“We are ready to make an offer . . .”

Valentine's day is coming up, time to drop another hint!

Oh, and since bright yellow isn't exactly a stylish color, I wear it either when watching the Galaxy at home, or when subbing in goal for a missing keeper during my league play. It makes a great goalie shirt, nice and bright! :)

Wouldn't THAT be nice! Several years ago I asked my husband for a Landon Donovan training t-shirt for Christmas. I asked for it in May or something. He got one. :) It's the older style when they were wearing a lot of solid yellow. That's the only jersey, or jersey-type Galaxy wear that I have.

You are SO cute. (Shouldn't bloggers at least get their favorite players' jerseys?).

Add me to that fan club, Diane. I'm hoping (I haven't checked the schedule yet) to see the Galaxy play in DC this year, and if I can I'm going to be 12 years-old again and make HUGE Chris Klein poster. He is a class act.

No prob, Jen, I hope that didn't bring on eye strain. More fun to report -- Chris Klein's comments on the situ are floating around somewhere (sorry can't remember, maybe Nick Green?)

Chris is definitely one player who will always be one of my guys ;-) !

Diane, thank you for adding some of the history on Becks for me. That definitely helps to round out my perspective. :)

Look, just sell the guy. The galaxy paid $0 for him so why not cash in on this flop? And with Donovan most likely staying in Germany(as he deserves), the Galaxy should have a lot of cap room to work with. And with a need for an attacking option, why not try and land Ronnie O'Brien. He would be great as a CAM. We could pay him what he deserves and it would be a good way to heat up the rivalry with San Jose.

The only problem is that even if Beckham had never come to the Galaxy you would still not have the team you had two or three years ago. When Beckham arrived the Galaxy were doing terribly without having him apparently drag the team into the dirt. And it certainly appeared that Galaxy management were deep into dismantling the team well before the DP rule was put in place.

Jen, I agree with you about believing Beckham still loves the game and also that, as an athlete, he probably made a mistake in leaving Europe. But his last couple of seasons worth of Real Madrid management and politics were horrendous, the weeks before he signed for LA had been torture for the entire team, and, of course, he had no idea he would be called up for England again. When he was forced to make a decision, he was given around ten days and both Beckham and the Galaxy have since admitted that the choice between Milan and LA came down to minutes before the contract was signed.

It seemed back then like he chose the States because it felt less complicated, more fun, someplace he could play every day, walk down the street without causing a riot, and push the sport he loved (which he'd done for so many years as England captain). A lot of people thought that neither party, Beckham or MLS, knew what it was getting itself into. Apart from the football itself, the culture, geography, weather, timetable, media habits are so different in the States than anywhere Beckham had been before -- and that's not counting the Keystone Kops level errors made by Galaxy, MLS and his own management. You don't have to be extremely stupid to miss some of that call. As to lacking forethought, look up eternal optimist with blinders on and Beckham will top the list.

The one thing Beckham could not have come to MLS for, and the most enduring popular theory, was the money. Although his wages are staggering in this league, they are less than half of what he would have earned if he had accepted any of the other offers made him, in some cases significantly less. In terms of endorsement income the US is the only major market in the world where his potential had not yet been tested -- literally since every sponsor MLS originally listed as a source of his 200 or so million in "possible earnings" was one he brought to the deal with him. If he had played in any other league in the world he would have had the same sponsors as well as an established market.

I've no doubt that Adidas were huge supporters of him eventually moving to the States with them, but he was still making them more money in Europe than any other player on their roster so I doubt they were pushing him across the pond early. Manchester United, Real Madrid, even England, and certainly the Galaxy sought to use Beckham to open doors for them in Asia. (The others were more successful because Asian fans like good football along with their Becks, but even with the poor planning of that first tour MLS still has its foot through the door).

Laurie, in terms of world-wide exposure, true, I only read the English and Spanish press, but I'm not the only person who can attest to the fact that Beckham didn't need the U.S. to become a "world-wide superstar again." He got less coverage after joining MLS, not more, most of the world truly did think he was retiring here and that he had lost his game -- something both statistics and match reports would have backed up if anyone outside of the U.S. was paying attention. The one thing in the rest of the football world people hadn't stopped talking about yet when Beckham signed for the Galaxy, was Beckham -- as you can attest to by the number of hits this blog got every time you put his name in the headline (well that and the word penis, which will never lose its high profile -- hopefully...can I make a joke about not underperforming here too or are we being too serious...ok not possible...as you were, imagine as you will...):) .

