Due to fortuitous circumstances, I was able to attend the big LA Galaxy vs. AC Milan soccer match at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA last night. David was all excited to go and then realized he had a previous engagement at Outfest. Darion, very happily, took his place … and we had a blast:

We were so far from all the drama last night that we saw none of it. Our section (very near the Beckham family box) was really fun, everyone enjoyed the game. There were a lot of Milanos in the hiz … ’twas very fun. Much, much love goes out to my friends Aly and Alexis for passing their tickets over to me … they couldn’t attend and very generously gave them to me. I love them dearly!!!

This afternoon, I’ll be at the VW service shop for scheduled maintenance on my car. It’s gonna be a long afternoon … I’m hoping to catch Harry Potter tonight. I need to see that movie already!

Altho David Beckham played his first game with his US team the LA Galaxy last week on the East Coast, last night was his first home game with the Galaxy since he defected for the first half of the MLS Soccer season to play with his newer team AC Milan. Ironically enough, the Galaxy faced Milan in a friendly match at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA last night … which essentially pit Becks’s teams against one another. A sizable contingency of vocal and very loyal LA Galaxy fans took the opportunity yesterday to let David Beckham know exactly what they think of him … and it wasn’t very pretty:

As homecomings go, David Beckham’s return to Carson on Sunday to join the Galaxy for an exhibition game against AC Milan was the exact opposite of the Manny Ramirez lovefest that broke out at Dodger Stadium last week. It started out nasty and took a turn toward ugly as the teams left the field at halftime of what would become a 2-2 tie against the team Beckham played for last season and hopes to play for again next season. Incensed at remarks hurled at him by fans sitting in a corner of the Home Depot Center, Beckham approached them to urge them to calm down. One hurdled the barrier separating the stands from the end zone and was escorted away by security officers. “One of them jumps over to shake my hand,” he said, “but maybe not.” Definitely not. “They were saying things that really weren’t very nice,” Beckham said. “There’s always going to be a certain reaction. The majority of fans here wanted to watch the game and the great players and I think they enjoyed themselves.” Beckham got some payback in the 64th minute, when he took a corner kick in front of his most virulent critics in the so-called “Riot Squad” and watched as teammate Bryan Jordan headed the ball home. He turned to the fans to share his glee, even if they wanted no part of it. “I’m not disappointed because it doesn’t affect me,” he said of the boos. “At the end of the day you can’t be liked by everybody.” Beckham was taken out in the 75th minute after a strong performance. He finally tipped the jeers/cheers meter in his favor, but he will be a polarizing figure as long as he’s here, an obligation that lasts at least through the MLS season. This was supposed to be a friendly game, but the fans’ venom toward Beckham became the overriding story. Landon Donovan, restored to the captaincy he was forced to relinquish to Beckham in 2007, said he expected the story to change. “If he keeps playing like that, I’m sure people are going to be behind him,” Donovan said. And maybe not entirely. Not to justify the actions of morons who cross the line to insulting players’ families and other obscenities, it’s clear you can’t fool the soccer faithful. Fans here know Beckham was so intent on not coming back to the Galaxy that he reportedly paid $3 million to ensure his loan to AC Milan was extended four months past his original March 9 MLS return. Many Galaxy fans see the multi-tattooed Englishman as an over-the-hill, overpaid superstar who condescends to play once in a while, when he’s not counting the royalties on his jersey sales. They’re not entirely wrong, though injuries limited him to five games in 2007. On Sunday, they let him know how they felt in no uncertain terms.

I have to say, I’m pretty sure Becks has endured worse from rabid soccer fans in Europe … but in all honesty, what did he expect? Yes, there are some fans who will support and cheer for him no matter what he does but you cannot really fault the other fans who feel he betrayed them and, in all honesty, has done very little to actually help the team win games. To give another perspective, since I was in attendance at last night’s game, there was another contingency of LA Galaxy fans called the Angel City Brigade who were cheering for Becks and the Galaxy. On the side of the stadium where I was, there were NO boos at all for Becks thruout the entire game. After the jump, check out some pics of Becks in action during last night’s game along with some deets about the game itself …

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It looks like David Beckham really can have his cake and eat it, too. In a last minute deal with the LA Galaxy, AC Milan has successfully brokered a deal with the MLS team to keep Beckham in their employ until the Italian soccer season ends in May. After that, Becks is said to return to SoCal to finish out the rest of the MLS soccer season with the LA Galaxy and then buy out his contract with the team and return to Europe once again:

If you wanted to find David Beckham on Monday, then the fashionable Via Poerio Carlo in Milan was the place to look. There, in the altogether appropriate setting of Dolce and Gabbana’s oh-so-very-ritzy Gold restaurant, Beckham dined with several other international soccer celebrities while mulling his latest coup. The England international star apparently has settled the contractual tug-of-war between the Galaxy, which owns him, and AC Milan, which wants him, by grabbing both ends of the rope. It will cost him a little bit, but he has gotten his way. In an unusual agreement that will be finalized this week — possibly today — Beckham will remain with the Serie A club until the end of the Italian season May 31 and then rejoin the Galaxy in mid-July, staying for the rest of the Major League Soccer season. After that, Beckham will exercise the buyout clause in his five-year, $32.5-million contract with MLS and bid the Galaxy and the league adieu before rejoining AC Milan. In effect, Beckham has cast his lot with the Italian club and is being “loaned” back to Los Angeles for four months. Complicated? Sure, but for Beckham it is the best of both worlds. First, he can continue playing at a high level with AC Milan as it seeks to finish in the top three in Serie A and thereby qualify for next season’s lucrative European Champions League. The team is currently in third place behind Inter Milan and Juventus. Second, staying with Milan for another dozen league matches will significantly help Beckham’s chances of remaining on the England national team as it tries to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Playing in a fourth World Cup has long been a priority for Beckham, who played for England in the 1998 cup and then helped England reach the quarterfinals at Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006. England Coach Fabio Capello has said Beckham, who will turn 34 in May, needs to play regularly and at a high level to be considered for the team. England has six World Cup qualifying games and three friendly matches on its schedule for the rest of 2009. Third, by returning to Los Angeles, even if it is for less than half a season, Beckham will fulfill his promise of coming back to the Galaxy, something he said he would do when he engineered a short-term loan to AC Milan in December. Just what the reaction of Galaxy fans will be remains an interesting point of conjecture. The agreement was hammered out during weeks of negotiating amid a flurry of disinformation leaked to the media on both sides of the Atlantic. It appears to save face for all concerned. Although financial details of the deal have not been revealed, it is said to involve more than the $10 million to $15 million that the Galaxy and MLS were seeking for allowing Beckham to leave on a permanent basis. Part of the money will come from AC Milan as payment for the extended loan, with a further payment coming at the time of the eventual transfer. Milan’s total is more than the $3 million the club initially was offering. A larger amount will come from Beckham himself as compensation for leaving MLS with two years remaining on his contract. On Monday, only the fine points of the agreement remained to be ironed out. All parties — the Galaxy, AC Milan, Galaxy owner AEG, MLS and Beckham himself — supposedly were satisfied. Beckham was to have rejoined the Galaxy next Monday but now will stay with AC Milan through May 31. After that, he hopes to be called up for England’s World Cup qualifying matches on the road against Kazakhstan on June 6 and at home against Andorra on June 10. He can then take a brief break because he cannot join the Galaxy until the MLS international transfer window opens July 15, although he can train with the team before that date. The bottom line for the Galaxy is that Beckham would miss the first 17 games of the 30-game season. His first match for Los Angeles would be July 18 at the New York Red Bulls. On the surface, the Galaxy would appear to be getting very little out of the settlement. But there are benefits. Beckham’s $6.5-million salary will not count against the salary cap until he returns, nor will he count against the 24-player roster limit. That means Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena is free to use the money saved and the position opened to sign another player. Also, with Beckham — or Beckham-lite — back for part of the season, the Galaxy and AEG will be able to keep key sponsors satisfied and, just perhaps, revive flagging season ticket sales. For Beckham, meanwhile, the jet-set lifestyle will continue. His next match is Wednesday night — not in Milan, not in Los Angeles, but in Doha, Qatar, where AC Milan is playing a money-spinning friendly against the Qatari club Al Sadd.

