Coming of age It's Midnight, my team is losing and not looking like they'll do anything except give up a couple more goals in the second half so rather than be a zombie the next day at work, I decide to go to bed. I guess I missed a good second half. Or at least a valiant effort. My Twitter on the right gives a taste of my thought process at the time.

What did we do before YouTube? Heck, a co-worker of mine came to my office to tell me he'd seen the highlights this morning on ESPN. It's sure not 1996 any more.

So, LA lost. I'll be willing to bet there weren't many who gave them much chance of winning any silverware. But, the team came back and played well from what I read. It's not the opponent was an average team...this was a Mexican team which has been winning every piece of silverware in site. The best team in CONCACAF.

But the thing which hit me the most was the fact that LA fans, the ones who have been with the team long before Beckham thought about heading to the New World, are heart broken yet proud of their boys at this loss. It's taken twelve years but that's the type of passion the league has been needing and it's coming around.

So, the season is virtually over for LA. The best bet now is to focus on next season. Rest Beckham for as long as he need to be fully fit. If McClaren wants him, so be it. But give him plenty of rest so he'll be 100% next season. Look at some of the youngsters and, heck, see if Cobi is willing to make one more tour. I know he has it in his legs if he really wants it.

Personally, I don't blame Lalas or Yallop for the failure of the team this season. Lalas is simply a puppet and Yallop an employee who hasn't had all the tools all the time to get the job done correctly. The blame rests with the money whores who own the team. Everything about this season was done to maximize the return on their investment in Beckham. Ok, they should at least break even, but it seems to me at this point they are getting that and more...much more. Of course, because of the salary cap we won't be seeing any of that applied to the talent on the pitch...so, why ruin the team buy continuing this tactic? call Vancouver and Minnesota and reschedule their friendlies for next spring. Give injured players (in addition to Beckham) time off to heal. Let the youngsters gain some experience.

Of course, AEG still calls the shots and, well, I'm not too confident about things at this point.

So, let's see if LA can build on this performance and get a good result in the Wooden Spoon Derby this weekend.

Labels: AEG, Alexi Lalas, David Beckham, Frank Yallop, LA Galaxy

  ¶ 4:29 PM 0 Comments

  Sorry, but the guy with the sign is an idiot
It's a sporting event. Players get injured. Just cuz you bought a ticket, doesn't mean that player won't get injured. Don't you think Yallop would have preferred to have Beckham's experience and poise on the pitch last night? They sure could have used it.

Of course, I've been saying for years that the league should be promoting teams rather than players. If you're a regular reader of my blog, I'm sure you've heard it before. But the bottom line is, players come and go...but the team (unless they are in Florida or No Cal) are there forever. We as fans cheer for the team colors (whatever they are this month) and not the players.

Think of it this way. If Dallas hadn't made such a big deal about this match being Beckham's one 'appearance' in Dallas this year, they wouldn't have had to make the special offer to appease unhappy fans.

Remember, pimp the player match ups seems to be the credo of MLS marketing. Anyone remember how silly that was during the WC last summer?

But what do I know? I'm just a fan who wants to see things run right. After all, it's not my money on the line...just my entertainment...for which I do spend my hard earned money on.

Oh, and speaking of idiots, it seem the Brit media doesn't know the difference between LA and Dallas fans. If the guy is wearing a Dallas jersey, why would the print that he's an LA fan? Jeez, when I lived in England, the education system was pretty good. Guess things have gone downhill the last 20 years.

Labels: David Beckham, Marketing, MLS

  ¶ 4:06 PM 1 Comments

  Defence was more a theory than a practice What the heck was that? Think about it, you score 4 goals in the first 20 minutes of a game on the road and still struggle to win? C'mon now, that was just crazy. Sure, it was entertaining but it was poorly played at the back for both teams.

