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On July 16, 2009, L.A. Galaxy supporters were treated to a display of football that hasn’t been seen from this team since the days of of Sigi Schmid. The Galaxy finally showed what was possible from this collection of players, by defeating the New York Red Bulls with class and style. Yes, it was just the Red Bulls, who are definitely a cursed team this season. But, there’s been a return of team unity and organization to the Galaxy that hasn’t been seen in 2 or 3 seasons. With the return of David Beckham, and Landon Donovan’s coming back from Gold Cup duty, there were many questions to be answered (and, I’m not talking at all about the media antics revolving around the supposed Beckham/Donovan war of words).

Coming off a three game winning streak, the Galaxy were in a commanding lead by half-time, 3-nil. Goals scored by Eskandarian (3rd minute), Donovan (31st minute), and Lewis (45th minute) showed that the players are growing more confident and this reflects in their abilities to take chances. Either Eskandarian or Donovan should win goal of the week. The defense did a great job of staying organized and containing the overlapping runs of Jorge Rojas and Juan Pablo Angel. In addition to some outstanding saves by Donovan Ricketts in goal (man of the match, in my opinion), I can’t help but think that the defense is bolstered by knowing that there is such an outstanding net minder behind them.

Even though Beckham was not match fit, there was a noticeable difference in the way the team played with him on the field. I was more anxious to see how newly acquired Chris Birchall would do for the team. Having big man Edson Buddle and speedy Eskandarian up front were sure-fire targets for Beckham’s long passes over the top. This is a weapon put to good use when the opponent is someone like New York (and, by the way, a preseason, less-than-fit AC Milan). Birchall came in for Beckham in the 70th minute and showcased a “muscle-in-the-middle” mentality as well as some nice distribution that will be required for more daunting opponents. He will be a better asset to this team that Beckham’s long balls but you probably won’t hear that from Max Bretos or Christopher Sullivan on FSC.

The team is looking much better and more cohesive that they’ve looked in a long time. This is clearly a new direction for the LA Galaxy. However, something still lingers.

I’ve been reading the controversial book The Beckham Experiment and I’m probably only a third of the way through. Its all background material in the beginning but I think I can see where Grant Wahl is going with his thesis. I hope its the same conclusion that I’ve reached. As much as people like Alexi Lalas and Tim Leiweke preach about the virtues of exposure and that mere exposure leads to credibility in the American populace, I think it does the opposite. By turning the league into the latest brand of reality TV, it becomes one more thing we’ll forget about in less time that it took to “build the brand”. I know I’m not the first to come to this conclusion.

We’ve become accustomed to using popular culture as a way to communicate with one another. If I’m making small talk with someone, I might bring up a Seinfeld quote, or talk about what Conan O’Brien joked about the night before. They might bring up the latest contestant on America’s Got Talent. Its surface level news that won’t be relevant a year from now. By pushing MLS into the discussion this way, by just being on everyone’s entertainment radar, I fear we’re making it much less relevant in the long run.

Contrast that idea of exposure to what other professional leagues in the United States enjoy. They have their time on Sports Center and talk radio, not because they made their star players into multi-millionaires and pushed themselves in the water cooler discussion, but because they have a long history of being legitimate leagues and they’ve built their fan bases accordingly. Thinking about the long history of the established football clubs in Europe and South American, the idea of just pushing a brand onto a populace seems so strange. Maybe MLS doesn’t have the time to build credibility this way. Other sports would continue to push it out of the limelight. Maybe; maybe not. I would much rather continue with the growth that the league has enjoyed over its short 12 year history and hope for the day when recreational leagues and club teams translate into a wider adult audience. Kurt Streeter, at the LA Times, seems to think the same way.

My support of the Galaxy has waned, but not abated, since the arrival of Beckham. I’ve been a supporter since the very first season and to see what happened during the Lalas years (as a GM, not as a player) was heart breaking. Beckham was definitely a good addition to this team, but because of the salary cap, all of the supporting cast were journeymen players at best. Somehow, LA has figured out how to put a quality team on the field with two high-salaried spots for Donovan and Beckham.

Its become a love/hate relationship for me. I stand firmly with the Riot Squad in their booing of Beckham during his first game back at the Home Depot Center on July 19th, 2009. We, the fans, have been here since April. The team has been here. Where has he been? Off playing for another team. Why wouldn’t a real supporter “boo”? The people cheering were only cheering for him, not the team. That’s the point. He ought to feel ashamed, not comfortable. He put his career above the team in chasing the spotlight in Europe. Its certainly understandable that he would want to be back in the England national team but he signed a contract to play for the Galaxy – plain and simple. The Galaxy have played for half a season now and he hasn’t been around. That fact alone shows that his talk about helping the team doesn’t hold any water. If he wants to help the team, then help the team. If not, then get out. The rumor seems to be that he didn’t want to come back. Perhaps the people who are making tons of cash by his exposure here won’t let him go. Just another reason to call this league “Mickey Mouse”.

This team has taken a new direction. Hopefully, the management and marketers will too.

Elsewhere: Booing LA Galaxy Fans Tell David Beckham How They Feel at Bleacher Report

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