Columnist Nick Green has written 100 Percent Soccer
since 2005. A
native of England, he began writing about soccer in
the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat
in the stands for one in
the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home
Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas
USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer.
Married to a long-suffering soccer widow, he has a cat
named Pele.Final Result: Galaxy-New York
Both goals in this 2-1 Red Bull victory came within a two minute second half span.
The Galaxy (briefly) equalized, Alan Gordon spinning onto a Mike Randolph cross to squeeze off a shot between two New York defenders in the 77th minute.
But the Galaxy immediately fell asleep and New York regained the lead a minute later, Juan Pablo Angel sprinting past a static defense and getting off a shot that gave goalkeeper Steve Cronin no chance.
Jozy Altidore was largely invisible for New York, Landon Donovan wasn't much more visible for large chunks of the second half for the Galaxy, while Beckham worked his butt off to little effect.
He did get booked in the 67th minute for what appeared a deliberately late challenge on Dave van den Bergh that a press box colleague observed looked a lot like payback.
Beckham and van den Bergh had gone at it in New York last season.