. Galaxy? I would have to think it is partially both. Otherwise AC Milan would not have interest.

Partially one would have to believe that David Beckham is playing far below his potential. Now that could be due to coaches, teammates, or the lack of gratification from the country in general. And the last part is very important. Beckham is used to being a major sports athlete, a hero among the masses, and a headline grabber.

In America, soccer is lucky to grab 3rd place above NASCAR in local news let alone ever being mentioned nationally. So even in the most phenomenal match, using all his skill, he would barely be noticed outside of the fanbase locally. That has to be demoralizing to some extent.

On the other end, L.A.Galaxy is hardly the equal of AC Milan, or Manchester United. The level of play is severely diminished. It’s just not as intense. It’s like Tiger Woods playing against amateurs in the British Open; he would be bored of the competition on day one.

So should Beckham play in Italy? Should we lose him to preserve his spirit? Can American futbol improve without him?

Again I blame them both. Beckham is a world class player, and as such should be stellar in every match. He should be motivating the team and helping to propel them to a winning streak they have not had before. And he should be speaking to the masses, ABOUT SOCEER, at every opportunity.

Show Beckham in a US ad, have a soccer ball with him. Speaking at a red carpet event, talk about soccer. Doing something for charity, you get the point.

And the Galaxy should be lining up his time with events where he can talk about this. They need to get him in front of reporters every chance they get. And in L.A. it’s not that hard to find a reporter. Or paparazzi.

I am underwhelmed by the performance of Beckham. I had such high hopes of what he could bring to the Galaxy and the MLS. But neither have happened. So let him go.

Soccer in America can only grow if we nurture it. Given the competition for eyeballs in the nation, that means a battle. But I think soccer can win, if the teams and players work the system. There is a reason why this game is so big across the world, and if Beckham spent more time displaying that rather planning his next move America would understand it just that much more.

Introducing the history of Brazil's Golden Age

So I was running thru the web on a few of my more favored subjects when I ran across an interesting article by Zachary Ball, whom I presume is a fan of the Brazilian national futbol (soccer) team. And he has every reason, as do millions across the world, to favor this team above all others in the international arena. Having read the article I have to say that Americans should read this to get a sense of the passion and history of the game that we just can’t play.

Now most Americans are probably more familiar with a few names that are globally renowned. If I mention David Beckham some might think of the L.A. Galaxy – not realizing he is a superstar due to England and Spain performances. Others may recall Ronaldo without connection to his years for Brazil. Very few can identify (some can’t even pronounce) Ronaldinho – one of my favorites in recent years. The boy can play.

But most Americans just don’t get this beautiful game. But if the game were more stylized like the following video, they might watch a minute or so



Sadly they miss the real beauty in the game and the rich history that exists. And it’s that rich history that Mr. Ball reflects on. The fact that Brazil is the best in international soccer and that they have been for far longer than most remember. For longer than most any other nation in the world.

Instead of discussing the current greats of the game, or even focusing on just the stars, Mr. Ball goes into the history of the team and their Golden Age. Starting with the birth of international futbol and leading up to “three greatest minutes in the history of futbol” and then on to legends including Pele, Hilderaldo Bellini, Valdir Pereira, Jair Ventura Filho, Carlos Alberto up to 1970. He provides the reason why this nation has won more World Cups than any other nation, and in fact several combined.

For those that follow futbol, it’s a wonderful summary of the greatest sport on earth. To those that are unfamiliar (that means Americans) it’s a wonderful introduction and an introduction to some of the greatest names known in the world.

Let me finish with this. Mr. Ball, you did well. [article found at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/21523-The-Golden-Age-of-Brazilian-Futbol-1958-1970-050508]

David Beckham's first game at L.A. Galaxy vs. Chelsea - 7.22.2007.1

So we finally got to see Mr. David Beckham play. Sort of. After a lot of hype, the likes of which virtually no performance could have lived up to, the actual exhibition game with Chelsea was a let down.


Given that this was an exhibition, so neither team was pushing hard. Still The L.A. Galaxy looked bad. Chelsea was being quite nice during the first half. Not too physical and playing rather loose. The Galaxy had a decent chance to score a couple of times especially the header attempt in the 38th minute. Yet there was nothing impressive overall. And Mr. Beckham just sat on the bench, watching.

