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McCarthy's Musings: Beckham's Success Requires a Helping Hand
All of the ability concentrated in David Beckham's right foot won't be enough to help him succeed with the Galaxy without the help of his teammates. Kyle McCarthy enlists John Donne to help him explain why before taking his usual Wednesday trip around MLS.
Jul 15, 2009 5:44:16 AM
By Kyle McCarthy
English poet John Donne penned the famous words “no man is an island, entire of itself” in the early 17th century. Those eight words comprise one of the more famous phrases in the English language and capture man's need for interconnectedness.
Few aside from English literature majors and poetry buffs could probably utter the more accessible phrase that follows it in Donne's Meditation XVII: “every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
For David Beckham, it is perhaps the lesser known of the two phrases that will prove most important to his near future.
Now I don't know whether Beckham is a fan of Donne's work or whether he limits his poetic consumption to mass-produced pop songs and sweetly struck free kicks, but Donne's theme is one Beckham should take to heart as he prepares to return to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday night.
To put it another way, Beckham will have to rely on other players whom he barely knows to finally turn his stint with the Galaxy into an on-the-field success. As Donne might suggest, Beckham simply cannot thrive alone despite his ample ability and pedigree.
Need convincing that England's most capped outfield player will require help from considerably less skilled players in order to succeed? Take one look back at the film from his contributions in the second half of 2008.
Beckham spent most of that period aimlessly searching for the ball because no one could provide it to him. He dropped back too far too often to consistently pose significant danger in the attacking third and opened up gaping chasms on the right side of midfield as he meandered away from his berth in order to collect the ball. Beckham's starvation-enforced waywardness proved detrimental to the side as a whole.
It also underlined the fact that Beckham needs watercarriers to ferry him a constant supply of the ball in dangerous spots in order to maintain peak effectiveness. Beckham has neither the pace to exploit defenses nor the capacity to do much of significance for his team without the ball. Industry – which, by the way, Beckham possesses in abundance when he deigns to do the work – won't put him in the right spots if he has to play fetch. That being said, Beckham is one of the world's most dangerous players when given the ball and a sliver of space in the attacking third to provide service. Ensuring Beckham's effectiveness is just a matter of getting him into the right areas and shuffling him the ball consistently
Beckham's need for a constant supply of the ball places a significant burden on four particular players (though only three at a time) in the Galaxy lineup who face a disproportionate share of the task of providing him with it: two from a group of central midfielders including Chris Birchall, Dema Kovalenko, Stefani Miglioranzi and right back A.J. DeLaGarza.
The key for Beckham is to establish chemistry quickly with the two selected central midfielders and DeLaGarza. He hasn't played with them before – DeLaGarza is a rookie while Birchall, Kovalenko and Miglioranzi were all acquired before or during the 2009 campaign – and has had only a few days to bed in with them in training. Those players will need to figure out what spots they have to cover defensively for Beckham and where Beckham is most likely to locate himself in order to receive their passes. Beckham will need to figure out their capabilities in order to adjust what he does to provide an amenable outlet.
Without finding a way to work within the capabilities of his teammates and discern a method to maintain a steady supply of service, Beckham will likely see his latest stint in a Galaxy uniform flatter to deceive once again. No man is an island, indeed.
Failure to heed Donne's teachings would likely cause another famous Donne phrase to apply to Beckham's Galaxy future: “...for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”
Around the League
- Although Beckham's arrival and impending debut in New York on Thursday night is seemingly the only story in the league right now, there is one match slated for tonight that involves two MLS teams as New England hosts Chicago in the SuperLiga semifinals.
- Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph said yesterday that he has recovered from a right knee injury and wants to play against the Fire. New England boss Steve Nicol said he isn't planning to include Joseph in his squad. Joseph could see action on Sunday against Chivas USA, Nicol said.
- In other squad news, Revolution defender Emmanuel Osei is suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation, but left back Chris Tierney is expected to return after missing out at the weekend due to a left knee injury.
- The big news in the Chicago camp came not from the impending semifinal (in which they should probably be favored over a battered Revolution team that hasn't beaten them in six matches since the 2007 Eastern Conference final) but from Mr. White himself. Cuauhtemoc Blanco was named to the All-Star First XI after Toronto FC's Dwayne De Rosario was forced to withdraw because of a conflict with TFC's participation in the CONCACAF Champions League.
- It says here that Blanco – though he wouldn't have made my 18 – is a reasonable choice to head to Salt Lake City. All-Star games are meant to entertain, not necessarily reward those who are worthy. For those same reasons, it'd be difficult to jump all over MLS Commissioner Don Garber's back for naming David Beckham as one of his two discretionary selections. The fans (and the TV execs) want to see Beckham, so why not give him to them?
- As for the other of Garber's solo picks, it almost certainly has to come from Real Salt Lake, doesn't it? From where this pundit sits, Clint Mathis and Andy Williams make the most compelling emotional cases. Javier Morales wouldn't be a bad shout either considering his ASG and Best XI snubs last year, even though he has struggled at points in 2009.
