Congratulations are in order for the Los Angeles Galaxy who won the MLS Western Conference Championship title for the first time since 2002 after they defeated the San Jose Earthquakes by a score of 2-0 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA last night. I’m not sure how much help David Beckham was in the win but he looked good on the field so, that should count for something, right?

The Los Angeles Galaxy continued their improbable rise from the depths of MLS with Saturday’s 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes that clinched their first Western Conference regular season title since 2002. The Galaxy, playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 27,000 at The Home Depot Center, were the recipient of some good fortune in the win, their first against their bitter northern California rivals this season in three tries in the “California Clasico.” The victory gave the Galaxy (12-6-12) 48 points and first place in the West, no matter the outcome of Sunday’s regular-season finale between Chivas USA and the Houston Dynamo. The Galaxy own the head-to-head tiebreaker with both teams, should one of them tie the Galaxy for points. The Galaxy, which tied for the worst record in MLS only a year ago, certainly hope their first West regular season title in seven years is a good omen. The last they won the West, they also won the MLS Cup. They just missed out that season on a double when they were beaten by the Columbus Crew in the U.S. Open Cup final. The Galaxy got a badly needed insurance goal in the 77th minute when Chris Klein, who had just come on as a substitute for Mike Magee, sent a beautiful pass to Landon Donovan who had gotten behind defender Brandon McDonald. Donovan took the pass, then beat an onrushing Cannon through his legs for his 12th goal of the season. The Galaxy dominated for most of Saturday’s match, especially in a first half which featured several good chances before ironically taking the lead on what amounted to a fluke goal. It was just five minutes into the match when the Galaxy had its first chance on an 8-yard blast by defender Sean Franklin after a wild scramble just outside the goal crease and directly in front of the San Jose net. But his attempt never made it through a group of players and was blocked by McDonald, a former member of the Galaxy. Then it was David Beckham’s turn 12 minutes later. San Jose’s Bobby Convey was called for a foul and then received a caution for dissent to set up a free kick from about 28 yards. Beckham expertly curved the ball over and around the Earthquakes defensive wall, but the ball sailed wide of the net by no more than a yard. San Jose, which was on a four-game (1-0-3) unbeaten streak on the road, finally showed some life on offense barely two minutes later when a shot by Ramiro Corrales just missed the Galaxy net from about 20 yards. The Galaxy, however, clearly were holding the upper hand in quality chances. Dema Kovalenko, for example, known more for his defensive play, got into the offensive flow and barely chipped one over the crossbar in the 22nd minute. That led to the Galaxy’s unusual score two minutes later. Donovan simply was attempting a cross into the penalty area when San Jose’s Bobby Burling stuck out his foot. The ball was deflected just enough, sailed high over the outstretched hand of Earthquakes goalie Joe Cannon and landed in the far corner of the net for a stunning own goal and 1-0 Galaxy lead. The Earthquakes responded with their best chance of the opening 45 minutes. It was just two minutes later when Corrales attempted a free kick and sent the ball deep into the Galaxy penalty area. McDonald, streaking toward the net, got his head on it. Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, however, got his hand on it and made the save. The Galaxy had three more scoring opportunities in the half, first on Edson Buddle’s 22-yard attempt that Cannon saved easily; Chris Birchall’s attempt from a sharp angle that went wide of the net and, finally, another Beckham free kick. This one, in the 35th minute, was from 30 yards and went just high over the crossbar. By virtue of the victory, the Galaxy now know they will be the road team in the first leg of next week’s Western Conference Semifinal Series. But whether they travel to Houston — or remain right at home for the first-ever SuperClasico playoff series against fellow Home Depot Center residents Chivas USA — remains to be seen.

