Remember Me?

He's back! Been pretty quiet on the Beckham front as of late, mostly because he hasn't played in about 6 weeks. But Beckham is back, coming on as a sub in the 68th minute of the Galaxy's 1-1 draw with New York.

I don't have a whole lot to say about this game, as I didn't get a chance to see most of it. I do know that my boy, Jozy Altidore, scored the goal for New York off a header. He also had a couple of chances late that would have given them the win, but just missed wide on one and over the crossbar on another.

I keep saying this, but i'm not hearing from a lot of other places on the web. Altidore is going to be good. He is not afraid to shoot, he is good in the box, and he is good at getting into positions to make plays. The US MNT has been looking for a true striker for years. Altidore is as close as it gets for anyone in their player pool. And yet, he is not playing on the senior team. Next year, in the Olympics, Jozy better be playing and he better be starting. He will shine if given the chance.

Red Bull New York 5, LA Galaxy 4

Wow. Do you remember in my post on Saturday when i told you to watch this game? Well i hope you took my advice, because it was FANTASTIC. Some people are calling it the greatest MLS game ever, though i think that might be a little hyperbole. Regardless, it was a game the MLS will be showcasing for a long time as an example of what the league is capable of. End to end action, lots of shots and goals, Beckham doing his free kick thing, and a lot of current, new, and up and coming stars getting into the act.

The game itself was much more fast-paced and fluid than most MLS games tend to be, mostly i think due to the quality of players involved in this game.Their truly were some great talents on display, and not just David Beckham. There was Landon Donovan for the Galaxy, doing what he does best, taking a ball 60 yards through the defense and scoring a goal. Even Joe Cannon, despite giving up five goals, looked spectacular at times with some great saves in goal.

On the other side of the ball, there were three people who stood out. Clint Mathis, in place of an injured Claudio Reyna (who is another great talent), looked fantastic, scoring one rocket goal off of a volley and setting up the game winner with his shot from outside that was put in on the rebound by Juan Pablo Angel. And speaking of Angel, for those of you who don't know (all of you), he was probably the biggest signing of the year in the MLS other than Beckham. Since joining Red Bull New York, he has scored 12 goals in 14 games, including two in this one. Similar to Beckham, Angel is an aging star that came to the league looking to make a big impact. He has done that, turning into a goal scoring machine.

And finally, also playing for RBNY, was Jozy Altidore, who you have heard me talk about before. At just 17 years old, this kid is quickly becoming one of the best players in the league, as well as getting plenty of international attention. A star on the US Under-20 team at their World Cup last year, Altidore has continued his torrid goal scoring pace, notching two in this game against LA and getting robbed of at least one or two other goals. Jozy looks a step faster and a touch smarter than most players on the field, and at just 17 is amazing to watch. Unfortunately for fans here in the US, i don't expect him to be around next season. Much like many of his young teammates on the U-20 team, Altidore i expect will be looking to make a move to Europe after the end of the MLS season. And who can blame him, as he wants and needs to go up against better competition than he is finding in the MLS so he can mature and evolve as a world class player.

One more thing to add about the game was the atmosphere. With 66,000+ fans in Giants Stadium, it was the largest crowd to ever see an MLS game. While admittedly most were there to see Beckham, it was both TEAMS that put on the show, combining for a highly entertaining game that left the crowd satisfied. It was also a very boisterous, noisy, and soccer savvy crowd, which i enjoyed listening to through the TV. They knew when to cheer, when to boo, and showed respect not just for Beckham but the Galaxy as well. Most reports and stories have described the atmosphere as 'electric', and as far as i can tell that's about dead-on.

Oh, and as for Beckham? Two assists on four goals, could have been three as his corner led to the 4th goal for the Galaxy. His free kicks from outside the box in the second half looked a little shaky as they kept hitting the wall, but blame it on him getting tired because he had not played a full match in months. His corners once again looked deadly, as did some of his through and release balls to the forwards. Beckham should rack up assists like crazy in this league, especially with LanDo up top finishing those through balls.

The Galaxy return to action this Thursday against Chivas USA at 7pm Pacific Time on ESPN2. I know i sound like a broken record, but tune in. You don't want to miss this, trust me.

Finally, a few links related to the game from some sites i enjoy for soccer. Check them out!

Game Highlights, via YouTube

About That LA-NY Goal Fest The Other Night..., via The Offside Rules

Live From New Jersey, via That's On Point

All Beckham All The Time

Ok, so not really, but i did find this story pretty interesting, so i thought i would link to it. It's a story about opening new soccer fields in Harlem, and how Beckham and a few other players (including the aforementioned Jozy Altidore from my previous post) were at the ceremony and held somewhat of a clinic. As the story points out, this turned into almost more of a PR thing with all the media, but it is a good story on ways Beckham is helping soccer grow in America, outside of just playing the game.