In the half-a-day or so since the match ended, I've read everything from, "it was the greatest MLS match ever," even though it wasn't an MLS match to," it was a sloppy mess and proof MLS is crap." Now, I'm not going to take either of those extremes...hey, I'm a moderate politically so why can't I be one here as well? But the match certainly touched on both ends on the spectrum.

I'm sure those Dallas fans who showed up at PHP for the first time expecting to see that English guy were disappointed at first but had to have enjoyed the wild ride...and, hopefully, will be even more determined to use that discount they were offered for when the Becks Circus really does come to town.

Now, I've used the baseball no-hitter analogy on numerous occations when confronted with the low-scoring argument from those who don't care for the sport. I guess you can use the other extreme after last night. Those high-scoring slug fests (with or without Bonds juice) are usually brought about by poor pitching. If baseball fans enjoy it, cool. Personlly, I've a hunch it's usually one pitch who's having an off night and one teams builds a huge lead and everyone (well, they do in LA) heads for the exits. Last night, both backlines just fell asleep. I remember the last time LA lit up the scoreboard in Dallas. Harut Karapetyan (had to look the spelling of his name up cuz it's been a while...I got it right first time) put three past Dallas in 5 minutes in 1998 on the way to an 8-1 for the good guys. It could have been worse as the game was stopped early cuz a storm was on the way or the ref decided the mercy rule was needed or something. My point is, that afternoon, LA did all the scoring and Dallas....well, they didn't.

Anyway, now LA have another match to add to their already busy schedule. Looks like it'll be at the HDC as well. Will the new pitch have taken hold by then or will it tear apart and injure Becks again? Of course, if LA are playing Morelia, they may just play the match at the Q. Why not? Another town for the Beckham Circus to hit.

One other point. Landon's goal celebration was silly and probably unnecessary, but he is an emotional player and I wouldn't wanna stifle that. Bottom line, it could have been worse.

Ok, enough of that. The match was an anomaly and LA were fortunate to get through it.

So, now LA return home for a couple days before heading to the Great White North for the first time. No one knows If Becks will be involved. Personally, if he does play on their plastic turf, it'll be as a sub late in the match...where have we seen that before? Well, the same TV network will be in attandance.

Now, the fans up there have already had fun with a recent big name import.



We'll see if they can come up with something different if Becks gets to take a corner.

It looks like the move north hasn't changed the method of operation for the Jamacian Hatchet.

"TFC defender Tyrone Marshall, who started the season with L.A. before being traded to TFC in June, is hoping to see Beckham on the field.

"I'm definitely going to get over there and get a hit on him. For sure," Marshall said.

"That's my first priority. I'm going to welcome him to the league, and welcome him to Canada."

Nice to see the higher tax rate hasn't mellowed him out.

Well, that's enough for now. Tune in next wee....ah, never mind. Next week is sumer session finals. I'll be lucky if I find some time.

Labels: David Beckham, FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, SuperLiga

  ¶ 1:13 AM 0 Comments

  Sorry I didn't post this sooner I was on Beckham overload at the time...ok, I still overloaded. Anyway, here's a nice piece from a Sports Business News writer on whatshisname and MLS.

Labels: David Beckham, MLS

  ¶ 12:50 AM 1 Comments

  Beckham, Baseball, All-Stars and.....yawn.... I've been defending MLS and US soccer for....well, a heck of a long time. I've defended it against Euros who still seem to think we'll make the goals bigger, play four quarters and so on. I've defended the sport against Americans who insist soccer is slow and boring--while watching a baseball game. However, the insanity of MLS/AEG reached new levels as I watch the Spiced Savior tell Rob Stone he'll probably not be playing against Chelsea while reading the scroll at the bottom of the screen claim an "insider" saying he would.

