First the “Remember This Feeling — It Comes From the Presence of a Backbone” award to: the entire Galaxy team. They did not curl up and die, and they played even better in the second half, without Beckham. I, for one, was damn proud.

Then we have the “I Feel Ferocious Pain in My Maternal Area” award to: Pete Vagenas. Could anything possibly be worse than both an own goal and a missed penalty, both of which were game-changing? On the bright side, there’s noplace to go but up, right? Love you, Pete! Hang in there!!

The “Dude, I Didn’t Know Bodies Over Thirty Could DO That!” award to: Chris Klein. I’ll bet you were one hurtin’ puppy yesterday, Chris, but that goal was amazing!

The “Does It Hurt to Play With Gloves of Gold?” award to: Joe Cannon. Our hero and savior yet again. And we don’t blame you for the penalties. Or at least I don’t.

The “Maybe One More Wrist Kiss Woulda Done The Trick” award to: Landon Donovan. ‘Nuff said. But I still find that whole OCD thing kind of endearing.

The “Wait, So You’re How Old Again?” award to Cobi Jones. Please, Cobi. One more season! We need you!!

The “Will You Finally Stop When We Have To Take You Off the Field in Pieces?” award to: David Beckham. Maybe this additional injury will make him slow down and heal. (P.S. Hey, David! Skip the England Games!!!!)

The “Huh…Wha…Where Did It Go?” award to: Abel Xavier. You are an awesome, amazing presence in the backline, Abel. And as for penalties? Well… You are an awesome, amazing presence in the backline.

UPDATE: Oops, forgot one! A late add-on to my awards is the “They Don’t Pay You Enough to be a Goalkeeper Too (But We Appreciate It)” award to: Troy Roberts. Beautiful save, Troy! Let’s hope it helps you keep your roster spot next year when they’re discarding everybody and his grandma to create the ALL NEW Beckham’s Team.

And finally, we have the “Best Post-Game Speech Ever In History” award to: Frank Yallop for the following speech:

“I’m really proud of the way our guys came out because of all the crap we’ve been f—— through,” Yallop said. “I’m telling you, it’s been difficult to f—— deal with. I’m sorry to swear, but it’s been hard. But they kept going, and that makes me proud. That’s all I can say.”

This is me, loving Frank Yallop. Stay, Frank! Stay! Let’s dump Alexi instead!

“At this stage, it’s hard to tell, but it doesn’t feel good. With a ligament strain, it’s four to six weeks. We’ll have to wait and see,” he said Wednesday. “I’m going to have a scan tomorrow, and we’ll see the full extent of what it is and how long I’ll be out, but at the moment, it doesn’t feel great.”

The gods are not smiling on our team this season.

Writing up such a painful loss on the morning after with a hangover.

I blame Verizon. There’s something wrong with our internet connection right now where it’s running so slow that we can’t watch video. And this meant that I absolutely had to (seriously, I think it was a requirement) watch the game from an Irish pub near here that has free wifi. Therefore it is not my fault.

I’ll write more about the game later, but in the meantime, here’s that Chris Klein goal. Or at least I think it is. Since I can’t watch video right now, I truly have no idea if it’s what it says it is. So if it’s actually porn or something, it’s not my fault. (I think that this shall be the theme of my morning.)

To set the stage. Imagine: You’re one down on an own goal, you’re deep into stoppage time, the seconds are ticking off… And then this play happens. Magical. Getting a goal like this should catch the attention of the Hollywood Ending Fairies, who should have come down and waved their magic wands to make Landon’s goal go in. That’s what would have happened in a perfect world.

Alas, ours is imperfect. But here’s the goal.

Ouch.

More tomorrow.

Does this situation define the phrase “mixed emotions” or what?

If he played, and they won… Well, LA would get some silverware to counteract the rest of this lost season. We’d have something to hold onto and hope for!

But if he plays and makes the injury worse and knocks himself out for the rest of the season…

Oh, what the hell. The regular season can’t get any worse, right? And he’s probably going to have to take significant time off before he can play regularly again regardless.

(And I’m sure that these are the same thoughts running through his mind.)

Play, David! Play!

(Note: That was sarcasm.)

Looks like Beckham will not be playing tomorrow in SuperLiga, that ankle injury (combined with horrendously poor management decisions) being the gift that keeps on giving. And both Landon Donovan and Abel Xavier are listed as “questionable.”

