Source: GMA News
LOS ANGELES - David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy beat Houston 1-0 on Sunday to win Major League Soccer's MLS Cup, giving the English superstar the Hollywood ending he sought to his ground-breaking Galaxy deal.
Landon Donovan's 72nd-minute goal, from a pass by Irish international Robbie Keane, was enough to secure the victory for the Galaxy.
Beckham and his Galaxy mates will have little time to celebrate, as they are scheduled to embark on an Asian tour that will include a friendly match against the Philippine Azkals at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on December 3.
Their American championship adds even more buzz and prestige to the much-anticipated match in Manila. The Younghusband brothers from England, Azkals stars, idolized fellow Briton Beckham while growing up.
Beckham, who won six Premiership titles with Manchester United and a Spanish League title with Real Madrid, captured his first MLS championship in the final match of his five-year deal.
The triumph put the finishing touches to a season in which the Galaxy produced the best regular-season record in the league and were unbeaten at home.
The lone goal of the match came as Beckham headed a ball to Keane, who ran into the area and fed Donovan, who fired home.
When the final whistle blew, Beckham wrapped his arms around Donovan and lifted him off his feet in celebration.
Donovan paid tribute to his "warrior-like" teammate, saying Beckham injured a hamstring earlier in the week and was "playing on one leg."
Beckham himself was just happy to claim the title so widely predicted when he arrived Stateside to great fanfare in 2007 -- a move that raised the profile of MLS with US sports fans and opened the door for other marquee international players to follow.
"It's about time," said Beckham, who could yet have a sequel with the Galaxy if team officials can persuade him to return after his contract expires at the end of December.
Beckham, who is also being wooed by French club Paris Saint-Germain, preferred to celebrate rather than speculate on his future.
"I'm glad all the hard work of the season paid off," he said.
"I play the game to win. Whether I stay or not I've had an amazing five years," added Beckham, who was serenaded by chants of "We want Beckham" after the final whistle blew.
A record crowd of 30,281 turned out at the Home Depot Center, undaunted by the rain that pelted Los Angeles all day.
The fact that the stadium had been selected in advance to hold the championship match was a bit of serendipity for the Galaxy, making it a virtual home fixture for them.
Houston suffered another blow when they lost leading scorer Brad Davis to a torn quadriceps in the Eastern Conference championship match.
Los Angeles dominated play in a scoreless first half but couldn't capitalize.
Beckham delivered a corner directly to forward Adam Cristman's head in the 12th minute but Cristman -- replacing injured Chad Barrett in the starting lineup -- missed.
In the 27th, he was unable to finish another header after Beckham lofted a pass to him, and he then misplayed a ball from Donovan in front of the goal after slipping on the wet pitch.
Keane, who this month helped Ireland book their Euro 2012 berth, appeared to score in the 56th but the goal was ruled offside.
Showing posts with label LA Galaxy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LA Galaxy. Show all posts
Source: GMA News
The United Football League (UFL) revealed on Wednesday that coming elimination matches originally scheduled at the Rizal football stadium will instead be at the University of Makati football field.
“In preparation for the LA Galaxy vs. Azkals Match, Rizal Memorial has advised the UFL not to use the pitch," the UFL said in a Facebook post.
UFL teams will return to the Rizal pitch on December 5 after the friendly game between the Philippine men’s national football team—the Azkals—and the LA Galaxy of the United States’ Major League Soccer.
The December 5 games will be for the semifinals of the current UFL Cup, wherein 28 football teams and clubs are competing in seven groups. The tournament is nearing the end of its elimination stage's Round of 16, with only six games yet to be played.