You pointed out during our little chat on the MLS offside page that we disagree because Beckham is my guy while the rest of the Galaxy and fans are yours. The funny thing though, is that they way I know Beckham is from the days when he played for ManU, my guys' hated rivals -- I'm a born Liverpool supporter as you know. We withstood Beckham then because we supported England and he did a lot for our boys in the England camp. When he joined Real Madrid I could view him just like any of the England squad -- all of whom I keep an eye on wherever they play (as always as long as its not against LFC).

I've added quite a few Galaxy players, some gone even during my short time following the team, to my keep an eye on list, and as I've said before, even with the dismal record I really enjoyed seeing how so many stepped up, and how bravely.

I don't think LA should keep Beckham. I think the Galaxy would be much better served with the cash for a more reasonably distributed payroll and a better balanced, more consistent, team. Also some amount of privacy to focus completely training and each match.

Note: Beckham's football manager, Terry Byrne, who stays with him through whatever team and whatever management company, and is said to be one of the genuinely nicest men in sports, recommended Ruud Gullit after Frank left(?) and Klinsmann turned down the job. I would like to have said it was the evil-seeming Simon Fuller, but it was Byrne who made the introduction. Not the hire, but that still relates it to Beckham's management, and true it was a disaster. For the entire team, fans, and even casual observers suffered. But did anyone think it was a bad idea at the outset? I truly hope Arena works out and that he gets to build a real team (with whatever personnel he has come March).

Oh, and P.S? I wonder if he went into Milan and gave all of his new teammates gift bags that included his cologne? And if not, why not?

Evan, according to an article about Twellman trying to escape the Revs, the team would have gotten 2/3 of transfer fees, MLS 1/3. I have never seen anything official, but since that was from ESPN I'd guess it's close.

About Beckham to MLS. Remember that when he signed, he'd been dropped from the England squad by Steve McClaren -- probably because he was the WC 2006 scapegoat, but also because he was underperforming -- and benched by Fabio Capello at Madrid, also due to a mixture of scapegoating and underperforming. The Galaxy then went in with lots of flattery and huge amounts of money, and Beckham bit.

Then things changed.

Am I wrong to think that he used MLS to get back in the spotlight and get people talking about him again? (Not that he didn't then start playing well and earn the respect -- he did, particularly at first.)

I don't think he consciously intended to take advantage of the situation that allowed him to become a worldwide superstar again, but what it comes down to is that's what happened. If he'd gone straight to Milan, he'd be just another of Milan's over-the-hill superstars, like Shevchenko or Ronaldo or Ronaldinho. But he's not, in the world's view, because so much was made of him here. And now he can capitalize on that.

And LA is left with a team that was completely destroyed so it could be rebuilt around him. Except that the whole rebuilding part never happened. And Beckham is jumping ship.

I'm also wondering how blameless Beckham was in all this. Lalas certainly implied -- with comments along the lines of "No player is bigger than the team" -- that he wasn't, and that he was a disruptive influence. (Although I'm sure there was a huge CYA element in that, it's impossible to tell how much.)

I've also read rumors that Beckham had something to do with bringing in Ruud Gullit, who had a lot to do with dismantling what little was actually working in 2007 rather than building on it. He also never made any attempt to learn the MLS way of doing things or to work within the system that's in place. If Beckham was involved in that, he deserves a lot of blame for what happened. If not, I'll cut him a little slack and see him as almost as much a victim of the other players.

The real losers in this fiasco, though? The fans. What a disaster, start to finish.

Fabio, you have a very good point. I guess the issue I have is, how did Beckham not realize that MLS wasn't going to work for him? I mean, he isn't stupid -- not really. Sure, I bet the money was a draw for him, but somehow he HAD to realize that he would in no way feel fulfilled as a player -- at least not as long as he still had the legs and talent to play for an AC Milan or Real Madrid. So why did he come? Did someone give him THE perfect PR pitch? Because, as he's said himself, if it comes down to the money or the football, he's going to choose football. He loves the game. Yes, he loves the money too. But I believe he really loves the game and wants to play to his full potential while he still can. As an athlete I totally get that.

Maybe I'm being soft on him (well, except for insinuating that he's a bit stupid and lacks forethought). Time will tell.