Ok, here's the deal. Saturday's match is a meaningless friendly. If you put Becks on the pitch (even more the final 10 minutes of garbage time) you stand the chance of him injuring himself worse and perhaps not have him available when the season continues (or starts considering the number of games LA has played thus far this summer)

While I'm on the subject...MLS can't take a break for the World Cup, Gold Cup, Copa America but they can have a couple of teams basically take a month off to play a bunch of friendlies. Heck LA have played a lot fewer matches than the rest of the league yet MLS was able to create a schedule which will allow them to catch up in three months.

Please guys. Give me the sport without all the optional extras. For the $400k of cap space being used to bring Beckham to LA, you could get 2 or 3 quality players...at least better than the supporting cast of rookies Beckham currently has.

If you want sports fans on both sides of the Atlantic to take MLS seriously, perhaps the league itself should do so first.

Nope, I think I'll just become a fan in hiding. I'll watch games in my new Beckham jersey from the safety of my reclier and no longer will I explain the Cobi Jones bobblehead doll I have on my desk to my co-workers. Heck, it's now in my desk drawer. No wonder even the few Metro...errr RBNY fans there were are disappearing.

...And I didn't even mention the red-headed GM/President.

Labels: All-Stars, David Beckham, MLS

  ¶ 1:05 PM 0 Comments

  Probably the last Tank

Like I said a few days ago. Being the topic of this cartoon strip has to be a sign that Becks arrival goes beyond anything else the league/sport has seen so far.

Labels: David Beckham, Humor, LA Galaxy

  ¶ 8:41 AM 0 Comments

  My thoughts on the Beckham Press Conference After watching the 'event' I came away with one burning question.

Why does every event have to have a confetti canon?

Labels: David Beckham, LA Galaxy

  ¶ 3:37 PM 1 Comments

  More from Tank With all the silly media hype available everywhere you look right now (they even had news of his arrival in LA on the local morning news here) these silly Tank cartoons are a nice change and probably more accurate than 90% of the British Tabloid reports.

Labels: David Beckham, Humor, LA Galaxy

  ¶ 9:32 AM 0 Comments

  More Tank

Paul Anka? Well, I guess it would be a change from some teenybopper group.

Labels: David Beckham, Humor, LA Galaxy

  ¶ 7:44 AM 0 Comments

  Becks to LA good for England? By the time he heads to Moscow, Becks could have played as many as three matches on the stuff. In typical England fashion, the media will completely over react to the surface and after the match the players will say it was no big deal.

Labels: David Beckham, England, Euro 2008

  ¶ 11:40 PM 0 Comments

  The big time I haven't read Tank in years...well, not on a regular basis. But I'm glad I stumbled on this.






If this isn't a sign that the mainstream media is paying attention, I don't know what is. I'll be sure to check the rest of the week.

Labels: David Beckham, Humor, LA Galaxy

  ¶ 7:39 PM 0 Comments

  I said I wasn't going to...
....but I'll be wearing this shirt pretty soon. I've talked about wearing old Galaxy shirts all the time as proof I'm not some bandwagon Becks fan. But to be honest, I hope the all white (with blue and gold trim) is what LA will be wearing on a permanent basis...like after Becks retires.

And don't forget, Vicky B's TV show is on next week.

Labels: Adidas, David Beckham, LA Galaxy

  ¶ 9:17 AM 0 Comments

  Beckham Rules I've been too busy to write (or even watch) much lately. However, I saw this and had to share.

Nice one Dave. Thanks.

Labels: David Beckham, Humor, LA Galaxy, MLS

  ¶ 12:30 PM 0 Comments

  Losing Donovan for the next month is bad enough

Those who have read my blog or my posts on BigSoccer for a while will know that I feel pretty strongly that MLS should not by playing matches on dates set aside by FIFA as International Dates. So far, no one has paid any attention to this bloggers opinion. However, the British media (ya gotta love them) have managed to create several stories related to this.

It started off positive enough. Becks has played well the last 5 months and done well enough to be considered for a recall to the England squad for a couple of matches next week. Of course, the fact that England have played like crap since McClaren took over I’m sure helped.