Hurray!! This is great news for the Galaxy … and the news just keeps getting better. As is his custom, Becks stripped off his jersey after the match and paraded around the grounds showin’ off his fine physique. After the jump, check out a few pics of hawt Becks stripped down to the waist …

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David Beckham played one of his last home games with the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA last night. Altho it is being reported that Becks has already signed a new contract with Italian soccer team AC Milan (which is set to begin permanently next January), he played last night with much gusto helping his team beat Toronto FC by a score of 2-0, moving them forward towards the MLS play-offs. Here are a few pics of Becks in action in last night’s game:

David Beckham scored once and assisted on another goal to lead the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-0 victory over Toronto FC. The Galaxy remain two points behind Houston for the Western Conference lead and are third in the MLS with 41 points. The top team in each conference and the clubs that have the next six highest point totals qualify for the playoffs. Beckham scored in the ninth minute with a left-foot strike from 17 yards. Edson Buddle clinched the win with seven minutes to play. Former Manchester United star Beckham said: ‘Tonight, I was happy with my goal and I was happy with the assist I gave to Landon and Eddie, but I think it was the overall team performance that was exceptional tonight.’ Galaxy boss Bruce Arena said: ‘David’s a real good player, there’s no question about it. He is a person with a lot of pride, besides that outstanding ability that he has. He did everything he could tonight to lead this team. I thought his performance was outstanding.’

As per usual, Becks had his cheering squad in the hiz last night rooting him and the LA Galaxy to victory:

And by games end, as he is usually wont to do, Becks stripped off his soccer jersey so that he could walk off the field victorious — and shirtless. After the jump, check out the pics of Becks sans kit …

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Last weekend David Beckham was ejected from the LA Galaxy match vs. the Seattle Sounders after he (and Galaxy teammate Eddie Lewis) was slapped with a red card penalty for unnecessary roughness. Not only was Becks fined for the infraction but he had to endure a 1 game suspension and was forced to miss a match vs. Chicago earlier this week. But Becks (and Lewis) were back in action in Washington DC for the match vs. DC United. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, which wasn’t really good for anyone, but Becks ended up stripping off his jersey at the game’s end so, I suppose it ended up win-win all around:

David Beckham’s return wasn’t enough inspiration for the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 0-0 draw with D.C. United in Major League Soccer on Saturday. Beckham served a one-game suspension for a red card given on Aug. 15 against Seattle. The Galaxy beat Chicago 2-0 on Wednesday without their English star but couldn’t find the net in soggy conditions at RFK Stadium in Washington, where Beckham made his MLS debut just over two years ago. The Galaxy, unbeaten in their last six road matches, remained second in the Western Conference and fourth overall. United remained fourth in the Eastern Conference and ninth overall.

LOL. I mean, really, do people still come out to watch Becks play soccer or to run around for a while, get all sweaty and then get half nekkid? Trust me, I do not mind. I find it kinda funny that officials think they are punishing Becks by making him miss games with the LA Galaxy. Instead of having to jet to Chicago, he got to stay home and plot with his family his escape from his MLS contract for sunnier shores with AC Milan. If they really want to punish him for red card infractions, they should require that he play more games with the Galaxy. That’d show him ;)

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

David Beckham, who has been doing his best to spend time with his children here in SoCal after being away for so long this year due to his commitments to soccer teams around the world, spent some time with the kids and his wife Victoria Beckham in Malibu, CA yesterday … one day after he was ejected from an LA Galaxy game vs. the Seattle Sounders in Seattle, WA on Saturday night. Becks was, once again, booed by the fans in the stadium during the match which may have thrown off his game cuz he was slapped with a red card that forced his ejection from the game and a suspension from the next Galaxy game on the schedule:

David Beckham was ejected for a studs-up challenge in the 17th minute, and the Los Angeles Galaxy finished with nine men in a 2-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday night. Beckham slid into Sounders midfielder Peter Vagenas trying to reach a ball, hooking his right ankle and bringing the former Galaxy midfielder down to the pitch. Referee Ricardo Salazar immediately issued the red card, and Beckham did not offer much of an argument before leaving the field. “Pete’s one of my best friends,” he said after the game. “I’ve never gone into one tackle wanting to hurt someone. It was a hard tackle but by no means a red card.” It was Beckham’s first red card in his MLS career and his second ejection in the MLS. The red card carries an automatic suspension that will force Beckham to miss Los Angeles’ match at Chicago on Wednesday night. “With the way he came in hard, I could see how the referee would determine it likely was a dangerous tackle,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. “When you throw yourself into that kind of tackle, there’s a chance you’re going to get sent off.” Seattle (8-5-8), which snapped a three-match winless streak, needed only five minutes to convert following Beckham’s exit. Steve Zakuani scored in the 22nd minute on a 5-yard shot off Brad Evans’ cross from the right side of the penalty area, ending a 336-minute scoreless streak for the Sounders. Evans began the play by intercepting Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter’s header and dribbling unmarked down the flank. Fredy Montero added his 10th goal in the 54th minute. Nate Jaqua headed Vagenas’ corner kick to Montero, who fired a 6-yard shot into the upper-right corner of the net. Sounders FC finished with 10 men after Tyrone Marshall received his second yellow card in the 78th minute. Salazar then ejected Los Angeles’ Eddie Lewis on a straight red card in the same minute, leaving the Galaxy with nine players.