- Got a query recently about how MLS selects players to fill the 32-man squad mandated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The answer, per the MLS office, is that the league fills the slots not taken by a player initially named to the squad or added as a replacement, reserve or commissioner's selection with the next highest vote-getters with distribution across the four positions. In English, that means the nine players listed in the league press release who didn't make the first cut – Blanco was one of them – but did make the voting table released by the league are all but assured of making the 32-man pool, plus a few more. For those who are wondering, this is the method by which worthy players are rewarded even though MLS chopped the ASG format from two teams to one after the 2004 edition.
- The Washington Post and Soccer By Ives have linked former Columbus midfielder Danny Szetela, 22, with an imminent move back to MLS from Spanish club Racing Santander. If Szetela does rejoin the league, he would be subjected to the allocation process. The current allocation order: (1) FC Dallas, (2) D.C. United and (3) Colorado. Should FC Dallas take Szetela and trade him or should they hold out hope for a more attractive player later in the transfer window? Tough to see him as a fit in a Hoops side crying out for an experienced veteran. If FCD passes, Szetela would make an awful lot of sense for United, particularly because it would allow them to keep Rodney Wallace on the left wing even if Ben Olsen picks up an injury.
- Columbus visited the White House on Monday to celebrate its 2008 MLS Cup crown. Good on the Crew for inviting Sigi Schmid and Brad Evans to join them and good on U.S. coach Bob Bradley for allowing Evans and Robbie Rogers to leave Gold Cup camp in order to attend the ceremony.
- In other Crew news, Guillermo Barros Schelotto had a MRI on his left hamstring on Tuesday, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The Crew is expected to know more this morning.
- New York has signed former Maccabi Haifa defender Leo Krupnik and former Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Ernst Obster. The moves are akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic for the cellar-dwelling Red Bulls.
- The ship hasn't sunk yet for Red Bulls managing director Erik Stover, sporting director Jeff Agoos or coach Juan Carlos Osorio. The bosses in Austria have given the trio a reprieve after meetings last week, though the leash is presumably quite short at this point.
- Real Salt Lake defender Ian Joy has been released. Joy wanted a move back to Europe and had angled for one prior to the season. It didn't come off then, but it made sense for RSL to let him go now with its current depth at fullback and Joy's $126,000 cap number. It would make sense for Joy to be one of those players who agreed to extend his contract guarantee date past July 1.
- Joy might be leaving, but as many as two others could be en route to Salt Lake City. One transfer move is already done and dusted. Dutch winger Rachid El Khalifi has agreed to a contract with RSL, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
- San Jose defender Aaron Pitchkolan is expected to miss six to eight weeks after suffering a groin injury in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Toronto FC, according to Center Line Soccer.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/kylejmccarthy
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
English poet John Donne penned the famous words “no man is an island, entire of itself” in the early 17th century. Those eight words comprise one of the more famous phrases in the English language and capture man's need for interconnectedness.
Few aside from English literature majors and poetry buffs could probably utter the more accessible phrase that follows it in Donne's Meditation XVII: “every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
For David Beckham, it is perhaps the lesser known of the two phrases that will prove most important to his near future.
Now I don't know whether Beckham is a fan of Donne's work or whether he limits his poetic consumption to mass-produced pop songs and sweetly struck free kicks, but Donne's theme is one Beckham should take to heart as he prepares to return to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday night.
To put it another way, Beckham will have to rely on other players whom he barely knows to finally turn his stint with the Galaxy into an on-the-field success. As Donne might suggest, Beckham simply cannot thrive alone despite his ample ability and pedigree.
Need convincing that England's most capped outfield player will require help from considerably less skilled players in order to succeed? Take one look back at the film from his contributions in the second half of 2008.
Beckham spent most of that period aimlessly searching for the ball because no one could provide it to him. He dropped back too far too often to consistently pose significant danger in the attacking third and opened up gaping chasms on the right side of midfield as he meandered away from his berth in order to collect the ball. Beckham's starvation-enforced waywardness proved detrimental to the side as a whole.
It also underlined the fact that Beckham needs watercarriers to ferry him a constant supply of the ball in dangerous spots in order to maintain peak effectiveness. Beckham has neither the pace to exploit defenses nor the capacity to do much of significance for his team without the ball. Industry – which, by the way, Beckham possesses in abundance when he deigns to do the work – won't put him in the right spots if he has to play fetch. That being said, Beckham is one of the world's most dangerous players when given the ball and a sliver of space in the attacking third to provide service. Ensuring Beckham's effectiveness is just a matter of getting him into the right areas and shuffling him the ball consistently
Beckham's need for a constant supply of the ball places a significant burden on four particular players (though only three at a time) in the Galaxy lineup who face a disproportionate share of the task of providing him with it: two from a group of central midfielders including Chris Birchall, Dema Kovalenko, Stefani Miglioranzi and right back A.J. DeLaGarza.