Now, that’s great news for LA Galaxy and MLS right? Heck, Alexi Lalas even said, "Ultimately, we look at it as a statement on the Galaxy. The fact we have a player who's been called into the English national team says a lot about who he is. We couldn't be happier for him."

Of course, all this does have its downside. Ya see, MLS and AEG (and, of course, the Galaxy) are making a mint off the signing of Beckham already. Wouldn’t it suck if he missed a few matches which sold out based on the fact that Becks would be in Green and Gold--or whatever the new colors are going to be when Becks dons the colors?

Lalas spoke with BBC Radio 5 a few days ago. In that interview, he basically said what managers like Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger say when their players are called up for meaningless friendlys in Africa or somewhere which isn’t around the corner. We’d rather he didn’t go, but it’s ultimately up to him. Or at least that’s the paraphrase I got out of it. That sounds reasonable enough. It seems t be that international coaches usually talk with club managers and try to work something out that works for everyone involved.

Now the British hacks (gotta love ‘em) started “finding” all kinds of interesting stories. The Daily Mail seems to think he could go to Newcastle (or Spurs, or Everton or Blackburn) on a three-month loan. No need for a vacation or rest or anything. Of course, the article is pure speculation. There are no real quotes from anyone involved. But sometimes fiction sells more papers.

So, back to the first point, Beckham being recalled for England. It seems someone in the British media decided to go to FIFA and get a quote from them about Lalas preventing Becks from joining England for games this fall.

"The same rules apply for everybody," a FIFA spokesman said. "For all national associations, for any club, for any player.

"Players must be released for friendly or competitive games if they are on the international calendar and the required notice is given.

"The only difference in competitive and friendly games is regarding the time frames. All players are equal."

Like I said above, it's no different than anyone else. I still don’t think Alexi ever said he wouldn’t let Becks join England. He simply shared his frustration at the business issue this creates for him.

So, what are the matches in question?

All the matches are at the HDC so that shouldn’t be a huge problem…well, except for the Cup Final.

So, back to my first point, why does MLS still schedule matches (especially the MLS Cup Final) on International weekends? They used to say it was because of stadium availability. Honestly, I’m having a difficult time believing that one now that over half the teams now have their own stadiums…and that percentage is growing. Of course, events like the X-Games get to bump matches, but that’s another topic.

MLS/AEG has no one but themselves to blame here. They over promoted and over promised with Becks just like everyone did when Freddy Adu joined the league. When will they learn?

Of course, they weren’t as outrageous as Harrisburg, but that’s a whole new level…guess it work, they sold the match out. Anyone know when the 3^rd draw is?

Just one last thought, at the start of the season in 1999, LA were performing poorly. My belief at that time (well, still) was that coach Octavio Zambrano was putting together a team which was built around Luis Hernandez who wasn’t arriving for a couple of months. Before Hernandez could show up (we know the story there) Zambrano was replaced by Sigi Schmid.

I hope Frank Yallop isn’t counting on Beckham's arrival improving LA that dramatically. Otherwise, McClaren won’t need to worry about Lalas wanting to keep Golden Balls when they face Croatia. But wouldn’t it be what MLS deserve, if LA makes the MLS Cup final and not being able to have the leagues most influential player cuz he has to play a match in London the same day. C’mon on Garber, you are still running MLS like it’s a second-tier league. Forget about NFL, NBA etc. You should focus more on other soccer leagues and schedule appropriately. Otherwise, you be creating more messes.

Labels: David Beckham, England, LA Galaxy, MLS, MLS Cup

  ¶ 12:17 PM 1 Comments

  A new Club vs Country twist I think Landon has actually earned some more respect from me.

"I don't want to be gone all summer," said Donovan, who was called up on Thursday for games against Ecuador and Guatemala later this month. "I want to be here when Beckham gets here. I want to be here for a lot of the games. This is a big year for us, for the Galaxy."

