Beckham vs. The Riot Squad
By: jen | July 20th, 2009photo London Evening Standard
Beckham did not receive a kind reception from fans in The Riot Squad during the AC Milan match yesterday.
As long as he plays his ass off and keeps the drama down to a minimum then I’m fine with his return to the team. He is definitely fitting in much better (playing-wise) than he did at the end of last season.
Some video and links about his unwelcome debut:
BBC Sport
LA Times
ESPN Soccernet
Kansas City Star — Beckham a Bad Sport?
Goal.com — Beckham Taunts Riot Squad
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Category: Exhibition Matches
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Comments | Add your comment
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the more I read about the Riot Squads actions from this game and past games the more I am disliking them. It’s great to have a group always supporting the team but when it reaches this level of stupidity of jumping onto the field to fight players, something needs to done.
Posted from
United States
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Also, the view from Dan Loney.
I’m not specifically looking for this stuff, honestly. I’m just looking for links for the Daily Dose and the Beckham thing is EVERYWHERE.
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/blog.php?b=6066
Posted from
United States -
Frankly I’m with Becks on this one. Professionalism be damned. Those guys were not just booing. There’s no way. Maybe he crossed the line, but I think those guys had it coming. You don’t boo your own shirt when he is playing with heart.
Posted from
United States -
The only way to Deal with this Menace known as the “Riot Squad” is to lock them up if and when they show up at a game. We don’t need to charge them…isn’t the fact that they’re still Galaxy fans charge enough?
Posted from
United States -
I wonder if they’d feel differently if he’d just told the truth about what happened? I don’t think it’s just the disloyalty –it’s all the coverups and lies, too. There’s more than enough blame to go around.
That said, though, if they brought up his kids, that definitely crosses a line.
From what I saw, though, the Galaxy looked pretty sharp last night. If Beckham keeps contributing, this could all go away. Wins tend to conquer all.
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United States -
Im not gonna touch the riot squad v beckham mess last night…..Gordon scores, can you all lay off him now? And Jordan?….AC had no idea what to make of him. Good game lads, keep it going!
Posted from
United States -
I will start with the only MLS team I watch even though I am american and an avid EPL supporter, is LA Galaxy and it is due to David Beckham. I am married to a football (soccer) coach. I never even watched MLS until Beckham came to it. I felt that LA Galaxy was crap and Donovan was/is a diva. His is so unprofessional and knows he does not have one once of the skill that Beckham has and he is so jealous of that fact that it henders his judgement and he cannot control his mouth in the media and sounds like a whiner. You cannot be fickel about your players and must support them at all times. Stop being hypocrites. You either love them or not. I personally have never liked Donovan so I do not support him (at all)!! I do not cheer when and if he scores off David !! Germany did not want Donavan and neither does anyone else. So to end my lecture..David Beckham has put MLS on the map!! He did not need the money as he is a millionare in his own right he just loves the game and wants to play as it is in his blood!! David loves the game so much that he has his own soccer camps set up to help kids who also love the sport! Becks is and always be a legend for not only what he does on the pitch but off !!
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United States -
If there is one positive to come out of this, it’s knowing that after viewing this picture, Simon Fuller probably had to change his drawers — then spend the next 24 hours holding the hands of terrified sponsors while he defended The Brand.
Hee.
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United States -
One fan, obviously, went over the line last night, literally and figuratively. Otherwise, my support remains 100% behind the Riot Squad. Beckham has been called a lot worse over the course of his long career, and he should be more than mature enough to handle treatment such as he got last night.
That Becks got so worked up by this display of passion from proud Galaxy fans, who’ve watched one of MLS’s premier clubs become a laughing stock during Beckham’s captaincy, shows the arrogant, dismissive, patronizing attitude that he holds for U.S. soccer. Yes, he played well last night, and as Jen writes above, if he consistently brings that effort and skill through the rest of the season, he’ll win back the hearts of many of us skeptics. But he needs to humble up in a hurry, applaud the Galaxy diehards for bringing such European-like passion to the stadium, and apologize for the failure that was 2008. Quite frankly, if any fans should feel bad today, it’s the ones who didn’t boo. The man deserved it as much as any athlete ever has.