So…let’s see… We’re playing the best team in the Mexican league, without our best player (and really the only player who can deliver anything offensively to the game.) And we may also be missing our two next best players.

Oh, and Chris Albright is still 4-6 weeks from being back.

Are we happy yet? (Or I guess the better question would be, do they give group discounts on Prozac?)

On the plus side (yes, call me Pollyanna) the above article does have some kind words for our new starting leftback, Mike Randolph.

Since he was inserted into the starting lineup earlier this month, the left-footed Randolph has not only provided solid defense – a rarity on the back line – but he’s used his speed down the flank to give a struggling offense some much needed attacking options.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” Galaxy president and general manager Alexi Lalas said of Randolph. “You always look for people who recognize an opportunity and seize it. He’s been thrown into some big games and acquitted himself well.”

Do you think Randolph can save the game tomorrow?

Yeah, me neither. But go Mike anyway!

Second thing: FSC will be rebroadcasting the RBNY-Galaxy game at 9:00 tonight (PST) if anybody else wants to watch it again. I figure now that I know the ending, that last goal won’t hurt quite so much. Right?

Oh, and this doesn’t qualify as a separate item, but check out the photo of RBNY keeper Watereus, back in the day. So much pretty! Doesn’t he look as if he could be singing backup for Bon Jovi? (Thanks to Dave for the find.)

Third thing: Expect to see a lot of empty seats at the SuperLiga final. And it may not be lack of demand for a change. According to Billy Witz, SuperLiga

presents such a conflict with the first week of fall semester classes at Cal State Dominguez Hills, which shares its campus with the Home Depot Center, that the Galaxy have agreed to limit tickets sales to 12,500 – or less than half the stadium’s 27,000-seat capacity.

Yeesh, I’d be willing to take a couple of extra tickets off their hands. And I’ll promise to take a cab, too. (C’mon, Alexi. I won you the semifinal with my presence. You NEED me!)

Last thing: Tragedy of tragedies, Zidane will not be playing with Sydney FC in the Galaxy’s Australia friendly in November. You have No Idea how much this breaks my heart. Although to be honest with you, I’ve traveled to LA to see soccer, and I’ll soon be traveling to Paris to see soccer. I couldn’t quite figure out how I was going to get to Australia. So I guess this isn’t a bad thing on balance.

Is anybody else dreaming? If not of the 2007 playoffs, at least of the 2008 season?

Happy sigh.

P.S. I’ll bet the lovely Bianca was appropriately ecstatic.

Here’s the video, which was showing on the screens at the Home Depot Center as I was leaving last night.

Be sure to check out Posh and add your own editorial comments. (You would think she could at least pretend to care about her husband’s work, since it’s not as if it’s her skill and talent paying for those designer duds and chartered planes and the twenty-something-million-dollar house and the seventeen servants.)

P.S. i’ve watched this something like a dozen times now and I still have to say: This was so awesome to see!!!

I’m not sure what just brought that to mind.

Oh, by the way, did I mention I just got back from LA?

But…um…yeah. My point (heehee — point — I’m so juvenile) being that I was away from news and computer yesterday, which is why I didn’t have the full story on why David Beckham was wearing the captain’s armband instead of Landon Donovan. My assumption was that the decision came from on high. I was wrong. It was 100% Landon.

The Galaxy had been Landon Donovan’s team ever since he got here in 2005. But surrendering his Alpha Dog status, in this case, was a no-brainer…

Which is why, once it was apparent that David Beckham would finally be able to get on the field for more than a cameo appearance, Donovan felt it appropriate to offer him the captain’s armband…

“Landon asked to speak to me,” Tuesday, Beckham said. “He said he felt it would give the team a big lift for me to have the armband. I was very honored he felt the need to give me the armband.”

You know, I still don’t get Landon. One day he’s seriously lacking in testosterone — describing feeling his twin sister’s cramps, or crying at American Idol. The next day he’s gone all studly macho on us, making a throat-slashing gesture at the crowd.

And then this. A lot of guys would have been petty about Beckham’s arrival, pouting and sulking and posturing. And I’m guessing that for Landon the temptation was there. The guy is human, after all.

But thanks for showing class and putting the team first, Landon. I hope you felt proud to put the armband back on when Becks left the field, because you earned and deserved it.

Well done.