Saturday Soccer: Becks & Chivas USA
So it turns out David Beckham is absolutely selfless. How touching is this? What a guy:
MILAN (AP) -- David Beckham is willing to give up a "mountain of money" to stay with AC Milan, club chairman Adriano Galliani said Saturday while working to close the deal."All players express their affection for a club, but few have showed it in a tangible
manner by renouncing a mountain of money. Beckham is one of these," Galliani told
Milan's TV channel.Galliani has said that negotiations are on track for Beckham to extend his loan from the
Los Angeles Galaxy through the end of the Serie A season.Beckham joined Milan in January for a two-month loan that is slated to expire after Sunday's game with Atalanta. Galliani said Friday that documents were being exchanged with the Galaxy and that the deal was near completion.
Beckham has a five-year contract with the Galaxy worth $32.5 million.
Financial terms of the proposal are unknown, but the Galaxy had asked for $10 million
from Milan for the outright purchase of the former England captain. Milan had said it
would pay no more than $3 million, since he could become available anyway after the
MLS season.Beckham has scored two goals in 11 games for Milan and looked to be in his best
form since leaving Real Madrid two years ago."The resolution of his situation here will give Beckham a few advantages because he
really wants to stay here and it would give him more motivation to do well," Milan coach
Carlo Ancelotti told the club's Web site.
Meanwhile, Chivas USA were sinking to a 2-1 defeat to the Chicago Fire Saturday in a preseason friendly at Home Depot Center.
Sacha Kljestan got the lone Chivas USA goal, but strikes by Justin Mapp and Brian McBride gave Chicago the win. The Palos Verdes Peninsula's John Thorrington did not suit up for the Fire.
The Chivas USA XI: Dan Kennedy (Lance Parker 46), Ante Jazic, Jim Curtin, Shavar Thomas, Carey Talley (Mariano Trujillo 53), Michael Lahoud (Justin Braun 46), Bojan Stepanovic (Jamie Franks 82), Diego Scotti, Paulo Nagamura, Sacha Kljestan, Eduardo Lillingston (Maykel Galindo 60).
Galindo's minutes were the first of preseason for him.
Chivas USA's preseason record falls to 4-3-1.
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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.
I am sure Beckham will sell a mountain of AC Milan shirts to make up for his loss. Poor chap!
Actually, this shouldn't surprise anybody. For one thing, Beckham said very early that if it came down to the soccer or the money, he'd choose the soccer. Obviously, he doesn't need the money. But I don't think he's just talking about salary here; he could be talking about money from endorsements in the U.S. If any of those endoresements have to do with playing for the Galaxy, then his lawyers would have to have been quite busy to rearrange things.
Don't forget, also, that Beckham's European clients might help pay for him to stay in Milan. Think Giorgio Armani. That ad campaign for underwear last year didn't do so well here. It probably would do better in Europe, so Armani might well figure in the pot.
Wow, Becks really knows how to make a girl feel special. Poor Galaxy looks like the goofy chick in the corner at prom. He's paying not to dance with her. Good thing this whole fiasco isn't making any news... Hey Galaxy, buck up little lady, in a few years you'll grow some boobs and all the talent will want in. Patience is a virtue. Maybe we should start paying our younger players a more competitive salary than McDonalds, that might start an actual snowball of credibility, something we desperately need to start aspiring for if we want to shake these embarrassing moments.
And how long have we heard Galliani spouting this same line of how close he is to a deal for Beckham?
If it was really done you'd be the first one to announce it. But it's not.
It's time to put up or shut-up Adriano...