What is it like being a season ticket holder with the Los Angeles Galaxy?
Well, David Beckham will play for the club this season. Or he won’t. Landon Donovan will be here. Or he won’t. Actually, I don’t know how anyone can spend any money at all on this club, until we get an idea of who actually will be here.
The latest? That the Galaxy might allow Beckham to stay in Milan until the end of the Italian season, then rejoin the Galaxy in early summer … and didn’t they just do that two years ago. as Becks was leaving Real Madrid and arrived in L.A. to great fanfare — but was lugging around a really damaged ankle? Becks was exhausted and essentially useless for the rest of 2007.
Anyway, here is that story.
Meantime, Landon has gotten word to me that he will not speculate about his future until a decision is made. He clearly would prefer to stay in Germany and play for Bayern Munich, but the Galaxy may want him back and Bayern may not want to fight to keep him.
Bayern is going through a rough patch, and Landon still hasn’t gotten a goal. He did play, as a substitute against Werder Bremen, on Sunday, but didn’t score. Which is no shame, getting onto the pitch in the 77th minute … as coach Juergen Klinsmann put another attacking player into a scoreless game.
But as this account of the match indicates, Bremen apparently outplayed Bayern for most of the match. (Being down to 10 men for 75 minutes and still forcing a tie would seem to be proof of that.)
Tying Werder Bremen doesn’t sound like a good thing, but those guys aren’t horrible. Last week they knocked AC Milan (and Becks) out of the UEFA Cup (the JV version of Champions League), so Bremen isn’t awful.
So, this minute … it looks like Landon is in Carson before the month is over, and that Becks rejoins the team in mid-July, when the transfer window opens.
The first is good, but the second? Not at all. The team should have cut the ties with Becks now, let him go and taken whatever it could from Milan. Instead, it prepares for a season knowing a main piece won’t show up until more than half the season is gone.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Tree // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Hey Paul! Former intern of yours over at the Sun. Just found your site – didn’t know you were blogging. Will definitley pass it on.
Anyway, No way Beckham plays for the Galaxy this season.
Also, though all fans hated to see Bynum go down to injury again this year, I am getting a kick out what is definitely becoming the LO show. Just like this time last season, when he isn’t a presence on the boards, the Lakers find it impossible to win.
I’ll keep reading for your take….
Best
2 Damian // Mar 9, 2009 at 4:04 PM
I’m shocked Becks hasn’t been sold yet. AEG is carrying this on out of sheer inferiority complex and stubborness against giving in to Milan and not wanting to get played by Milan, end of story. Becks has made it clear repeatedly that he does not want to return to LA, so why would the Galaxy and their players want him back after that public address?
I still am not ruling out another development in the coming months where Becks is bought by Milan before July. The Galaxy has no leverage to negotiate with Milan because he can opt out of his contract in November and the Galaxy and MLS will receive nothing in return.
Too bad about Landon coming back. He needs to stay in Europe. Too bad he didn’t get a real shot for Bayern. I don’t think he ever played more than a half in any match. I saw him play for them once — the last 15 mins against Hamburg as a sub — and he did a lot of running and made smart, penetrating runs from his right flank position but no one was passing him the ball or sending him through. Instead they’d hold the ball too long or hold up play and knock it around. Made me wonder if the players trusted Landon’s ability because he hadn’t developed a chemistry with them or because they still figure American guys can’t play soccer. I guess we won’t find out anytime soon.
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