Journey's End For Galaxy

Beckham to Keane to Donovan. Goal! Championship…



Yes, Los Angeles does have a championship team this year!

It is only fitting that the Los Angeles Galaxy’s three designated players would combine for the only goal of the 2011 MLS Cup, enabling the Galaxy to defeat the Houston Dynamo this past week 1-0.

The three questions asked in this blog at the beginning of the year (Is Donovan still likeable? Does Beckham still have it? Can the team improve?) can now all be answered with an emphatic YES! World class midfielders Landon Donovan and David Beckham had career years, and the team improved dramatically when Irish international Robbie Keane joined the team in August.

Coach Bruce Arena employed a counter-attacking style with the Galaxy. With the league’s best defense (defenders Omar Gonzalez and Todd Dunivant joined Becks and Dono in the MLS Best XI list) containing the opposing team and controlling the ball, Beckham could utilize his patented set piece and passing abilities to place the ball anywhere on the pitch, giving his teammates a chance to score. At first only Donovan could score with any regularity, but with Keane’s arrival the opposing defense was stretched even further, allowing other Galaxy players to score as well.

And at the end of Beckham’s historic five-year contract, one can see the positive changes for the Galaxy and Major League Soccer. MLS matches are shown world-wide, league attendance is up 7% and the Galaxy have just completed a $55 million television deal.

If Beckham doesn’t re-sign with the Galaxy, the team is still in a good position to move forward without him. He has earned the right to play or retire wherever and whenever he chooses. However, he has stated he does enjoy living in the laid back SoCal area, and that’s a good enough reason to stay. After all, I moved back here too!