Beckham Will Help Galaxy, But Not Tonight - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Okay, so I was wrong.

The ankle wasn't going to stop him. The rain wasn't going to stop him, but he's from England, so you knew that. Even Kyle Martino's red card in the 67th minute, leaving the Los Angeles Galaxy down to ten men, wasn't going to stop him.

That said, David Beckham's long-awaited MLS debut ended with a 1-0 loss to D.C. United, much to the delight of the Screaming Eagles and La Barra Brava, the supporters groups making the most noise in RFK Stadium. Luciano Emilio's goal in the 27th minute was the only score, though D.C. seemed to have endless scoring opportunities before Beckham entered the game in the 72nd minute.

From that point on, the tone of the game changed, and not just because the people who came to see the England superstar -- you could see many of them on the sidelines capturing photo and video as Becks warmed up -- screamed every time he touched the ball. The Galaxy's style of play became a lot more fluid with Beckham on the pitch. He patrolled the center of the field, something Sir Alex Ferguson never let him do at Manchester United, like a good quarterback or point guard, directing teammates to where he wanted them and putting the ball in the best possible spots to help them score. His downfield pass to Landon Donovan in the 83rd minute was a thing of beauty, and it probably would have resulted in an equalizer if not for a brave tackle by D.C. goalkeeper Troy Perkins.

As for his ankle, Beckham told ESPN's Allen Hopkins -- who, by the way, is quite dreadful as a sideline reporter -- that it felt pretty good after the game. He wasn't grimacing on that ankle, and his most pained look was directed at referee Jair Marrufo, whom he thought should have awarded Donovan a free kick after Perkins' tackle.

We're going to see much more of David Beckham in the coming weeks. Instead of just playing in New York, he'll probably start, and then we'll see what the Galaxy really becomes. Make no mistake, this is Beckham's team now, and judging from how this side looked without him, the Galaxy will improve with him patrolling the middle of the pitch, but it will take some time. L.A. may not make the playoffs in 2007, but you can be sure a fully fit Beckham will lead them there in 2008.

In the meantime, expect the use of YouTube and Flickr to increase dramatically in the Washington, D.C. area tonight. If there was this much amateur footage of the Kennedy assassination, we'd never have to wonder about that grassy knoll.