Beckham is quite a different story. He has repeatedly stated his commitment to the Galaxy and intent to return. I think there is less chance Milan would want to keep him long term, as they have other options. Beckham’s compensation here also goes well beyond his salary and I think he has more incentive to remain.

Marco, I think most of us feel that Donovan will not return. And as much as we will miss him, we hope he can get a position in Europe either with Bayern Munich, or with another top tier team. It’s true he is on loan — but no one has denied that he is looking for a full time position in Europe.

Beckham is another story, at least for now. He is definitely on loan for now. Real Madrid would love to keep him. He might want to be kept. But I *think* his commitment to the Galaxy is genuine — at least for another season. If he were to picked up by Real though, they would have one helluva salary to pick up as well.

So far it looks as though Bruce Arena is expecting Beckham to return. His signings, so far, indicate that he’s looking for more defensive support, especially in midfield, that would allow Beckham creative free rein in the midfield. We will see.

For myself, I’d like to see Beckham return and I’d like to see the Galaxy put together some solid, respectable soccer. I don’t care about flashy soccer — and with Beckham on the field there are bound to be flashy moments from time to time — I just want to see solid, competitive soccer.

Also I’d recommend checking out Big Soccer – in the Yanks Abroad Gameday forum. There’s always a game thread and several people will post several links to streams of the game.

Officially and bureaucratically-speaking though, both players are out on loan during the off-season right? Only if AC Milan and Bayern sign them on a permanent basis will they stay in Europe. Which brings me to another question (pardon my MLS-ignorance): will those clubs have to pay LA Galaxy a transfer fee, and if so how much do you think that will be?

Nicole, how did you view the game, if you don’t mind me asking. I’m looking for ways to watch the Bayern Munich games while Donovan is paying — and hopefully that will be for a long time.

He got tired in the second half and it showed – plus with all the subs, it was really disjointed and not a good half. but it seems Klinsi is trying to get landon match fit asap.