2009 L.A. Galaxy: palpably underwhelming?

Evolution in action

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More from under the microscope...

Gives a bit more detail on his interactions with fans in Kansas City.

 

That's pretty intense, and the guys interviewed who were slagging him off really need to be made sure they can't reproduce. That video has almost switched my views entirely.

 

when are we going to see you on TV ?

 

I know what you mean.

First, the girls were perfect: "Screw Beckham because he doesn't play for the Wizards." None of the "Gawd! I LUVV Beckham!!!!" we saw in years past. This is very good for away fans and for the MLS.

Second, Some level of heckling the away opponents by home fans is to be expected. But these two dudes crossed lines...one because Beckham moved the line himself in LA at halftime and the other because he is a horse's arse.

The KC self decribed big dude (the chicken who talked big but said he was afraid to jump the barrier like little Joshie the LARSer) was really trying to get a reaction out of Beckham which he gave, STUPIDLY. This will just encourage more people to do so... He has got to learn to NOT interact with the fans DURING gameplay or he will seriously pay with injury or a Ron Artest/Eric Canona style beatdown incident. He must be the professional! And leave the sidelines to the fans. I can't believe he needs to be told that.

The guy in the England shirt, while I couldn't place his accent definitively, he wasn't American and is not an MLS regular fan. They don't wear England kits to expensive field side seats if they are common fans...anyway, he went after Beckham like so many other douchenozzle self loathing England fans have in the past.

But Beckham has made his bed with interacting with fans and now he has to lie in it.

Other fans around the country will hate him for many reason, mainly because he plays for the Galaxy, and that is OK in my book. Beckham should be prepared to hear every insult in the book now from non-Galaxy fans because he has FOOLISHLY communicated to them that he can be reached.

I am really curious to see how the LA fans greet him at home for the next MLS match.

There are still many minds, some are just jackasses whol want to make a scene and they will boo and flip the bird. Some are critical still of his blatant lack of commitment to the Galaxy, and I am sympathetic. Others still say he needs our support now as a member of the team, and I think this is right.

Bushey, look for me on the next telecast.
I will probably find myself standing behind the banner that says:

23

JUST WIN

 

cool , i be wearing my LARS t-shirt on sat for the footy.........

 

Sometimes what's bad for my team is good for me.
This is very good for US soccer in general.

 

why not you all point your finger in the air then at him an shout....PHONE HOME ....

 

Nice one bushey. That's damn fool enough for LARS to actually try.

 

Well, good didn't work out for Beckham. So that only leaves him one choice -- evil.

 

Live blogging from the LA v Barcelona game at the Rose Bowl. It is 1-1 after some horrible defending by the Galaxy and a textbook Beckham free kick. The Galaxy passing is horrible. The Riot Squad are model citizens but therest of the crowd is booing DB.

What can you do? The people know what's up...

Barca just scored s it is 2-1.

 

The beckham free kick was pretty much perfect :sign15:

 

I think I saw one actual European with my own eyes last night. The vast majority of 'Barca fans' were dudes wearing LA Dodgers baseball caps crooked at an angle like East LA gangbangers and Junior High kids with erections whenever Lionel Messi is mentioned and Mexican National Team fans with inferiority complexes who want to show that Rafa Marquez is more important than everybody else in the world.

People might have been booing as BBC suggested because of Beckham's time with Real Madrid, but not many...these 'Barca fans' all live here in LA...I don't think they care about Madrid much or even Barca.

That indicates a number of contradictory things:
People who live in one city but primarily support a famous team in another country are douchenozzles. Plain and simple.

If these people who were booing were really that in tune with the Barca/RM rivalry, then Soccer is a lot further along here than people think.

The Rose Bowl is HUGE. I've seen a UCLA football game there, and caught the 1984 Olympic finals there. Last night, there were 93,000 people in attendance to witness an exhibition soccer match. To fill that bowl like they did last night, Soccer here is a lot further along than people think.

Even if MLS has lower credibility in the eyes of gloryhunting folks who are referred to as 'EuroSnobs' here, this MLS team did not allow the reigning European Champs to walk all over them, despite missing the starting forwards and starting goalkeeper to injuries thanks to the last stupid friendly we played agaisnt AC Milan. True, the Barca midfield toyed with them for possession, but the Galaxy defense did not allow repeated cheap easy goals [just two]. Two of the defenders in the Galaxy are rookies, making less than $50k/year. They were the better two defenders, too. AJ Delagarza shut down Barca time after time on his side, and finally only started to get beaten by Thierry Henry in the middle of the second half, but it's Thierry Henry...cut the rookie some slack.

Outside the Rose Bowl, traffic is HORRIBLE. When the kick off started, the stadium, sold out, was still about 15% open seats. They all filled in by halftime, but despite all the warnings to "come early or miss part of the game", people still tried to get there on time.