To focus on the Galaxy, would Donovan then consider declining a possible invitation to Copa America?

"Yeah, I would," Donovan said. "It's kind of like a slippery slope because you don't want to turn down an invitation to play for your national team. But I am trying to make it pretty clear the importance of being here this year and being a part of this team this year. It means a lot to me. That's as simple as I can put it."

I realize that a lot of people who read my blog and about 90% of the posters on BigSoccer (though I haven't polled anyone) would probably disagree with me. However, I believe that Bradley should send an "A" squad to the Gold Cup and an U-23 or team made up of "bubble" players to the Cupa America.

None of the coaches for any player Bradley names to both squads will be too happy about their players involved in two tournaments in one summer. In addition to coaches, GMs etc., MLS fans should not stand for any of their teams players being gone for 2 months in the middle of the season. That just won't work.

Like it or not, the Gold Cup is our regional tournament. We should go all out to win that. The US is an invited guest at the Copa America. As it's being played so close to the Gold Cup, we should take a second squad down there. Give some younger players exposure to big-time international competition. It really is the best solution.

Labels: Copa America, David Beckham, Gold Cup, Landon Donovan, US Soccer

  ¶ 6:20 AM 0 Comments

  Enough with the use of this World Series name Can't anyone think of anything original? C'mon now, the World Series of Soccer? How pathetic is that? Ok, so it's a nice little money spinner in the middle of the season to coincide with the arrival of the Spiced One (well, if Gretzky is the Great One...)

What really gets me about this whole thing is that in the rest of the world, do you think teams would make a commitment like this in the middle of the season? Six years ago, I had my flight book, hotel reserved and match tickets bought for a friendly Ipswich was going to play in Charleston against the Battery. Ya see, Ipswich had a two week break towards the end of the season (International Weekend or something) so Sheepshanks and Burley decided to take the team on a quick break to South Carolina and include the match. However, as the dates of the trip grew close, the decision was made to cancel the trip. Of course, fans like me were out the airfare, but Town players didn't risk the chance of needless injury right before the end-of-season run-in. Sure, I was disappointed but what was more important? Playing a meaningless match or qualifying for Europe. (Ipswich did qualify for the UEFA Cup and even managed a 1-0 vs Milan at Portman Road before getting stuffed at the San Siro)

So, back to my original point, I've waited over 11 years so far, how much longer will I need to wait until winning the MLS Cup is more important than making money?

Labels: Chelsea, David Beckham, LA Galaxy, World Series of Soccer

  ¶ 9:43 AM 0 Comments

  First there was Old Spice...now there's...
Did they consider the name "Beckham Spice"?

My son wasn't feeling well last night. So, being the good daddy I am I went out in the snow (yeah, it was snowing here last night) and made a visit to the local drug store to get him something to help him with his illness. I walk into the place and right there in front of my on the first group of shelves was a cardboard ad for Beckham's fragrance.

It's only been a couple of months since the announcement that Beckham will be heading to LA. The marketers are already trying to get money out of this move. I've a feeling we are going to seem Beckham all over the place by Christmas. This is only the beginning.

Bottom line, if it sells more match tickets and merchandise, I'm still thinking this will be a good thing.

Labels: David Beckham, Marketing

  ¶ 10:38 AM 0 Comments

  Like him or not.... ...you hafta feel sorry for Beckham. First he signs a deal he can't pass up to join LA. (If someone offered you the chance to make that kinda money you wouldn't pass it up either). Now he takes a bad knock and could be out of action for a while. However, I'm sure he'll be fully recovered by the time his deal with Real is done.

What really caught my attention in that article from the Times was the quote from Lineker.

"Of course, bringing back Beckham … could only be considered a short-term fix because, when he moves to the United States in the summer, he is going into semi-retirement. That is what is happening. I know what it is like because I went through it when I moved into Japanese football.

"The standards will be lower and he will be a long way from home. That will definitely be the end for him."

