Galaxy 0-3 Chivas. I Have No Words. (Well, actually, I do)

By: Laurie | August 23rd, 2007

I don’t think I have ever seen a game that has left me more depressed. I was going to watch the RBNY-LA game on FSC right after, but I just can’t deal with having any more energy sucked out of me. I guess what I don’t know about that game I don’t need to know.

Beckham has just traveled thousands of miles to play three full games, injured. At the end of the game he was hobbling and grimacing in pain. He couldn’t even take the last corner kick. And for what? Nothing. Not one win. Two more losses for the Galaxy and another for England.

My respect for Beckham has gone way up for what he tried to do. I think he desperately wanted to prove that he could be true to both club and country. He did, and he did it with heart. But in the long run, by not dealing with his injury, he may have just made things worse. I can’t imagine him playing against Colorado, and I can’t imagine the team winning without him. I can’t even imagine them winning against RSL, let alone in SuperLiga.

(Question: I don’t know how I missed the last substitution, but I did. How did Alan Gordon end up on the field for Kyle Martino? What the hell was Yallop thinking leaving Beckham on?)

The first half looked pretty okay, actually. Not great, but not the total meltdown we saw in the second half. (And how about that brawl? Ooh, a headbutt! And didn’t we all know that Kevin Harmse was going to get at least one red before the season was over? What I couldn’t figure out was whether his was deserved or not. With the Chivas guy — whose name is escaping me at the moment — there was no question.)

My heart nearly broke for Kyle Veris after that first goal. I want good things for these players, and for Kyle it ain’t happening, despite managing to get that tall head on several Beckham crosses. For this kind of pain he makes $17,700 a year. Makes me sad.

This kind of game is what happens when you have a team that has pretty much never taken the field together in what, the 21st week of the season?

Like I said: depressed.

Some Related Galaxy Posts:

Category: 2007 Games, League Game Recaps, Player News

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SPAGHETTI ALE

L.A. GALAXY IT MUST BUY DEL PIERO.
FORCE JUVENTUS.
SUNDAY WE HAVE GAINED 5-1 AGAINST THE LIVORNO.
MANY SALUTES TO THE ITALIAN SUPPORTERS IN L.A.
Eugen

Beck's last game at RM - celebrations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
eugen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
justjack

I'm with Mirna (her first comment re: being a long time fan and rough patches but this one is pretty dang rough indeed) ITA. Despite the heartbreak I wish I could have seen the match. No teevee. Seems to me in the no2 TV market in the nation we should at least have a local broadcast... KCAL used to do it. Anyone know why MLS is relegated to ESPN (who's spotty at best despite their Thursday night special hoohah scam) and FSC week delay fake outs?

Re: Becks, my daughter's club coach who made it finally to the last 30 minutes of the match (a 4.5 hour odessey with the last hour trying to park for $15) says Becks put up plenty of service but no one was capable of delivering. Now, his judgment may admittedly be flawed because he's a Liverpool fan, but from what I saw in NY that assessment seems reasonable. I'm hearing here that he and everyone was jet lagged and beat... dammit, the end-loaded scheduling plus injuries sounds like it's truly a lost cause this season. I still wish I could see the matches though.
rickard

Haha that's true, I once read an interview with a 36-yo player who said he had serious problems getting out of bed every morning, and after he did manage it, his joints were making all sorts of creaky noises for about an hour or so before he sort of got warmed up.
Laurie

"It would be nice to see Beckham go on like one of those Italian playmakers who keep playing in the top flight until they’re 36-37."

Yes, but have you seen Paolo Maldini try to climb stairs? It hurts me just to watch. (He may not be what you mean by "playmaker," but the thought is the same.)
rickard

Diane, I agree with what you're saying, but your angle is to have the optimal performance from the team in each game in this season - my angle is to prolong Beckham's career as long as possible.

Yes the team will probably function best for the remainder of this season if Beckham plays like he usually does, a midfielder with real defensive duties. But play him in the "lazy" fantasista role, and you will be able to get 90 minutes from him in most of the games in the season, and for many seasons to come. It's an arguable tradeoff, but in this special situation I'd say it's worth it. In the long run? I believe the team will benefit from it, if you build it around him. A Beckham firing on all cylinders come the 85th minute will be lethal.

It would be nice to see Beckham go on like one of those Italian playmakers who keep playing in the top flight until they're 36-37.
Nathanhj

I'm so not on the Fire Yallop bandwagon. I've seen the man coach in San Jose. He is class. Whatever mistakes he has made have been minor in comparison with those of the Mouth of the South(land). Fire Lalas. I am tempted to insert descriptions of grievous bodily harm here, but I've decided against it as my current level of anger and frustration would lead to a bloody torture-fest.

In addition to the Lalas Destruction Factor, we also have the injury factor. Not only were all the experienced attackers injured for the first month of the season, but then the back line got hit as well. Lalas had already screwed the team by making all the changes and depleting the defense so when it happened we were screwed.

This isn't Yallop's fault, whatever decision-making he was doing on playing or not playing Beckham. But seriously, who comes in for Beckham when you are down a goal? And honestly, who can create AT ALL in the midfield except him? Personally I would have rested Becks, but I'm no coach and I'm certainly not a coach who needs wins playing my team's biggest and most hated rival.

