Bye, Bye, Becks
The BBC is reporting today that the David Beckham loan deal is effectively done (as it has been for several days), although AC Milan have refused to confirm the story.
Another report said the Italian club may put up a confirmation on its official Web site later today.
Cue the obligatory columns summing up Beckham's impact on and off the field.
Since Galaxy fans don't get a cut of the loot the powers that be make off Beckham, their main concern will be just how much of an effort he will put in when he temporarily returns later this season before leaving for Europe for good.
Answer: little to none, which frankly is what we witnessed all too often during the waning stages of last year's abysmal season anyway. Between England games, the inevitable "strained" calf/hamstring/whatever other muscles he can find we won't see him gracing many MLS stadiums anyway.
The good news for Galaxy fans, as noted Thursday: Landon Donovan returns to training Tuesday for the Galaxy as his German trip ends. And Donovan, unlike Becks, cares about the actual game in the U.S. rather than just calculating how much he can line his own pockets by exploiting the American market.
Updated 4 p.m.: No confirmation of the Beckham deal coming today, a source just told me. Stay tuned.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. 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 and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Ugh, I wish the Galaxy would've just sold him outright...this "timeshare" will be nothing but bad for the Galaxy.
Hey Bro'
You might want to check your sources at soccernet.com.
They're claiming Golden Balls is paying $3m of his own money to remain with Milan.
Sounds like he does care about the game - just not the sub-par MLS. He's committed to the three lions and playing at top world class footie for as long as he can. I think you're too hard on the bloke. So what if he only stands on his left leg. He's a valuable team player, both on and off the field. But cannot be expected to carry a team full of players that would be lucky to play League 3 football in the UK. I think you all in the States expected way too much from him and when he didn't deliver as you wanted, you come down on him - hard.
Give the guy a break, first and foremost is the country he was born in and has played for over ten years. If staying in Europe will afford him one last World Cup, then let him have that honor - I mean really, what's the big deal. If there's one country in the World that should be able to understand the concept of patriotism - it's America.
This deal should have never happened in the first place...Bye, Bye Becks!
What does Bruce Arena have to say about these latest reports?
My only concern is what the Galaxy has now...not much. We need another strong defensive player. So will we be able to buy someone with the money earned in this deal? If so, who are the prospects and how soon can we expect a new player?
Nick replies: I think Coach Bruce Arena agrees with you given the Galaxy's unsuccessful pursuit of Honduran defender Osman Chavez. But you're right, who is on the horizon now (apart from the unsigned Tony Sanneh).
Comical. Only in the MLS, is the integrity of money making more important that the integrity of the league.
I hate reading the Euro media's take on this exchange and the comments from SAG regarding the league. Then I think about it, they're right: Our league is going to take a major worldwide hit in terms of reputation.
We won't be able to spin this mess. Read Martin Tyler's article on Yahoo sports. Brilliant.
Martin Tyler is "spot on" in his anlysis of the David Beckham saga.
I don't even know why the Galaxy is wanting to bring him back in July? For what?
Oh that's right, to help sell out a few more games on the "David Beckham Farewell Tour".
What a slap in the face to the fans...
you might be interested, who earns how much in MLS
here (updated with 2nd march 2009 numbers)
http://www.mlsplayers.org/files/3_2_09_salary_info_alpha.pdf
http://www.mlsplayers.org/files/3_2_09_salary_info_club.pdf
Hey Dan Green--Beckham doesn't care about the game or about the 3 lions, he cares about himself and his legacy. People aren't hard enough on the whiner, to tell the truth. He has proven he's not willing to put in hard work that benefits others (the team, the league, soccer in the USA, all which he claimed when he started), only hard work that benefits David Beckham personally. All in the States only expected from him to attempt to deliver what he claimed he would try to deliver, not to cut and run because the task was difficult. He's a quitter. Good riddance.
Maybe he'll ride the bench for WC2010, but RM is Walcott's to lose. And then what? He's already dropped off form at Milan. He's blown it. Again, this isn't about England, this is about Beckham, no matter what he claims. His actions speak otherwise.
I'll say it again (despite what Nick and Dr. Death want): I believe that Beckham's persistence has as much (or more) to do with his deteriorated relationship w/Leiweke as much as it does with his stated goals of remaining fit and eligible for selection by Capello. Have any of you worked in an environment where morale is abysmal? Then you well know that bad morale can spread like the plague and consume everything that it touches -- and people want to bail at the first opportunity, if they have it.
We can also assume that AC Milan (and, for that matter, Bayern Munich) is run in a far more professional manner than the Galaxy.
Here's another clue: When Donovan accepted his award as Honda Player of the Year last year, he donated the prize money to a Chivas USA charity ("Goals for Kids," I think), not a Galaxy one. If that's not a slap in the face to Leiweke and AEG, then what it?
There's a lot more going on here than anybody wants to admit.