Dang Becks, is US soccer proving too difficult for you? You need to settle down and relax, Holmes. I would hope you can keep your head in the game long enough to play some decent soccer. Perhaps the game suspension will give you the time you need to get your head back in the game, hmmm? Becks’s Sunday looked a lot less stressful than his Saturday was. After the jump, check out photos of Becks and the fam enjoying a day of fun on the Malibu, CA coast …

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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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Now that David Beckham is back in his blue and gold uniform of the LA Galaxy (and after facing some tough questions from some of his detractors earlier this week), Becks and the Galaxy got down to biz last night at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ where the Galaxy faced the New York Red Bulls in Becks’s first game back with his team since he jumped ship to join AC Milan in Italy earlier this year. The Galaxy handily defeated the Bulls by a score of 3-1 … which inspired Becks and teammate Landon Donovan (who has been very vocal about his criticism of Becks’s commitment to the Galaxy) to kiss and make up on the soccer field … well, hug and make up at least. Despite his superb play (or mebbe because of it), some of the game’s attendees were not too happy to see David Beckham on the field and were very vocal about their displeasure, too:

David Beckham has brushed aside the booing he was subjected to on his return to Major League Football in the United States where his commitment to the game has been questioned in recent months. “I’ve had a lot more boos before in games,” Beckham said after starting LA Galaxy’s 3-1 victory away to the New York Red Bulls. It was his first appearance for the club since he completed a six-month loan spell at AC Milan and missed the first 17 games of the US season. “It’s to be expected,” the 34-year-old midfielder said of the hostility from the supporters in the Giants Stadium in New York. At 23,000, the crowd was just over a third of that which attended his first game in America two years ago. “There were a lot of people highlighting that I might get booed, but I expected it,” Beckham said. “It’s sometimes nice to get them. It gives you some inspiration. When we played like we did, the boos start to go away in time.” Part of the controversy over Beckham has been stoked by comments from his team-mate – and Galaxy captain – Landon Donovan who has questioned the midfielder’s commitment and professionalism. Donovan, who shared a podium with Beckham after the match on Thursday evening, alluded to the controversy. “People are talking about soccer in this country,” he said. “Not always for the right reasons in the last few weeks, but they’re talking about it. There’s no right or wrong reason. It’s just good that people are thinking about soccer, talking about soccer, following soccer.” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena hailed Beckham’s return. “A few minutes ago I became a better coach with the addition of David Beckham,” the former US coach said. “He brings confidence to the team. He stepped right in and he has a good attitude. It’s not easy for him with the scrutiny.” Asked about the abuse, Arena said: “I would think he’s been booed before. I would think this is almost a pleasant environment for him to play in. He’s been in bigger venues, in bigger games and with more hostile conditions. He can cope with all that. “He’s really a great pro, very observant and really understood how to fit in and make the group better. David’s been through things like this literally hundreds of time. He didn’t need my coaching on that aspect. Given the issues, he had a great game.” Beckham’s next match – his first home game for the Galaxy since his return – is sold out. But then he is facing Milan who, like Chelsea, are on a pre-season tour to the US.

Congratulations goes out to the entire LA Galaxy team … altho I have my problems with the way that Becks has treated his teammates, I’m glad that they are able to come together and operate as a solid, winning unit. Here’s hoping they can keep playing well and continue to win games. I’m also glad that Becks continues to strip off his jersey at the end of his soccer games. After the jump, check out photos of a shirtless Becks celebrating the Galaxy win last night …

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