We showed up at 3pm in a fleet of about 15 cars packed with people, parked on the grass outside the stadium, pulled out coolers of beer and food, BBQ'd some burgers and chicken, someone had ribs...a keg of a beer that shall not be named was tapped...the game started at 8pm, so we had five hours of fun and sun and we made the most of it. This is a true tailgate!

After the game, traffic leaving was a snarled mess, so we popped open the BBQ's again and grilled some more, and went to work on the keg.

Great day overall.

 

Sounds farkin fantastic Fitz. The traditional tailgate - the only reason I fancy going to a NFL game some day.

Am very impressed at the number of spectators for a friendly. Ridiculous really. I would never happen in Denmark I can tell you that. Though I am unsure it is because football is further along than people. I think it has more to do with most americans being glory-hunting celebrity craving canuts who will o anything to see someone famous or to achieve fame of sorts themselves.

 

You are right in your assessment of Americans, and it is even more so correct about LA, but...
Soccer players are not celebrities here. Only soccer fans care.

Conundrum again: If it's about celebrity, than soccer has truly arrived. If it is not about celebrity, then the 93,000 were there for soccer, which means it has arrived.

 

In the greater LA area surely players like Messi et al are celebrities? I mean how many hispanics live in LA? Surely there are plenty of people in LA who both idolise football(soccer) players and search for fame/celebrity?

 

Being hispanic doesn't make you a soccer fan.

Just sayin'


Most 2nd generation Mexicans follow basketball, baseball and football like non-hispanics. It's still that special cross section just like non-hispanics that follow soccer.

 

Here is local soccer writer Nick Green's take. He's the only writer in LA, aside form Andrea Canales, who is worth a damn. Plus he drinks at the Red Car more than I do.

Galaxy/Barcelona writeup at 100 Percent Soccer

 

(off topic) one thing ive always wanted to know fitz is why do you support watford in england, why not someone good, famous, with mint fans??

 

Originally, Jay Demerit's story drew me to follow WFC during the playoffs which culminated in him scoring the promotion winning goal.

 

Pregame tailgate:


Yours truly, several brews in, three more hours to go before kickoff:



The Rose Bowl last night during the Star Spangled Banner...

The scene after the game...the families left, just the partiers remain:

 

Nice pictures Fitz

 

He must have put an americanizer filter on them.

 

Heat and sun 'Americanizes' everyone...

 

And beer - apparently. Great shots Fitz - looks a great party.

 

Love the pictures. That's definitely the way to do football. Trouble is, most of us over here would stay under the Gazebo and forget about the game arty1:.

 

It happens...I've missed the first 5 or 10 minutes of matches before thanks to John Barleycorn a few times.

 

FYI, The G's play the Seattle Sounders on the 15th at home. The Sounders have not won in three league games, losing 4-0 at home to San Jose. They also got beyatch slapped by Barcelona 4-0 at home recently in a friendly.

Drew Carey, part owner of the Sounders and LA Riot Squad patron of the arts, has a bet with one of the LARS guys that if the Sounders lose, Drew will buy beer for a year for the Riot Squad. If the Galaxy lose, our man Tommy has to die his hair Sounders green. I don't give a **** about Tommy's hair, but I sure as hell care about free beer.

Things look pretty good for Galaxy.

But look...cross your fingers, say a prayer, and if all goes well, swing by to get some free Drew Carey-sponsored beer some time over the next year or so...

 

Don't look now....
but guess who is in 2nd place?

I'm really looking forward to hosting Seattle next week and possibly winning a year's worth of FREE BEER.

 

This guy is a first class ass hole, sorry if you like him.

The officiating was spectacularly inconsistent as well.

Through the course of the game Galaxy lost our last starting forward to injury last night, as Alan Gordon joined Alecko Eskandarian and Edson Buddle on the trainer's bench and Donovan is still recovering from H1N1 swine flu. Eddie Lewis got a red card, David Beckham got a red card...who the bloody hell will be playing for the Galaxy next week!?

EDIT:
So here are the results of Beckham's return.

1) G's rout NYRB after Becks is back for only 2 days.
2) Buddle and Eskandarian are injured against AC Milan, a game forced on the G's by Beckhsm.
3) Draw at KC, Beckhsm doesn't do much.
4) G's lose to Barca in a meaningless friendly, Becks scores a meaningless goal and the game was scheduled anyway.
5) G's beat NE in New England. Landon Donovan with the strike from a poor clearance of a Gordo cross. Where's Beckham?
6) G's lose to Seattle because Beckham wants to pay back Peter Vagenas for taking the ball from him moments before?

I think the G's are getting worse overall since his return.

 

Becks does like to hit Vagenas whenever he can, just look at Rebecca Loos

 

Nice one!