Blah! All this whiny dramatic bullshizz on David Beckham’s part has really soured me on him as an athlete. His whole attitude about his multi-million dollar contract with the LA Galaxy strikes me as so unprofessional that I cannot even look at him in the same way anymore. While I seem to be the only person in the entire US of A who even cares about Beckham playing for the LA Galaxy (I understand the local sports press here in SoCal is glad to be rid of him), I can’t help but feel some disappointment in knowing that he is not a man who seems willing to fulfill his obligations to a team that has invested so much in him. I suppose the LA Galaxy honchos are to be blamed for loaning him out in the first place … then again, they prolly counted on Becks actually honoring his agreement with them to return after his 2-month loan out. At this point, I think AC Milan should keep him and should enjoy having him as much as they can … honestly, he doesn’t even really want to be with them anyway. His real goal appears to get back in favor with the English team that expunged him for his lackluster performance with them. Ever since then, he’s been trying to weasel his way back into leading the English team. Overall, I can’t say that I blame him for wanting to play for his beloved home team but I personally feel that it would be more honorable, more professional for him to fulfill his commitments to his new teams before jumping ship when the going gets tough. I guess he’s Milan’s problem now … and I wish them all the luck in the world.

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David Beckham and his temporary Italian soccer team AC Milan suffered another lost this weekend as Becks enters his last week with the fútbol club. AC Milan suffered a 2-1 defeat against Sampdoria in one of Becks’s last games with his team … OUCH! But, since we’re talking about Becks here, he was lookin’ good on the soccer field nonetheless:

David Beckham’s AC Milan capped a disappointing week with a 2-1 defeat at Sampdoria which leaves them 11 points adrift of arch-rivals Inter in the Serie A title race and looking over their shoulders as they bid to seal a Champions League spot. Milan’s ageing team threw away a two-goal lead in midweek to crash out of the UEFA Cup to Werder Bremen and their latest defeat came after Antonio Cassano gave the Genoa-based side the lead in the 33rd minute. Cassano’s header was ruled to have squeezed over the line as Milan protested and the visitors were in further trouble after Gianpaolo Pazzini made it 2-0 early in the second half from a Cassano pass. Alexandre Pato scored with a clever header in the 80th minute to give Milan some hope they were unable to grab the equalizer as Emerson’s effort was ruled out. The poor results represent bad timing for Beckham, who is hoping his newly-adopted club will meet Los Angeles Galaxy’s demands to make his loan move permanent. He is due to return to the Major League Soccer team on March 9 if no deal can be reached.

Aww … poor Becks, another loss. Since we know that the LA Galaxy has, thus far, rejected the money that AC Milan has offered to buy out his contract and that Milan has said they will offer no more money in addition, Becks is scheduled to return to SoCal and the MLS at the end of this week. I’m sure this loss doesn’t really work in his favor. But, again, he did play his heart out, doing everything he could do to try and secure a win. After the jump, check out a few photos of Becks in the black and red in action this week …

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Welp … it looks like the Italian party is OVER for our dear David Beckham. After some very public whining in the press and a failed bid on the part of AC Milan to buy his services permanently for their team, the LA Galaxy has put its foot down and is recalling Becks to return to the Galaxy fold to serve out his contract with them (like a good boy) after his last game with Milan next Sunday … much to his chagrin, I’m sure:

Los Angeles Galaxy today stated that on-loan midfielder David Beckham is due to return from AC Milan as originally planned, despite rampant transfer speculation. The England international joined the Rossoneri on loan from Major League soccer in January in a bid to maintain fitness during the American close season, and did so in some style: Beckham’s form has been a revelation during his time in Italy. So impressive was he, in fact – and so lucrative is his likeness still considered – that AC Milan duly made public their attempt to retain Beckham’s services on a permanent basis. Meanwhile Beckham himself has stated in no uncertain terms that he is eager to remain at San Siro. But LA Galaxy have maintained that they have no intention of losing one of their star assets, their deadline of February 13 for an improved offer from AC Milan having long since passed. Today they confirmed this stance in a phone interview with Goal.com’s Andrea Canales, stating that Beckham will return to the Golden State as planned. “He plays on the 8th,” said the Galaxy press office, referring to AC Milan’s Serie A encounter with Atalanta on March 8th. “He’s due to head back after that game.”

Poor Becks. I’m sure he is really sad and upset that the soccer team that he signed a contract with is actually making him honor his legal commitment to them but I’m sure he’ll get over it. After a few weeks of sobbing into his piles of LA Galaxy money, I’m sure he’ll get over his crybaby-ness and will be able to move on like a grown adult man … at least, I hope he can. Still, Sunday is still a few days away … I suppose anything is possible at the last minute. There is new word that the rumors that Becks has moved into George Clooney’s Italian villa are totally untrue, according to Clooney himself, so … yeah, he should just come home to SoCal where he belongs :) I hope all this nonsense about jumping teams is settled after this weekend … I’m trying to plan on seeing an LA Galaxy game once the season starts up again in a few weeks. Altho he’s being whiny about it, I’m looking forward to watching Becks in action once again as a member of the LA Galaxy.