The key for Beckham is to establish chemistry quickly with the two selected central midfielders and DeLaGarza. He hasn't played with them before – DeLaGarza is a rookie while Birchall, Kovalenko and Miglioranzi were all acquired before or during the 2009 campaign – and has had only a few days to bed in with them in training. Those players will need to figure out what spots they have to cover defensively for Beckham and where Beckham is most likely to locate himself in order to receive their passes. Beckham will need to figure out their capabilities in order to adjust what he does to provide an amenable outlet.
Without finding a way to work within the capabilities of his teammates and discern a method to maintain a steady supply of service, Beckham will likely see his latest stint in a Galaxy uniform flatter to deceive once again. No man is an island, indeed.
Failure to heed Donne's teachings would likely cause another famous Donne phrase to apply to Beckham's Galaxy future: “...for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”
Around the League
- Although Beckham's arrival and impending debut in New York on Thursday night is seemingly the only story in the league right now, there is one match slated for tonight that involves two MLS teams as New England hosts Chicago in the SuperLiga semifinals.
- Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph said yesterday that he has recovered from a right knee injury and wants to play against the Fire. New England boss Steve Nicol said he isn't planning to include Joseph in his squad. Joseph could see action on Sunday against Chivas USA, Nicol said.
- In other squad news, Revolution defender Emmanuel Osei is suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation, but left back Chris Tierney is expected to return after missing out at the weekend due to a left knee injury.
- The big news in the Chicago camp came not from the impending semifinal (in which they should probably be favored over a battered Revolution team that hasn't beaten them in six matches since the 2007 Eastern Conference final) but from Mr. White himself. Cuauhtemoc Blanco was named to the All-Star First XI after Toronto FC's Dwayne De Rosario was forced to withdraw because of a conflict with TFC's participation in the CONCACAF Champions League.
- It says here that Blanco – though he wouldn't have made my 18 – is a reasonable choice to head to Salt Lake City. All-Star games are meant to entertain, not necessarily reward those who are worthy. For those same reasons, it'd be difficult to jump all over MLS Commissioner Don Garber's back for naming David Beckham as one of his two discretionary selections. The fans (and the TV execs) want to see Beckham, so why not give him to them?
- As for the other of Garber's solo picks, it almost certainly has to come from Real Salt Lake, doesn't it? From where this pundit sits, Clint Mathis and Andy Williams make the most compelling emotional cases. Javier Morales wouldn't be a bad shout either considering his ASG and Best XI snubs last year, even though he has struggled at points in 2009.
- Got a query recently about how MLS selects players to fill the 32-man squad mandated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The answer, per the MLS office, is that the league fills the slots not taken by a player initially named to the squad or added as a replacement, reserve or commissioner's selection with the next highest vote-getters with distribution across the four positions. In English, that means the nine players listed in the league press release who didn't make the first cut – Blanco was one of them – but did make the voting table released by the league are all but assured of making the 32-man pool, plus a few more. For those who are wondering, this is the method by which worthy players are rewarded even though MLS chopped the ASG format from two teams to one after the 2004 edition.
- The Washington Post and Soccer By Ives have linked former Columbus midfielder Danny Szetela, 22, with an imminent move back to MLS from Spanish club Racing Santander. If Szetela does rejoin the league, he would be subjected to the allocation process. The current allocation order: (1) FC Dallas, (2) D.C. United and (3) Colorado. Should FC Dallas take Szetela and trade him or should they hold out hope for a more attractive player later in the transfer window? Tough to see him as a fit in a Hoops side crying out for an experienced veteran. If FCD passes, Szetela would make an awful lot of sense for United, particularly because it would allow them to keep Rodney Wallace on the left wing even if Ben Olsen picks up an injury.
- Columbus visited the White House on Monday to celebrate its 2008 MLS Cup crown. Good on the Crew for inviting Sigi Schmid and Brad Evans to join them and good on U.S. coach Bob Bradley for allowing Evans and Robbie Rogers to leave Gold Cup camp in order to attend the ceremony.
- In other Crew news, Guillermo Barros Schelotto had a MRI on his left hamstring on Tuesday, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The Crew is expected to know more this morning.
- New York has signed former Maccabi Haifa defender Leo Krupnik and former Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Ernst Obster. The moves are akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic for the cellar-dwelling Red Bulls.
- The ship hasn't sunk yet for Red Bulls managing director Erik Stover, sporting director Jeff Agoos or coach Juan Carlos Osorio. The bosses in Austria have given the trio a reprieve after meetings last week, though the leash is presumably quite short at this point.
- Real Salt Lake defender Ian Joy has been released. Joy wanted a move back to Europe and had angled for one prior to the season. It didn't come off then, but it made sense for RSL to let him go now with its current depth at fullback and Joy's $126,000 cap number. It would make sense for Joy to be one of those players who agreed to extend his contract guarantee date past July 1.
- Joy might be leaving, but as many as two others could be en route to Salt Lake City. One transfer move is already done and dusted. Dutch winger Rachid El Khalifi has agreed to a contract with RSL, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
- San Jose defender Aaron Pitchkolan is expected to miss six to eight weeks after suffering a groin injury in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Toronto FC, according to Center Line Soccer.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/kylejmccarthy
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
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