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McCarthy's Musings: Beckham, Galaxy Take Positive First Step Towards Success
David Beckham celebrated his return to the L.A. Galaxy with a win in New York on Thursday night. Given the improved squad and the seasoned veterans surrounding him, Beckham may just have a chance to find the success that has eluded him in L.A., writes Kyle McCarthy.
Jul 17, 2009 3:07:59 AM
By Kyle McCarthy
Maybe the third chapter of the David Beckham saga could have a happy ending after all.
It didn't look like that would be the case before Beckham stepped on the field for his season debut in Los Angeles' 3-1 win over New York on Thursday night. Early signs prior to Beckham's first match indicated that Beckham's third season with the Galaxy might descend into the chaos that marred his first two years in America.
The tussle over Landon Donovan's comments about Beckham in a recently released book, the continued focus on Beckham's European club future ahead of the 2010 World Cup and Donovan's decision to take a cross-country red-eye flight after accepting an award on Wednesday night made the Galaxy's on-the-field exploits appear second or third priority at best.
Then Beckham actually stepped on the field and the outlook improved substantially.
Granted, there isn't much Galaxy coach Bruce Arena can take from this all-too-easy victory. The Red Bulls are heading nowhere fast and showed why with an insipid first half display that resulted in three Galaxy highlight-reel strikes. In tougher games, Beckham and his teammates won't have nearly the amount of time and space they were afforded on this night by their generous hosts.
Even with the poor opposition, Arena can take solace in the fact that Beckham stepped right into the team in the center of the park, played 70 tidy and effective minutes with minimal preparation and further boosted a side already blossoming with confidence.
“He certainly brings confidence to the team,” Arena said after his side picked up its fourth win on the trot. “We're a team where we were very suspect in midfield. All of a sudden, we got really good when we added Landon Donovan and David Beckham to the midfield.”
With the buzz around Beckham perhaps ebbing ever so slightly – only 23,238 showed up to watch Becks in the nation's largest market – and the English international itching to achieve something with the club at long last, the focus may finally shift to the product on the field and stay there.
The parts on offer are at least enough to get the Galaxy to the playoffs. Donovan's audacious form of late – plus his seemingly bursting self-belief – gives Beckham at least one player of true quality to combine with regularly. Arena has assembled a seasoned squad around his two stars that may cope better with the additional attention Beckham brings to the side and almost certainly will provide more shape and consistency than the previous two Beckham-fueled editions. Those experienced hands also bring a confidence that the previous Galaxy sides didn't possess.
All the improvements could make a serious challenge for MLS Cup possible if the team continues to improve, according to Beckham.
“From what I've seen tonight and in other games that I've watched, without a doubt,” Beckham said. “We have to push forward still. There's still a lot of hard work to be done, but we're playing together as a team. Not to say too much about the players and the teams that we've had in the past, but we've got players now who have a lot of confidence.”
A playoff run may or may not materialize, but it is a far more realistic aspiration than in years past. For Beckham and the Galaxy, the challenge now is to maintain their focus during the more difficult challenges that lie ahead in order to finally achieve the success both parties desire so desperately.
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.
Maybe the third chapter of the David Beckham saga could have a happy ending after all.
It didn't look like that would be the case before Beckham stepped on the field for his season debut in Los Angeles' 3-1 win over New York on Thursday night. Early signs prior to Beckham's first match indicated that Beckham's third season with the Galaxy might descend into the chaos that marred his first two years in America.
The tussle over Landon Donovan's comments about Beckham in a recently released book, the continued focus on Beckham's European club future ahead of the 2010 World Cup and Donovan's decision to take a cross-country red-eye flight after accepting an award on Wednesday night made the Galaxy's on-the-field exploits appear second or third priority at best.
Then Beckham actually stepped on the field and the outlook improved substantially.
Granted, there isn't much Galaxy coach Bruce Arena can take from this all-too-easy victory. The Red Bulls are heading nowhere fast and showed why with an insipid first half display that resulted in three Galaxy highlight-reel strikes. In tougher games, Beckham and his teammates won't have nearly the amount of time and space they were afforded on this night by their generous hosts.
Even with the poor opposition, Arena can take solace in the fact that Beckham stepped right into the team in the center of the park, played 70 tidy and effective minutes with minimal preparation and further boosted a side already blossoming with confidence.
“He certainly brings confidence to the team,” Arena said after his side picked up its fourth win on the trot. “We're a team where we were very suspect in midfield. All of a sudden, we got really good when we added Landon Donovan and David Beckham to the midfield.”
With the buzz around Beckham perhaps ebbing ever so slightly – only 23,238 showed up to watch Becks in the nation's largest market – and the English international itching to achieve something with the club at long last, the focus may finally shift to the product on the field and stay there.
The parts on offer are at least enough to get the Galaxy to the playoffs. Donovan's audacious form of late – plus his seemingly bursting self-belief – gives Beckham at least one player of true quality to combine with regularly. Arena has assembled a seasoned squad around his two stars that may cope better with the additional attention Beckham brings to the side and almost certainly will provide more shape and consistency than the previous two Beckham-fueled editions. Those experienced hands also bring a confidence that the previous Galaxy sides didn't possess.
All the improvements could make a serious challenge for MLS Cup possible if the team continues to improve, according to Beckham.
“From what I've seen tonight and in other games that I've watched, without a doubt,” Beckham said. “We have to push forward still. There's still a lot of hard work to be done, but we're playing together as a team. Not to say too much about the players and the teams that we've had in the past, but we've got players now who have a lot of confidence.”
A playoff run may or may not materialize, but it is a far more realistic aspiration than in years past. For Beckham and the Galaxy, the challenge now is to maintain their focus during the more difficult challenges that lie ahead in order to finally achieve the success both parties desire so desperately.
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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