Was Landon Donovan as “professional” as he could have been when asked to provide material to Grant Wahl? No, probably not. But at least he was being honest. All I want from Beckham is a genuine honesty and integrity. We’re soccer fans, not adoring adolescent girls who think he’s dreamy and care only about putting his poster on their wall. We want David Beckham the footballer, not Mr. Posh Spice the celebrity–just like the fans in Milan, Madrid, and Manchester. Landon’s critique was spot on, and it would be nice if Becks would man up, apologize as he did to fans of England in 1998, and then bring it on the field.
American soccer fans should be applauding what happened at the HDC Sunday night. It just might be a sign that soccer, as a serious sport rather than a exhibition sideshow for vacationing and semi-retired international stars, has finally arrived.
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United States -
As a fan of another MLS team, I think this will be good for the league. It not only shows that yes, soccer fans in the US can be extremely passionate, it sends a message to other aging superstars that MLS is neither an optional nor a part-time commitment.
I don’t think things like this will decrease the number of stars willing to come over here, but I think those stars will be more like Schelotto and Ljungberg and less like Beckham.
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damn sorry. didnt see you posted this too. crazy the reaction here though.
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United States -
TO DUSTIN: “No wonder I jumped ship for the Seattle Sounders”. YOU ARE A LOSER. Tour LA?? Full of A-holes?? You must hate yourself. In fact I’m sure you do and for good reason. And you think you can come on our blog and comment about our team and LA in general? Wow, what a true fan you are. Sunshine friend, eh? You dump the Galaxy for Seattle?? Why, cuz they have a big exciting stadium and won a couple games?? I hope you don’t think of yourself as a man, you weak spined speck of nothingness. Crawl away to Seattle, you dirt. Go cheer on the rapist Montero.
On a brighter note, I was at the game and it was quite enjoyable. Four great goals for the draw w/ Milan. Not bad at all. The boos were there, but expected and not overwhelming. Part of the issue was half the stadium were not Galaxy fans anyway, so there ya go. By the time Becks subbed out it was 85-90% cheers. Ok, next game please!
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United States -
“TO DUSTIN: “No wonder I jumped ship for the Seattle Sounders”. YOU ARE A LOSER. Tour LA?? Full of A-holes?? You must hate yourself. In fact I’m sure you do and for good reason. And you think you can come on our blog and comment about our team and LA in general? Wow, what a true fan you are. Sunshine friend, eh? You dump the Galaxy for Seattle?? Why, cuz they have a big exciting stadium and won a couple games?? I hope you don’t think of yourself as a man, you weak spined speck of nothingness. Crawl away to Seattle, you dirt. Go cheer on the rapist Montero.”
I haven’t much to say about Steve-O. I just wanted to quote this because it’s the best stuff I’ve ever heard.
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United States -
How could anyone be mad at Beckham for wanting to play for his country? That won’t happen playing in the MLS and if you disagree you truly know nothing about soccer.
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United States -
I just watched the video and I could picture the Milan coach saying “They love you in Milan and you will play in front of 70,000 people”
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United States -
“How could anyone be mad at Beckham for wanting to play for his country? That won’t happen playing in the MLS and if you disagree you truly know nothing about soccer.
You do realize that he did just that in 07 and 08, right?
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CUCS, I (like most Galaxy fans, I suspect) don’t have a problem with Beckham spending the MLS off-season overseas trying to land a spot in South Africa 2010. Indeed, having an MLS regular demonstrate his ability to hold down a first-team position at a club like Milan is a big feather in the cap for both the Galaxy and the league.
Now, extending that loan beyond the start of the MLS season, that’s a little off-putting, but I (we?) can live with that. No, the real problem is that when Beckham has been here, he hasn’t really been here. He found himself on a sinking ship in 2008, and rather than trying to right that ship–like any true captain would do–he desperately sought to abandon ship at the first convenient opportunity. Then, you add in all the garbage surrounding his entourage’s hijacking of the team’s management–and shame on AEG for allowing that to happen–and it’s difficult to support the guy. Donovan was right to question the guy’s professionalism, which was only further confirmed by Beckham’s horrific handling of the Riot Squat on Sunday.