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Sad news for David Beckham … it appears that his wishes to remain with Italian professional soccer team AC Milan, the team that the LA Galaxy graciously loaned him to while the MLS is on off-season hiatus, will not be honored by his MLS soccer team — the Galaxy has decided NOT to let him out of his contract and will require that he return to the US to play with his team again once his loan out period is completed at the end of March. It would seem the LA Galaxy is much more interested in protecting their massive investment in him rather than comply with his whims to abandon his team for another:

David Beckham is coming back to the Los Angeles Galaxy. The English midfielder will return to the MLS team next month as scheduled after his two-month loan agreement with AC Milan ends despite his wish to stay in Italy. Tim Leiweke, president of Galaxy parent AEG, said Friday the Italian club didn’t make a second offer to the Galaxy to keep Beckham so the team will adhere to MLS commissioner Don Garber’s Friday deadline to resolve the situation. The Galaxy had earlier rejected Milan’s only offer. “We didn’t receive an offer today,” Leiweke told The Associated Press by phone from Colorado. “We will abide by the commissioner’s wishes, so we are clear at this point that we don’t want to have any further conversations.” Leiweke said he had discussions with Milan officials earlier in the week, but heard nothing from them Friday. “They clearly were looking at this as a football decision and we were looking at it as a football and business decision,” he said. “I’m not sure they ever quite understood the magnitude of the losses the Galaxy and the league would have had to bear this season. They were very respectful discussions. We’re fine. There’s no issues here.” Leiweke said he had not spoken directly to Beckham, but that he informed the player’s representatives the loan would not be made permanent. Beckham’s five-year Galaxy contract is owned by MLS, and he is due in the team’s training camp on March 9. “I know David is emotionally invested, but I don’t think Milan really was that interested in spending the money we would have had to receive to compensate us for our losses,” Leiweke said. “We need David to honor the contract and come home and let’s stop the distraction.” Leiweke said Beckham will likely be disappointed by the outcome, but added that “David is a professional. He will get his arms around this and he will come back here.” Beckham had said he wanted to stay with Milan in a bid to play one more World Cup with England in South Africa next year. “He can probably still accomplish that as well by being here in 2009,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said Friday before the resolution was announced. “We look forward to having him back with the club,” Arena said in a statement issued Friday night. Leiweke confirmed that Beckham has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave at the end of this year. “Clearly the risk is we may lose him at the end of the year,” Leiweke said. “Our hope is the team surprises him and we’re a lot better than last year.” Beckham arrived injured amid much hoopla in July 2007, but he had no goals and two assists as the Galaxy finished with a 9-14-7 record that was third-worst in the league. Last season, Beckham had five goals and 10 assists, but the Galaxy’s 8-13-9 record tied for the worst in MLS. Beckham was injured last season, when he left the Galaxy at various times for appearances with England’s national team. Garber said this week he wanted Beckham’s future resolved by Friday or he would not approve any transfer between the two teams. “The negotiations are over and we move on,” Leiweke said. “We look forward to seeing David back in camp. We need to have a good season and we need to live up to a higher expectation.” Leiweke said the Galaxy’s sponsors and season ticket holders were clamoring for a conclusion to the saga. “We heard loud and clear this week from our contractual partners that they wanted an end to this,” he said. “We need to pay a little bit of attention to the league and Galaxy now.” The Galaxy opens the MLS season at home March 22 against D.C. United.

Whew! I’m really glad this ridiculousness is FINALLY over and done with. It absolutely would make NO SENSE for the LA Galaxy to let their investment in David Beckham just leave after they generously loaned him out to another soccer team to play for a couple of months. While Becks may now be interested in playing for AC Milan, he signed a deal to play with the LA Galaxy for a set period of time (and for A LOT of money) and must be held to his contract. I would bet money that Becks will exercise his option to leave the team at the end of this year but, until then, I think it’s deffo in the LA Galaxy’s best interest to hold him to his contract. David Beckham is a professional and I’m sure he will do his best for whichever team he is playing for. AC Milan is currently enjoying the fruits of his talents and soon, the LA Galaxy will enjoy those fruits once again … the way it should be :) I, for one, am thrilled! I am going to make sure I get out to the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA this season to see more Becks in action while I can. Woot!!!