The first half was so uneventful that there were 3 interviews with celebrities in attendance at the game. Ms. Jennifer Love Hewitt was just filler, and had nothing really to say other than she was there to see Mr. Beckham and had never been to a game before. Governor Schwarzenegger on the other hand gave a nice plug to the sport, recounting his childhood playing the game (no mention of what position), and the fact that the entire world plays this sport intently, and his children are involved as well. But perhaps the biggest boost for future Galaxy fans is Mr. Drew Carey. Mr. Carey is a major fan, and was paying more attention to the game than the interview. He was also sitting back with the rest of the fans, not in a special box like the other interviewees. As he spoke you got his passion for the game.

Throughout the one thing was very clear. ESPN still does not know how to present a soccer (futbol) match. The American announcers were flat and about as invigorating as tap water. References to other sports just don’t work in trying to describe the game. Basketball terminology has about as much relevance as wet noodles on a pizza.

With the second half we got a bit more excitement. The quick goal by Chelsea told you that the pace was going to be decidedly different. In discussing the second half with a couple of people at a local bar I mentioned my thoughts about the probable score. 3-1 win for Chelsea. The start seemed right in line with that thought. Especially when one of the driving forces on the Galaxy, Mr. Cobi Jones came out in the 56th minute. Once he was off the field, the Galaxy just got sloppy and sluggish. It was a real surprise that Chelsea didn’t score more, not that they didn’t get chances.

A great example of the sloppy play was when Pavon collided with another Galaxy player. Pavon was challenging his own teammate, for no reason. All he needed to do was wait for the ball. It looked like high school players on the pitch.

Up until Mr. Beckham entered the game, after a 7 minute warm-up (which ESPN just had to watch instead of the play on the field) and a jog around the stadium, the Galaxy looked bad. And it was interesting that of the many, many shots of number 23 on the bench none showed him speaking to a single teammate. Even when Cobi Jones came out of the game and sat right next to number 23, not a word was said. Not even a glance at his teammate. Seemed quite rude. Perhaps this means there is a little tension in the air. Maybe it’s because the Galaxy season was altered for their new star player, or that so much attention was being placed just on him and not the team. Who knows, but I’m sure if it doesn’t change the story will be out fast. At the latest, any bad blood may be revealed after Kobe retires at the end of this season.

But Mr. Beckham finally got into the game with about 13 minutes to play. Considering that the score was still 1-0 it might have been enough to tie the game, if he was up to speed and match ready. But we all know his left ankle was not tip-top. And he played with minor interest.

Yet the Galaxy responded quickly once he was on the field. They got aggressive and started to do something. Xavier, who seemed to be involved in several critical plays, lit up. The game got a bit more lively and the crescendo was about the 91st minute when Beckham decided to actually play the ball and got a tough tackle, Chelsea reminding him who was in charge of this game.

So overall how do I rate Mr. Beckham’s first U.S. appearance? Lackluster at best. He’s a far better player than what we’ve seen. Injury aside, he could have done more. He should have been in the game far sooner. The 18 minutes he played were mostly ineffective, but the fire he gave the team was needed back in the 58th minute.

Will the Galaxy be a better team with Mr. Beckham? Almost definitely. Will soccer in America get a boost, absolutely. The Galaxy stadium was sold-out. ESPN made a point of broadcasting a Saturday night exhibition game. The attention is noticed. Now we just need performance.

What 250 million dollars gets - 1.12.2007.1

Ok, I’m annoyed. I’ve read and heard quite a bit about Mr. David Beckham’s move to the L.A. Galaxy. Much of the news has been of a negative bent. I’ve seen many debate the cost of Mr. Beckham, or question his ability. I’ve read many sing the continued doom of the national soccer leagues and even a couple sneer at Mr. Beckham and his use of the term futbol (which is the international name of soccer). Well here are some facts.

