This post will not be so much about this game itself, but more about David Beckham's impact on Major League Soccer and Soccer in the United States.
The game it self was pretty good. Not as exciting as last years meeting at Giants Stadium between these two clubs, but it was a good game. It took about 20 minutes for the game and the teams to find their groove, but once they did, it was pretty exciting. L.A. dominated the first half, while New Jersey, err... New York dominated the second.
Carlos Ruiz and Landon Donovan scored for L.A., while Dave van den Bergh and Juan Pablo Angel scored for New Jersey. Out of the 4 goals, 3 were pretty memorable. Van den Bergh's was a solid blast from about 30 yards out. Angel's was a thing of beauty. A nice chip over the goalies head. Donovan's was another amazing shot that looked like it was not going in, but did. Donovan almost won the game for L.A. a minute later with a powerful shot that hit the upright post. That being said, it's pretty frustrating when your team loses the lead in the final minutes of stoppage time. My advice, defend for those last 3 minutes.
The game and the atmosphere were a little less intense compared to last years game, probably because that was Beckham's first game in the NJ/NY area last year after joining the Galaxy. There were also about 20,000 less people than last year. However, 46,754, people for a U.S. soccer game is pretty impressive.
A lot of people criticize Beckham for coming here, and label him as past his prime. I totally disagree. Time and time again, Beckham has come back from injuries and slumps and shown that he is still a solid player. Do I think he is the best player in the world? Of course not. He'd probably tell you the same thing himself. He is a great team player though. He is great at whet he specializes in, finding that 1 inch of space his teammates may have and getting the ball to them. He is a terrific midfielder and does not try to score goals when there's the slightest chance one of his teammates has a better shot. He does what a good captain should do, keep the team organized. Does he take practically every free kick or corner kick? Yes, but he is the most likely player to put the ball where it needs to be.
Another thing, I truly believe Beckham is sincere when he talks about his love of the game and the people he plays with. I really think he wants the game of soccer to succeed in this country, but he knows it will not happen overnight.
Despite what some people may say, he has raised the profile of soccer in this country, and a few more people are turning out to see games, and maybe watching on t.v.
I would love it if someone great like Luis Figo would play in MLS. The fact is , I could probably get better seats to the games he would play in. Don't get me wrong, Figo would help sell more tickets than are normally sold, but not as many as Beckham. Few players could help sell as many tickets as he does.
When Pele came to play for the Cosmos in the U.S., he raised interest and curiosity for the sport of soccer in this country. Now it's Beckham's turn.
There are many great players, many better than Mr. Beckham, but the fact is this. For soccer to get more notice in this country, it needs a rock star, and Beckham is the biggest rock star soccer has.
The game it self was pretty good. Not as exciting as last years meeting at Giants Stadium between these two clubs, but it was a good game. It took about 20 minutes for the game and the teams to find their groove, but once they did, it was pretty exciting. L.A. dominated the first half, while New Jersey, err... New York dominated the second.
Carlos Ruiz and Landon Donovan scored for L.A., while Dave van den Bergh and Juan Pablo Angel scored for New Jersey. Out of the 4 goals, 3 were pretty memorable. Van den Bergh's was a solid blast from about 30 yards out. Angel's was a thing of beauty. A nice chip over the goalies head. Donovan's was another amazing shot that looked like it was not going in, but did. Donovan almost won the game for L.A. a minute later with a powerful shot that hit the upright post. That being said, it's pretty frustrating when your team loses the lead in the final minutes of stoppage time. My advice, defend for those last 3 minutes.
The game and the atmosphere were a little less intense compared to last years game, probably because that was Beckham's first game in the NJ/NY area last year after joining the Galaxy. There were also about 20,000 less people than last year. However, 46,754, people for a U.S. soccer game is pretty impressive.
A lot of people criticize Beckham for coming here, and label him as past his prime. I totally disagree. Time and time again, Beckham has come back from injuries and slumps and shown that he is still a solid player. Do I think he is the best player in the world? Of course not. He'd probably tell you the same thing himself. He is a great team player though. He is great at whet he specializes in, finding that 1 inch of space his teammates may have and getting the ball to them. He is a terrific midfielder and does not try to score goals when there's the slightest chance one of his teammates has a better shot. He does what a good captain should do, keep the team organized. Does he take practically every free kick or corner kick? Yes, but he is the most likely player to put the ball where it needs to be.
Another thing, I truly believe Beckham is sincere when he talks about his love of the game and the people he plays with. I really think he wants the game of soccer to succeed in this country, but he knows it will not happen overnight.
Despite what some people may say, he has raised the profile of soccer in this country, and a few more people are turning out to see games, and maybe watching on t.v.
I would love it if someone great like Luis Figo would play in MLS. The fact is , I could probably get better seats to the games he would play in. Don't get me wrong, Figo would help sell more tickets than are normally sold, but not as many as Beckham. Few players could help sell as many tickets as he does.
When Pele came to play for the Cosmos in the U.S., he raised interest and curiosity for the sport of soccer in this country. Now it's Beckham's turn.
There are many great players, many better than Mr. Beckham, but the fact is this. For soccer to get more notice in this country, it needs a rock star, and Beckham is the biggest rock star soccer has.
No comments:
Post a Comment