It's just too sad to think of Becks coming back to Galaxy or MLS. He's better than that, and he belongs with a better team and better league. He's played every Milan match so far, with 2 goals, and they think he's useful. No matter what you feel about this man, either team, or either league it's completely absurd for any of you to slander his performance on the pitch. I mean have you even watched his strong performance this month? His MLS experiment didn't work, and true football fans should support his moving on, instead of calling him names he doesn't deserve. Let's embrace the honest position of minor league MLS in the world football hierarchy instead of stamping our little feet and insisting that a great footballer, or great manager should find a way to be happy at HDC, working for AEG, playing with $17k / year teammates. Why did we ever expect Becks or Ruud to enjoy their time here?

Screw Beckham! What a two face backstabbing liar. He comes here rambling on and on about how this is a big effort to grow the sport and make Soccer a premier sport in the US and then he goes off to Italy and starts calling that his "dream move". I hope he goes to Milan and rots on the bench while never getting any callups to the England Squad. At least if said it was all about the money in the first place I would still respect him.

And another reason I love Chris Klein: (in reference to Donovan) "I hope that he goes," said midfielder Chris Klein. "I think MLS owes him the opportunity to look at a deal that would be fair for both sides. They owe him that like they owe everyone else that."

From Andrea Canales' Canales Daily: http://www.goal.com/en-us/news...

Be gone with him. I'd happily go back to the days when every no-talent sports talk host and hack columnist ignored MLS, instead of paying attention once Beckham came and making a pronouncement on ALL of American soccer based on one game they watched when Beckham didn't have a hat trick: "he can't be that good!" And god, that $250 million figure was the worst thing of the whole deal. They're still talking about that like it was the actual amount in his contract.

Any money would be going to MLS, correct? Let the league get some more cash, AEG will save money on his contract, and let's get a decent DP. But as long as we have AEG, the team is still going to be run by a bunch of clowns.

Ugh. http://www.mls-daily.com/

". . .I have to admit that, having played in Europe, it’s a bit frustrating in some matches. But every now and then, moving from state to state, I have enjoyed myself.”

Every now and then? He does not sound like a happy man in MLS. It sounds like he thinks he made a mistake. And with the money he, personally, has, and the money Milan or another club could stand to gain by signing him, it seems that buying himself out of his MLS contract isn't a matter of if, but when.

If this all happens and we go looking for another DP,
we should be looking for a dominant center back or
center mid who can control the flow of the game. The
talent up front is sometimes raw but it's enough to
break down most MLS defenses if the flow of the game
and be controlled by the D or the midfield.

I say let them both go take the money sign one good DP and build a strong fast team.

***make that a LARGE European pond...

And now that I think about it, let's take that $9 million and go sign Michael Owen or a Darren Huckerby type guy.

P.S.: Tally Hall is back in the MLS, playing for the Dynamo. He was drafted by LA, I don't know why we didn't make a stronger push for him to come back, 'specially since we need a good #1 keeper so badly...

Aren't there tampering rules with player contracts? Is that just in UEFA or do the Galaxy have an actual gripe? If Becks wants to leave so bad, let him leave. Let's sue AC Milan for tampering, take their $9 million, tell Becks to hit the road, and let him enjoy being a small fish in a small European pond.

I get the feeling that he'll miss the feeling of being the #1 player in the USA and he'll be reminded of how harsh European media and fans can be. They'll soon be calling him old and overrated just like they did when he was at ManU and Real Madrid.

SEE YA BECKS.

I just want Sigi Schmid back. Worst...firing...ever!

See ya, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

LEt them take this old rusty complexed basterdo! we dont need him, what we need is to nurture our young and make LA Galaxy a team not like MAN U or Chelsea or Milan , but more like Spoting Lisbon or Barca, who who takes pride in making talent!

I agree with you, Soto. I don't want anything to screw up a move for Landon.

Oh, I meant to say that I believe Donovan deserves a shot at European play. I'll miss watching him at the HDC, but I think a move is best for him and the national team. That's why I don't want a Beckham to Milan deal to interfere.

As to losing Becklham, I am with you Jen: I just want a winning team.

I just hope that any Beckham deal doesn't ruin a move to Munich for Donovan, should Bayern Munich make an offer. I worry about how possesive the MLS and/or Galaxy might be of Donovan.