The Circus is Back in Town
by tedski
The Original Winger reports that David Beckham is training with the Galaxy and they have the pictures to prove it.
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Henry’s Induction
by tedski
I suppose here we have two models for DP: Beckham and Blanco.
(I would bring up crash outs like Denilson or even Matthäus, but I think we are all smarter than that now and it ruins the alliteration.)
The line in 2007 before either of them had actually kicked a ball in an MLS game was that Beckham was going to be a strong leader that would improve the Galaxy and be great for the game and that Blanco, well, his personality was going to ruin the Fire and he would phone it in.
We all know how that turned out.
Henry doesn’t have the entourage, or demands, that Beckham came with and is expected to be, you know, a soccer player. No one is talking movie deals, reality television or who he’s married to. The Red Bulls are a much better team (both on the field and front office) than the Galaxy was in 2007, heck, they are having their best season ever (and that isn’t the faint praise it sounds like). I don’t expect the chaos that Becks brought.
Now, if Henry brings in his own coach and management company, I’ll change my opinion.
Pitchkolan to Play for the Żółto-Niebiescy?
by tedski
According to the website Polish Soca, Arka Gdynia is interested in former FC Dallas defender Aaron Pitchkolan. Pitchkolan had also earned a trial with ŁKS Łódź, but owing to the chaos that that club’s management has been in lately (the club’s president was recently sacked), he was unable to come to a final contract.
According to the Polish Soca report, Arka boss Dariusz Pasieka has invited Pitchkolan to train with the squad. The club is unwilling to make a definitive statement on whether or not Pitchkolan will play for the team.
Pitchkolan played for the Colorado Rapids’ PDL affiliate, the Boulder Rapids, and spent four seasons in FC Dallas where he scored 5 goals. He was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes at the beginning of 2009, and was waived before the start of the current season. Arka is currently two points from the bottom of the Ekstraklasa, and risks being sent back to the lower division where they were last season after a match fixing scandal.
Interestingly, Arka’s press release makes quite a big deal about Pitchkolan playing in the same league as Beckham. Their headline is “He Played Against Beckham, Will He Play for Arka?”
Wow. Not one mention of him playing with Denilson.
Quit the Friggin’ Whining
by tedski
I’ve been listening to the various soccer podcasts and I ran across one called Around the League, where various jounalists and über-fans comment on their respective favorite teams.
For the Los Angeles Galaxy, the representative was ESPN radio host Dave Denholm. According to Mr. Denholm, the Galaxy’s woes are because of David Beckham. Okay, I don’t entirely buy that, but it is a theory that a lot of fans have: that Beckham being on the team has meant that some other important players have been cast off.
Like I said, I don’t buy it. Earlier incarnations of the team took much bigger hits when Luis Hernandez and Carlos Hermosillo were brought on board, but somehow that didn’t have the same effect. Also, the Galaxy was losing games before Beckham came on board.
But never mind all that, we’ll say that Beckham coming on forced the team to get rid of decent other players (who these guys are, I don’t know) and this has made the team into a losing franchise.
Denholm’s take: that it is unfair that other teams didn’t take on a big dollar player. Why, if all the other teams blew cash on a single star, necessitating casting off worthy but moderately expensive other players, then everyone would suck as much as the Galaxy.
Eh?
Shep is Correct…Several Times Even
by tedski
This weekend was one of those unfortunate ones where the Direct Kick broadcast is from MSG. This means I am treated to Shep Messing, who is a die hard homer for the MetroBulls, no matter how gawdawful or thuggish they are. There are times where I wonder if a Red Bulls player pulled out a morning star and beat an opposing goalkeeper to within an inch of his life Shep would just say, “At worst a free kick…”
Anyhoo, Shep has a halftime rant. In this one, he complained about the new ball. He threw in a couple of shots at low skill preening forwards who now look good because of the weird travel of the ball. It’s been said by others, but you half expected someone to show up to whipe the froth from his mouth. It was like listening to a fan complain about some obscure rule change that no one else would care about. Which, I suppose, is what it was.
Shep had two other parts of his rant. He doesn’t think Shalrie Joseph gets his props. I agree with that. I don’t know how if it’s the league or the penumbra of agents, sponsors and reporters, but it seems that the “star” system we have has little to do with on field performance (Beckham) or actual popularity among fans (Donovan). Actually, Shep, I’d like to see Joseph ignored a bit more. More of him for us.
Part three of Shep’s rant, and possibly the most beautiful: he thought that David Beckham is wasting his time playing for the Galaxy. More than that, he actually suggested that the Galaxy fold so Beckham could play for Chivas USA (!). Even a Galaxy basher like me hasn’t suggested that.
Okay: the game. A couple of things I noticed. Jozy Altidore’s goal rocked. I wish it wasn’t against the Revs, but hey. No biggie, he won’t be there by the time the Revs play New York again, right?
You are a man and a goal up, what do you do? Oh yeah, dribble the ball around to give the other team time to close on your players while putting nearly no pressure on the defense. Sounds like a fantastic idea.
Te amo, Telefutura
by Hoover Dam
“El Capitan Becks Spiceman” is now my new favorite fake name.
Beckham Sighting in the Old Pueblo
by tedski
I spotted my first “Beckham 23″ jersey here in Tucson. I was driving down Broadway on Saturday, and there it was, on the back of some guy eating at a taqueria near Cherry.
Hooverdam’s objections to the people buying Beckham jerseys in her town is that they already have a team to support there. Here, no Fireballs, no Sonoran Thunder, no Amigos anymore so I guess she wouldn’t be able to complain. I suppose the guy could go to a Sahuaros game. I was tempted to ask him if he could name anyone else on the Galaxy.