I have nothing but respect for Lineker as a player, but he's basing that opinion on information from almost 15 years ago. The sport has changed a lot in those years. You see a lot more players from Asia and North America in the Premiership now...where there any back then?

Anyway, weather or not Becks makes it back in McClown...errr McClaren's lineup is something he has no control over. Just like he didn't have a ton of control over Capello's decisions. But he's already won one manager over, who knows what else he can do.

He's still handling all this controversy in a classy manner and who knows what he's capable of. In this non-English person's opinion, there really aren't too many others capable of performing better for the Three Lions. Perhaps someone else will be naming the English squad in the near future.

Either way, I'm hoping Beckham has a fast recovery and he proves many more doubters wrong.

Labels: David Beckham, England, LA Galaxy, Real Madrid

  ¶ 9:24 AM 0 Comments

  This deal keeps looking better Yeah, I know there's more to post about than Beckham. Things like DC's promising win in Honduras or Houston's tired legs in Costa Rica. But this Beckham deal just keeps looking better all the time.

So, LA are rumored to be signing a shirt sponsorship deal worth around $10 million/year. And we'd already come to believe that Beckham's playing contract was worth about that same amount. Now that the real numbers are coming out.

David Beckham's playing contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy is worth about $27.5 million in base salary over five seasons, according to a person familiar with Major League Soccer agreements.

Whichever AEG/MLS executive who said that the total agreement could be worth up to $250million sure got a lot of bang for his buck. As things now pan out, LA look to be getting a really sweet deal out of this. Here's where the $250 million came from.

"The deal to bring Beckham to America is thought to be the biggest in sporting history, with industry experts estimating the worth to the player in excess of $250 million," AEG's news release said.

Beckham's contract, according to several people familiar with the details, is a complex and probably unique arrangement that gives the 31-year-old midfielder a percentage of club sponsorship, merchandizing and uniform sales contracts. Promotional arrangements also are included.

I wonder if Zidane's people seem foolish asking for $15 million/year now? I doubt it.

Labels: AEG, David Beckham, LA Galaxy, Zinedine Zidane

  ¶ 7:29 AM 0 Comments

  Been there, done that, got the shirt.... Yep, this post is about Beckham as well...sorta...

At the end of last season there was an announcement by MLS that teams could sell shirt sponsorships on their jerseys as long as it was worth at least $500,000 per year.

Well, I'm guessing that the addition of Beckham to the roster had a lot to do with this but it looks like CitiBank are getting it's checkbook out.

A more likely blockbuster announcement from MLS is the jersey sponsorship for David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy. Two sources have confirmed that the bidding is down to Citibank and Herbalife (and, interestingly, not Beckham sponsor adidas). The Citibank offer to have its name across the front of Galaxy shirt, the sources said, is a monster: five years, $49 million. A decision is expected any day.

Now, first of all, this is only a rumor but Mark Zeigler is one of the better soccer writers in this country and I consider him pretty reliable.

Second, remember all those editorials on both sides of the Atlantic saying how crazy AEG and the Galaxy were to pay Beckham that much money? Well, I've already posted a more realistic look at how the deal is worked. And if that is even close to being accurate, then it looks to me like LA are getting Beckham for nothing. Citibank will pay his salary and the rest is all endorsements. What an incredible deal for LA and MLS.

Of course, LA would have probably only got about $1 million/year if Beckham hadn't joined the team.

...European soccer giant Manchester United, which signed a four-year contract
with AIG to put the U.S. insurance company's name on its shirts for about $25
million.

Wow! LA have a better paying shirt deal than ManU? What is happening to this world?

UPDATE: According to Ives Galarcep, the Citibank/LAG deal is for 10 years. Not sure which is correct (if either is) but gotta post this version as well.

Labels: Adidas, Citibank, David Beckham, Herbalife, LA Galaxy, Manchester United, MLS

  ¶ 3:21 PM 0 Comments