Beckham’s Galaxy lose 4-0 in MLS season opener
Beckham MLS update: Ruud Gullit, David Beckham and their Los Angeles Galaxy crashed to 4-0 defeat to Colorado in Saturday’s Major League Soccer season opener.
The glamor team’s new season under Dutch soccer legend Gullit started poorly despite Beckham racing back from midweek England duty to take on the Rapids.
“It’s always going to be tough when you have international games,” Beckham said. “I felt OK for most of the match, maybe not at my sharpest, but it was overall a tough game for us. We created chances, but didn’t put them away.”
It was not Beckham, but a lesser known former Manchester United winger Terry Cooke who opened the scoring in the 10th minute for Colorado.
Christian Gomez doubled the lead with a 60th minute penalty, Jamaican forward Omar Cummings made it 3-0 in the 67th minute and Colin Clark completed the scoring in the 80th.
Things got testy toward the end of the game. In the 90th minute, Galaxy’s Portugese international defender Abel Xavier — who was yellow carded for the foul that led to Colorado’s penalty — was sent off for a rough tackle on Ciaran O’Brien, who in turn was sent off soon afterward for his own hard tackle on Carlos Ruiz.
“I’m finding it hard not to criticize some of the decisions tonight but I’ve just been told I’ll be fined if I do,” Beckham said. “I don’t want that to happen. Referees have a tough job, but some decisions change games, and that’s happened tonight.”
The Galaxy said the altitude played a part in their sluggish play, and that Gomez’s goal deflated them.
“The turning point was the penalty kick,” Gullit said. “That caused a little bit of chaos in our organization, and we lost our head a little bit.”
Former D.C. United midfielder Gomez, who had also played mostly with Nueva Chicago and Independiente in his native Argentina, was a constant thorn in the side of Los Angeles.
“He draws a lot of attention from defenders,” Clark said. “They are always worried about him. It makes it a little easier for everyone else.”
Beckham shows fire and drive to join England’s centurions list
Kieran Daley in Dallas
His match fitness looked adequate, his passing from open play and set-piece delivery beyond reproach and, as David Beckham continued his quest to become English football’s fifth centurion, here in the small hours yesterday, there was even a demonstration of growing self-awareness.
Perhaps it is due to the fact that the former England captain now plies his trade away from the glare and scrutiny of European football or, perhaps, he was just happy that his performance in a pre-season friendly outing for LA Galaxy at FC Dallas had gone off comparatively successfully in front of Franco Baldini, assistant to the England manager, Fabio Capello.
Beckham was in frank mood when analysing his hopes of winning a 100th cap under Capello, perhaps against France on 26 March.
“It’s not as if my game will ever change because people say the standard is different here,” he said. “My game will always be the same – I’ve always been a player that has never gone past players, but give me five yards and I’ll put the ball in where someone will want it.”
He added: “I’ve always said I always want to be available for my country. I don’t want to let go of that and I still love passionately playing for my country – nothing’s ever going to change that. I might be playing on the other side of the world, but nothing will change the passion.
“I don’t know how much longer I can play for England. It’s obviously down to other people to decide that, but it can come from the way I’m feeling and I always want to be available.”
The closest to a goal in this keenly contested friendly came five minutes from time when Beckham’s superb 45-yard pass found Landon Donovan, whose chip was kept out by goalkeeper Dario Sala. A minute later, Beckham showed that his competitive fire has not dulled at 32 years of age when he was booked for arguing with a linesman.
There was even an indication that MLS supporters are becoming more “sophisticated”, with sections of the Dallas crowd booing Beckham on the final whistle because of his caution and the fact that he missed a much-hyped league game here last season through injury. He was unperturbed.
“It was a nice game on a great pitch with nice fans – well the majority were!” he said. “I got a bit of stick from some of them, but that’s normal. People are always sceptical about me moving to MLS when I’m still pretty young, but I always said I saw it as a move to a league and a country that is going somewhere in soccer, and I want to be part of that.
“I’m proud to be part of that and I wanted to be here when I can still perform at a high level, when I’m still young enough to perform at a high level.”
Whether Baldini thinks he is still able to perform at a high level will be seen on Thursday when Capello names his squad.
Beckhams Planning to Return to London?
Just eight months after their big move to Los Angeles and suggesting they might stay there for the rest of their lives, the Beckhams are reportedly already planning a move back to the UK.