There has been international futbol, or soccer, competitions since 1900 (summer Olympics – demonstration only initially, official after 1908). The World Cup has been played 17 times in 76 years. It has only not gone on 2x due to World War II. Current nations capable of qualifying number 207. It IS the most watched sporting event in the world with over a billion viewers. The final in 2002 captured 1/6 the entire population of the planet in 213 countries alone. The U.S. has qualified for games 7 times, with a semi-finalist showing once in 1930, that is the best we have ever done. [I should also mention an error I made previously. The USA did play in 1990, losing every game and I had forgotten it. I incorrectly mentioned in a previous post that the US had not played in a Cup since 1950 until 1994.] Considering the status of the nation and our obvious athletic abilities (as seen in our dominance of Olympics and national sports) to perform so weakly is embarrassing.

That said, I feel the naysaying and negative attitudes of some against the MLS league is sad. Some have questioned the price of acquiring Mr. Beckham. As I understand roughly $150 million of the price is due to sponsorships that are attached to Mr. Beckham no matter where he goes (he will actually be paid $10 million a year by the Galaxy and he gets a percentage of product and ticket sales). Even considering that, the price is not that unheard of. While this does place Mr. Beckham in the number 3 position of highest earning athletes in the world it is not so far out of place in comparison to the $252 million for Mr. Alex Rodriguez (which I understand, perhaps incorrectly, as being without endorsements). At $50 million Mr. Beckham is very close to Mr. Tiger Woods who makes an estimated $80 million per year. Let me compare these individuals.

Mr. Rodriguez is very good, but he is not one of the greatest players in the world. He does play for the best baseball team (debatable I’ll give you) but he does not elevate the sport in the U.S. nor the world. He does not raise the bar of competition in the sport among its players. And to compare baseball, it’s a game lasts 3-4 hours on average with about half the players sitting about half the game at any one time. While the players are in great shape, the main exertions are occasional 90ft sprints and arm strength/quickness.

Mr. Woods is the best player in the world (no debate there). He has raised the bar of competition. He has elevated the sport and drawn the youth of the world towards playing the game. Everyone involved with golf (predominantly professional) has made more money due to his performance than prior to it. In comparison of the game, overall fitness is essential though some are far from intensely fit. There is no running or extreme exertion. A match runs about 3 hours. It is an intense individual competition.

Mr. Beckham is one of the best in the world. Even at his older age, he is considered a star and better than most in his position. He does raise the bar of competition, especially in America where there is no comparable competitor. He does elevate the game, especially in America where there is little attention spent on a game we historically can’t play well at. He does bring the youth to the game, and thus elevating the potential of future players. He does open the door for other quality players to arrive and they too can help to elevate the game and quality of American competition. The game requires a little over 100 minutes of play with starters expected to play virtually the entire game (there are only 3 substitutes per game). The game requires constant sprints across up to the entire 300ft of the pitch. The player must be in extremely good condition with high stamina, strong legs and torsos.

Simply put, soccer gives more and requires more from a player than virtually any other sport. That requires discipline, which most have in abundance at the international level. What doesn’t normally happen are team fights like in baseball and basketball. You don’t see individual fights like in the WWE or hockey. There is no reliance on technology like in NASCAR. Why wouldn’t we want to promote or see the growth of futbol in America?

So in respectful disagreement with Mr. Josh Peter and others that question the price and worth of Mr. Beckham, I say that it is easily worth it. Just in the same way Pele was worth it to re-create a foundation that Team USA was built upon, I think Mr. Beckham will cause future growth. Respectfully to Mr. Dan Wetzel and others that think a more WWE approach is needed to gain an audience I disagree. I don’t think that wonton violence (which is implied in wrestling today) as seen in the MLB and NBA (team and individual fights or those with fans – each of which is a new trend that seems to be growing) is the reason for fans to view a game. I think than many of the youth will be interested, just as Pele motivated Team USA players, and their parents, (I think) that wound up returning America to World Cup competition in a manner never before seen.

Rather than sing doom, wait and see. There is more than enough room for another game in this nation. The WNBA proved that, regardless of its performance. Mr. Woods proved it in golf (that did not have the appeal it now has with him). Maybe, just maybe futbol, or soccer if you prefer, will have the same effect with Mr. Beckham.

This is what I think, what do you think?