Bounce It Like Beckham

Posted by Footy Factor in Featured Articles, MLS, Submitted By You, Videos on September 1st, 2009 | no responses

Since his return to the Galaxy from Milan, David Beckham’s MLS highlights include two much publicized altercations with fans, 1 red card and 1 assist in 6 league matches. Not quite the stuff of football legend. But no one knows how to bounce back better than Becks. Golden Balls did it again Saturday night notching the 79th minute winner in front of a sold-out Home Depot Center against intra-Hollywood rivals, Chivas USA. The shot was no classic Beckham bender, but rather more of a bouncer. Loitering on the edge of the box, Becks struck a powerful half-volley straight into the ground with the ball bouncing off the surface, over a crowded penalty box and into the corner of the goal.

In case you haven’t been following Becks in the US… The Galaxy has been a laughing stock ever since Beckham’s arrival in the States two summers ago. They showed signs of life during the early part of last season but things quickly took a turn for the worse. Half-assed training methods, ineffective player acquisitions, and rumors of player unrest soon affected team performances. Ruud Gullit was replaced by Bruce Arena, and the former US National Team manager took on the unenviable task of stopping the rot.

Arena promptly revamped the roster calling in some “old reliables” (we stress the word “old”) from those 1999-2006 National Team days. To shore up LA’s leaky defense, Arena convinced Eddie Lewis to return from England, and Gregg Berhalter to quit Germany. Racking up 4 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws since Becks’ return, the club is this season poised to compete for the title. While the former Man U and Real man has hardly been the star of the show, Saturday night’s strike is a promising first step toward redemption.