Beckham doesn’t need to add the Galaxy crest to his collection of tattoos. But he does need to demonstrate that he is committed to helping the Galaxy win. Again, we want the footballer, not the celebrity. This is exactly why we don’t begrudge Landon Donovan pursuing loan deals, either. #10 has earned it, because he has been nothing short of completely devoted to the club (and MLS) as long as he’s been here.
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United States -
The comments are fair and I don’t really disagree. I have sat near the Riot Squad before and they are actually fun.
With respect to Becks though, I find it hard to blame him for our situation.
The argument goes that he ruined our team because we were forced to give up most of our good players to get him and stay under the salary cap. But we now see proof that that’s not true. His salary has not changed but the Galaxy are now fielding the best starting lineup possibly in their history.
My conclusion is that it must have then been bad management. Lalas lacked experience and made some bad decisions. Yallop failed to stand up and take command of the situation. AEG pushed poor choices, maybe because they lacked confidence in their staff. The combination was disastrous. Do you really think things would have been as bad if Doug Hamilton were still alive and Sigi had not been fired?
I do blame Beckham for not behaving like a captain. But I can’t blame him for being frustrated with the team or wanting to play for Milan and Engkand when he realized he still had a shot.
Posted from
Canada -
I appreciate the comments and don’t really disagree. I have sat by the riot squad before and they can actually be fun.
But I have a hard time blaming Beckham for the situation.
The theory is that he ruined our team because by signing him we had to trade away most of our good players to meet the salary cap. But the present lineup proves that that’s not true. We have one of the best starting lineups in Galaxy history, but Beckham’s salary hasn’t changed.
To me, that means it has to be a management problem. Lalas lacked experience and made some bad decisions. Yallop was unable to impose himself. AEG apparently didn’t trust it’s management team (maybe with good reason) and themselves made some poor choices. The result was disastrous. But do you really think it would have been like that had Doug Hamilton not tragically passed away and Sigi not been fired as the head coach?
I can blame Beckham for not living up to the captain’s role and dealing with the situation disrespectfully. But it is hard to fault him for wanting to play for a better team and for his national team when he realized he still had the opportunity to do so.
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United States -
Amen, California Pete. I agree with every word.
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United States -
you guys (galaxy fans) are mad against beckham just because without him, the galaxy is not able to win the same matches as if the team were with beckham, and the true is that you guys are just jealous about beckham playing somewhere else…stop being such a pussies and start thinking like a person…not as an animal
Posted from
Chile -
Sebastian, did you not read the above posts, especially California Pete’s? We (Galaxy fans), are upset with Beckham because he made a commitment and when the going got tough he left. He abandoned the Galaxy when they needed him. It makes him come across as a prima dona, rather than a team player. He joined with eyes wide open. He knew when he joined the Galaxy that he was not joining a team like Milan. Being “mad” at Beckham for saying one thing (that he was committing to play for the MLS and the Galaxy for 5 years), and then doing another (leaving for half a season to play in another league) does not make us “animals”. It makes us loyal, something which Beckham seems not to be.
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United States -
Sebastian, it’s always great to have guys like you come by and really raise the tenor of the debate. Really, without your penetrating analysis and keen insights the conversation here is reduced mostly to name calling and pre-conceived notions with no basis in fact.
So, for example, when you point out that the Galaxy can’t win games without Beckham on the field, I know you say that because you’ve done the research to back it up. And you would never say something like that if the actual record for 2007 and 2008 were to show that in the games that Beckham played the Galaxy’s winning percentage was .406 and that games that he missed it was .477.
Oh wait…
Maybe you should actually, I don’t know, pay attention to what’s going on on the field before dropping by here and proving your ignorance.
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United States -
NathanHJ, you forgot to mention that the Galaxy won 2 championships before Becks arrived. Thank god Sebastian is here to straighten us out, though.
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United States -
beckham..my hero.. i love his play..
ajay
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United States
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