Somethings Goin' On In Harlem, via This Is American Soccer.

Beckham's Debut (sort of)

Ok, so it wasn't really his debut, as he had seen some time previously in two games, but it was his first start, and first significant action of the season for him and his team. In all, Beckham played 63 minutes, and what an eventful 63 minutes it was. The team won the game 2-0, which advanced them to the SuperLiga title game against CF Pachuca. Now onto the game itself...

In the 27th minute, the Galaxy were awarded a free kick about 30 yards from goal in the middle of the field. Beckham stepped up and put a perfectly placed shot over the wall of defenders, and dipped it and bent it into the upper 90 on the left side of the goal (see it here). My favorite part is the goalkeeper, who realizes right away he has not shot at the ball, and just stands there with his hands on his hips. That is right son, you haven't seen a ball like that in this league before...

Then, just for fun, Beckham decided to put up an assist in the game as well. Just two minutes after halftime, he put another perfectly placed through ball from midfield to release Landon Donovan, who blew past his defender and slotted one into the back of the net (see it here). Watch two things here: The last replay from behind the goal, when you see the defender try to get his foot on the ball from Beckham before it gets to LanDo (and failing miserably), and LanDo's ability to even get this shot off, let alone into the goal. He probably should have dumped it off to his teammate streaking wide open down the left side, but LanDo wanted that one, you can bet on it.

One more interesting note about this game: Depending on who you hear it from and what you believe, Beckham was handed the captain's armband by LanDo before the game, either by LanDo himself or because the coach Frank Yallop asked him to. Either way, it seemed to work. By all accounts, Beckham was quite the vocal leader on the pitch, shouting out instructions and encouraging his teammates. For his part, LanDo seemed very gracious about giving the captaincy to Beckham, probably for the foreseeable future.

For all the talk about Beckham having lost a step or two and not being as good as he once was, he looked pretty damn good on the pitch this night. Scoring a goal and assisting on another in a 2-0 win is pretty good stuff. Precisely what the LA Galaxy brought him here for in fact. Beckham may well have indeed lost a step or two, but Beckham minus a step or two is still better than probably 80% of this league. And this is less an indication of the talent level of the MLS than an indication of the talent level of Beckham. The guy was an absolute world-class player, and still is one of the best in the world.

So while it was only one game, it was certainly a good start. It will be interesting to see how Beckham fares throughout the entire season, and it will be nice when he is back up to match fitness and can last the entire game, and when his ankle is completely healthy. Personally i think Beckham can do exactly what he did Wednesday all through the league. That is, take some free kicks the likes of which most goalkeepers and defenders in the MLS have never seen, and also create space and scoring chances for his strikers. In particular, i think LanDo could benefit immensely from having someone as talented as Beckham set him up all the time, instead of LanDo doing the set up himself. It should let LanDo focus more on scoring goals, which is what we need from him on the National Team.

The Galaxy are back at it tonight, returning to MLS action against the New York Red Bulls, who have an emerging superstar in Jozy Altidore at striker. Gametime is 4:30 pacific time, shown on Fox Soccer Channel. If you don't get it, they will be on ESPN2 Thursday the 23rd. The MLS is an up and coming league, and it's time to start paying attention.

Quick Hits

I am still back home in Iowa until tomorrow, but wanted to put up a few things about sports this weekend, because a lot has happened while i've been on vacation.

The Dbacks took two of three from the Cubs in Wrigley. While i was only able to see the last four innings of Saturday's game, it's good to see the Dbacks take a couple from the Cubs. Chicago has been the hottest team in baseball the last month, and to go into Wrigley and win the series is impressive. Granted Chicago was without their best player, D. Lee, but still a good showing. Let's hope this propels them onto a strong 2nd half of the season, since it got off to a bit of a rocky start.

The British Open today was fantastic. Golfers were falling all over themselves to give this Championship away, whether it be A. Romero's double bogey-bogey finish, P. Harrington putting not one, but two shots in the drink on the 18 with a one-shot lead, or S. Garcia needing only a par on 18 to win and promptly putting it into a bunker and bogeying the hole, sending it to a playoff. Harrington eventually won in the playoff, carding a birdie on the first hole to Garcia's bogey. That was all he would need, playing the last three playoff holes at even par and winning by a stroke.

The NBA Referee Scandal. (Sigh). I have so much to say about this, i don't even know where to begin. I wish i had been home so i could take the time and do a proper write-up on it, but since i'm not i'll link to the best post i found about the situation. Bill Simmons, ESPN's Sport's Guy, wrote a good article here, though it will be a bit gut-wrenching to Suns fans (hint: The ref in question was working Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs series. Let's just say he made some 'curious' calls).