This is the Lost Season, folks. Scheduling, injuries, and the Lalas Destruction Factor have contributed to this. Let's win the Superliga and call it a season. Build for next year. (HA! Since we traded all of our promising rookies for some shiny glass beads and a really cool friendship bracelet while pressing ourselves against the salary cap, this might be a tall order.)
Diane

Rickard, I'll go a little further to say that Beckham's tackling isn't always the best thing for the team (given defenders who are better at it than him at any rate). He has a great eye for where there's danger and how to get out of it, as Donovan says, and the tracking back is fine when he's on a team where he's doing it to support someone moving up to create a chance, but otherwise you're right. On the other hand, look at the defensive line AND the defensive abilities of the midfield Totti plays with...it wouldn't be easy on this team, at least until they get a chance to see if they can jell together better.
Dave

Well this LA Galaxy team has to be the worst ever! Sigi and Steve must be laughing. All of the hype and all of Alexi Lalas' nosense will do nothing to get them into the payoffs. Yallop and Lalas have gutted this team. With the exception of Abel the team has no worthy defenders. It's time to get rid of Lalas and Yallop. We deserve a Galaxy team that's watchable. It's truly a shame.
michael

time to can alexi for this mess.
Dave Martinez

My respect for Beckham has gone up ten fold after that game - I didnt think I could respect em anymore than I already do, but wow, look at what he has done the last two days. Even Landycakes looked beat, and he came on as a sub (and dont give me that Charter Flight v. Coach argument!)

Cannon comes to play everygame and is the BEST keeper in MLS.

Becks needs more midfield help.

And a taller forward to target.

Just as long as it isnt Altidore . . .
rickard

Along from the comments on not playing Beckham when he's injured, I also think he should get the "Totti treatment". Play him in a free role with absolutely zilch, zero defensive duties. He's always been a hardworking guy so it'll go against his nature but if I were the manager I'd absolutely forbid him to do any back tracking or attempt any tackles. Save all that energy for the offense and let the tough guys deal with defending the midfield.
Mirna

If there was one positive thing out of tonight's game, I would say it was seeing Cobi back. His leadership is so needed. Beckham definitely has my respect for coming back and playing but I cannot understand why he played 90 minutes. His face on those last few minutes was killing me...his pain is obvious. Like you guys have said, the team has problems not only playing but with management. I can't get over it...I just hope I can sleep and stop thinking about it.
Diane

BTW, didn't bring up the England Team only because this isn't their site, but obviously the same standard should hold. And Beckham has even less control over his international career, since FIFA rules that any player called has to at least show up for national "duty" unless they formally retire from international play. (I'm having flash-backs to depressing old boxing movies...this can't be good.)
Diane

Beckham might not have a next season if he continues to be misused, as Chris puts it, instead of cared for as if he has any value to his club beyond the next televised match. HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH HIS OWN INJURY!!! He's supposed to be exactly as crazy to play as he is, and he's supposed to have a COACH MANAGE HIM! And if the coach is under so much pressure from higher up, wherever that is, that he fields an injured player instead of insisting a line be drawn, he's not strong enough to manage a professional team.
Beckham's been living under coach and physio's orders for most of every year since he was 12. Whether he grumbles or hisses, just like any passionate athlete, he would follow the same orders in LA as he has everywhere else.

Especially after being accused of letting fans down, the only way Beckham will step up now is to play. Someone else needs to step up and make decisions regarding when he can.

As to the general post-game depression regarding team play -- couldn't agree more.
Chris

Watching this game, I was wondering which players were actually jet-lagged, because the WHOLE side looked tired.

First off, MAJOR props to Beckham for trying to inspire the side. He is a man among boys right now.

This team needed to be booed off the field, and loudly. That was an absolutely pitiful performance by most of the side. Cannon was great, but he can only do so much. The defense was a shambles, costing one, if not 2 goals. We have no forwards of any creativity, none that want to take a run at defenders, and when they do, they literally run INTO defenders, versus around them. My only other bright spot seems to be Randolph. He has a lot of potential at the left-back position. Oh, and Klein on the right? Slow, slow, SLOW! If anyone should be calling it a career after the end of this season, it's him.

Memo to Alexi: FIRE YALLOP ALREADY!!! If Becks can't play on Saturday because of the complete misuse of the subs, then it's HIS fault! This team plays with no heart, no passion, no desire to send a message to the other side. They're down 0-3, yet they're knocking the ball around the park like they were up 3-0.
Mirna

I am beyond being depressed. It is terribly difficult to be a supportive fan of this team. I've been a supporter/fan since the beginning in 1996 and we have gone through our rough patches but this is way too much. We are allowing silly goals plus we weren't even attempting to take the opportunities that Beckham was creating. Now we have Colorado and Real Salt Lake in front of us and I can't imagine us winning both games and we NEED to. A friend of mine, and huge fan of the Galaxy, said to me "Lalas took apart this team and we he put it back together, there were some screws missing"...I thought it was funny but now it is beginning to sound right. Whatever happened to my beloved team??
Jasmine

great game for chivas galindo was class and so was mendoza with his assist and first goal .
Geoff

I agree, very depressing match. Beckham and Donovan both looked beat down. And Chivas is clearly the better team right now. As far as Becks goes, with the way the schedule plays out...I don't see him getting healthy until the off-season for MLS which is unfortunate but I think NEXT season will be when we see more class from him. This year it is kind of the 'honeymoon' stage, but if LA keeps losing, I don't care if Beckham is playing or not. Fans will stop showing up to pay lots of money to watch your home team lose 3-0 at home, against your city rival. Tough game to enjoy tonight. Although Galindo's second goal was class.