UPDATE: David Beckham is now speaking out about how this action on the part of the LA Galaxy to hold him to his contract is making HIM feel. After the jump, check out his new comments on this contractual tug-o-war situation …

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David Beckham has gone on the public record to say that he no longer wants to fulfill his contract with the MLS soccer team the LA Galaxy and would like, instead, to remain in Milan, Italy where he is currently on loan to AC Milan. In new comments published today, Becks has revealed that he no longer wishes to play soccer in the US and would like to remain in Europe after his loan out period to Milan has expired:

David Beckham said he wants to make his move to AC Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy permanent. The England midfielder’s three-month loan to the Italian soccer club ends March 9 and Milan has said it wants to keep him at the San Siro stadium. “I have expressed my desire to stay at AC Milan now and it’s just down to Milan and Galaxy to come to an agreement,” Beckham said in comments broadcast by Sky Sports. “I have enjoyed my time here. I knew I would enjoy it, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much and do as well as I have.” The 33-year-old player joined Milan last month to stay in shape during the U.S. soccer offseason. He’s scored two goals in five appearances for the team known as the Rossoneri. The Major League Soccer season begins on March 22. “At the moment I’m still a Galaxy player,” Beckham said after an exhibition match last night against Glasgow Rangers. “It’s out of my hands. I’ve said what my feelings are to both clubs and now it’s down to them to come to an agreement.” Beckham joined the Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007. He earns $5.5 million a year and the five-year contract could be worth as much as $250 million with endorsements and profit- sharing, according to the Galaxy. Galaxy spokesman Justin Pearson said in a telephone interview that the team was practicing and wouldn’t have any comment until coach and general manager Bruce Arena sees Beckham’s quotes. Andrew Messick, the sports division president of Anschutz Co.’s AEG, which owns the Galaxy, said he has seen Beckham’s comments to European television and declined to comment on them, or whether the club would entertain offers from AC Milan. “He’s a great player and a great ambassador, and someone we’ve had a very, very close relationship with,” Messick said in a telephone interview. “We hope and expect that we’re going to continue to have a great relationship with him.” Milan general manager Adriano Galliani said on the club’s Web site yesterday that Beckham’s lawyers are in talks with the Galaxy over the player’s future. Milan has yet to make an offer or enter into negotiations, he said. “It’s nothing against the MLS and the football over there because it’s a game that will grow, but it will take quite a few years,” Beckham said. The former Manchester United player said he wants to stay in Italy to boost his chances of retaining a place in the national team for next year’s World Cup. Beckham has played 107 times for England, the third-most after Peter Shilton and World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore. “I want to have a chance of being involved in 2010,” Beckham said. “My best chance of doing that is to remain here.”

Firstly, I have to stress that I am still a David Beckham fan and I still absolutely lurve him … BUT, I must express my dissatisfaction at his desire to abandon his commitment to the LA Galaxy for greener pastures in Italy. I seem to recall that when David Beckham came to the US, there weren’t many teams out there who were clamoring to nab him as their own. His lackluster performance on the soccer field in the months leading up to the end of his contract in Spain really didn’t do much to make him a sought after soccer player. So, he and his wife Vicki B. decided to take the massive amounts of money (about $250 million) that the LA Galaxy offered him and committed to playing for the team for a set number of years. Upon his arrival (which was already midway thru an entire MLS soccer season), he sat out more than 60% of the games of his first season due to an ankle injury and never really helped the Galaxy improve their overall game (the LA Galaxy remains one of the most unsuccessful teams in the burgeoning MLS league). Having been loaded out to AC Milan, Becks scores two goals and suddenly he’s decided he wants to join the team. Trust me, I get that he wants to end his career in glory but, to me, it seems like he should’ve taken that into account before he committed to US soccer. I have a feeling that Becks thought that his mere presence alone might make Americans care about soccer … and when that didn’t happen, well, he has apparently decided to go back to Europe again. While I am very disappointed and not very happy with his decision, I completely understand it. The Beckhams really didn’t make the splash in Hollywood that they were prolly hoping for. I guess I get why they would want to retreat back to Europe. While I’m a bit miffed now, I’ll get over it … prolly by the time the next back of Armani Underwear ads come out. I suspect that Becks will get his wish and will become an official, full time member of AC Milan soon. I guess it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to revive his glory days after all.

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