And finally, David Beckham's (less than) glorious arrival on the US soccer scene. Playing just 13 minutes due to an injured ankle, Beckham was largely un-spectacular, save for one perfect long ball to the feet of Quavas Kirk. He did take a rather scary looking tumble after a somewhat violent collision, causing all of the LA Galaxy, US soccer fans, and MLS officials to hold their breath. He seemed to be okay, however, and finished the match. While the game did draw many celebrities and even some paparazzi (!), it was mostly uneventful as far as Beckham was concerned. It will be interesting to see what happens as he becomes a starter and as the Galaxy return to MLS play. I for one will be watching with great interest.

That's all for now. I will be back tomorrow (hopefully), having returned from my vacation in the evening. Look for a report on new Sun's draft pick Alando Tucker. Until then, check out some of the blogs listed under 'Blogs We Like' to the right, and leave some comments!

The Arrival Of a Savior?

As big of a soccer fan as I am, I just couldn’t go any longer without writing on the arrival of David Beckham to the US, and to MLS with the LA Galaxy. Following the love fest that was his official welcoming party at the Home Depot Center on Friday, July 13th, Beckham spent the weekend getting to know his new teammates and adjusting to life on the other side of the pond.

While his wife seems to be doing ok, with a reality show that debuted last night (no, I did not watch it. Something about blatant and inherent self-promotion carried all the way to this point makes me not want anything to do with it), it remains to be seen how David will react and assimilate himself to not just the US culture, but also to the MLS. After all, this is not the Spanish La Liga he has been playing in with Real Madrid in Spain the last few years. As much as the soccer in the MLS has improved in just the last few years, it is still far behind the best leagues in the world.

And the absolute best league in the world is where Beckham just finished up, having helped Real to a late surge and League title. While much has been made of his loss of pace the last two years, or his ability to sustain himself for entire games, Beckham is still instantly one of the top five players in our league, if not top three. His ability to bend the ball on free kicks, as well as his pin-point accuracy on crosses and balls through the air, are breathtaking and unparalleled.

It is this feature which should gain Beckham a following within the US among casual soccer fans, as he can play ‘the beautiful game’ as well as anyone in the world, making it spectacular and fun to watch. I can already picture him making 50 yard through balls to an on-rushing Landon Donovan, perfectly placing the ball at his feet as Donovan breaks away from the defense and slots one in the corner.

Then again, you have the other side of Beckham’s arrival, the variable. Will he be able to make soccer in the US relevant? Will he be able to elevate the play in the MLS, making it a viable league and possibly attract more big name players to come play here? This seems to be the pressure put on Beckham, the expectation. Beckham wasn’t brought here to play in the MLS. He was brought here to save it, and to save soccer in the US.

Then again, I’m not sure I buy the idea that the MLS needs to be saved. The league is in probably the best position of its history. It has major sponsorship and TV deals in place to last many years, and its popularity is at an all-time high, albeit partly because of Beckham’s impending arrival on the scene. The US team is showing signs it could become a powerhouse, with a lot of the young talent trading their wares in MLS. All in all, the league is in a good position.

But it can be better. The MLS’s ultimate goal is to barge its way onto the national scene in the same way the Big Four have done, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and the NHL. It is seeking to become number 5, alongside those other professional leagues. Though the way I see it, they have a chance to flat-out replace hockey on the Big Four list, as Gary Bettman is doing everything in his power to make hockey completely irrelevant. This leaves a large, gaping hole in American sports, one the MLS is attempting to fill.

Personally, I think they have a great chance. With David Beckham comes increased national exposure, and while this exposure is not necessarily geared towards the game but Beckham himself, eventually the soccer story will be told by Beckham. He is a fantastic ambassador for the game, one the likes of which this country has not seen. And he has stated many times, and I believe him, that one of his goals for playing in the US is to increase the awareness of soccer in the US.

It has been said many times, at various points throughout the last 30 years, that soccer in the US was at the brink of becoming a national pastime. I truly believe we are at that brink in the US, and all it will take to overcome that is a few years and some lucky breaks. With another three years until the next World Cup, I believe when we reach South Africa in 2010 soccer will have taken a great hold on the US.

Beckham is one of those lucky breaks we need, coming to America at just the right time to jumpstart the sport here. Combine that with what could be the best 1-2 punch in American soccer history coming up through the youth ranks, Jozy Altidore (who has just started getting national attention) and Freddy Adu (who we have all heard about for several years), and you could really be garnering the attention and coverage needed to push American soccer into the mind’s of Americans once and for all.

As for Beckham, I will be watching intently how he handles the MLS, and also how he handles elevating the awareness of soccer in the US, and the awareness of US soccer to the world. It’s an exciting time to be a US soccer fan, and I can’t wait to see what the next three years bring.