A source told the People newspaper that even though David Beckham’s contract with LA Galaxy doesn’t expire until 2012, they’re planning to start looking for a home in Chelsea, London over the next few months.
The source explained: “They are coming back and London will be home for Victoria, David and their sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.”
“They already have Beckingham Palace in Hertfordshire but [Victoria] wants to be closer to the hub of London.”
Victoria was reportedly behind the move to California last year as she was keen to launch Brand Beckham in the US but is now looking to move back to Europe to help launch her fashion career: “Victoria loves America. She enjoys the company of Tom and Katie Cruise and other A-list pals. But she is excited about the long-term future and London will play a huge part in that.”
Here is the Latest About the Beckhams
Hong Kong’s football authorities confirmed Friday that they had given the go-ahead for David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy to play in the city. LA Galaxy announced Monday they would play an exhibition match March 9 at Hong Kong Stadium, but the city’s football authority said it had not approved the plan and the stadium was fully booked for that date.
However, that has now changed. “The application was approved,” Hong Kong Football Association Sunny Leung told AFP Friday.
“We have all been making every last-minute effort to have them come, we were very keen to have them here.” Leung said LA Galaxy would arrive on March 6 and hold a football clinic for youngsters before playing a South China invitation team on March 9, tickets for which go on sale from next Thursday.
The game is part of a Galaxy exhibition tour of Asia aimed at tapping into Beckham’s huge popularity in the region. He and the club arrived Tuesday in South Korea for an exhibition match on Saturday against FC Seoul. They then travel to Shanghai for a match on March 5 before the stop in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham isn’t too posh to spot a bargain. The Spice Girl and son Romeo went on a shopping spree in L.A. last night - and it wasn’t to the boutiques of Beverly Hills.
Posh saved her dosh by walking the aisles of bargain basement chain ‘Target’ The company’s motto: “Expect more, pay less.”
Said an onlooker: “She would have looked like just your average mum had it not been for the security team pushing her trolley behind her. “She didn’t look much pleased when the snappers saw her - she’s more used to being pictured leaving Hermes or Chanel - so the shades quickly went on.”
Posh is back in Los Angeles following the early end of the Spice Girls reunion tour and a visit to New York. She is already making plans for her next move in Tinsel Town with a TV appearance this week. On Wednesday Posh will appear as a guest judge with German supermodel Heidi Klum on the season finale of the U.S. fashion design reality TV show Project Runway.
Beckham moves on to South Korea
By Grahame L. Jones, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 25, 2008
Fresh from its less-than-triumphant tour of
And the lessons learned in Honolulu, where Beckham and Co. defeated Sydney FC, 2-1, at Aloha Stadium on Saturday night to finish third in the first and possibly last Pan-Pacific tournament?
Well, Beckham is in shape. He again lasted the full 90 minutes, just as he had done in a 1-0 loss to tournament champion Gamba Osaka of Japan. He also once again displayed an angry side, yelling and gesticulating furiously when a call didn’t go his way. That led to a talking-to from referee Brian Hall.
Beckham is using the Galaxy’s five-game preseason tour to show that he is match fit, to prove to England Coach Fabio Capello that he deserves to play in England’s March 26 friendly against France in Paris and thus make his 100th appearance for the national team.
But Capello is more likely to have been impressed by Beckham’s two pinpoint crosses that led to goals by Ely Allen and Josh Tudela than he is by the fact that the 33-year-old midfielder lasted the entire game or wore a scowl as often as a smile.
“The right foot seems to be working,” Beckham said after the match.
Beckhams Renew Wedding Vows
David and Victoria Beckham have renewed their wedding vows in a secret ceremony at their Hertfordshire home.
Organised entirely by David, the day was a complete surprise for Posh, only being told that morning of her husband’s plans. It was a small gathering, with merely a few family and friends joining the couple for the occasion.
A source tells the Daily Mirror, ‘David was meticulously planning the big day for months. It was a huge undertaking to keep it all under wraps…Only a handful of people were at the ceremony and they’ve managed to keep it under wraps for nearly two years.’
The couple married back in 1999, with a lavish ceremony at an Irish castle. The renewal was a far more low-key event, taking place in March 2006, but only becoming public now.
Both David and Victoria have tattoos to mark the renewal, with Posh having hers done just two weeks ago. The inking on her wrist reads VIII.V.MMVI, the roman numerals of the date, followed by De Integro, which means ‘Again from the start’ in latin.
Beckham and Victoria
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