WASHINGTON -- David Beckham had let enough fans down. He was
ready to play in his first Major League Soccer game, despite the
sore ankle and a downpour that reminded him of home made him even
more eager to take the field.
The English midfielder played the final 21 minutes in the Los
Angeles Galaxy's 1-0 loss to D.C. United at soggy RFK Stadium on
Thursday night, the biggest debut for a foreign star in a U.S.
soccer league since Pele arrived in 1975.
"It's not nice to disappoint people," Beckham said. "It's not
nice to disappoint people that paid a lot of money to come and see
the game. I was glad to get on the pitch tonight. It was a good
night, but it was a bad night, too, because we ended up losing the
game."
Beckham joined the Galaxy last month but his left ankle, healing
from a June injury, had limited him to one exhibition game.
Afterward, he spoke of perhaps playing an entire half on Sunday at
New England and an entire game Aug. 18 at New York.
"There's was tenderness; there was hesitation," Beckham said.
"I hadn't played for eight weeks, hadn't trained for eight weeks.
I was happy to get out there and get at least 20 minutes."
The sellout crowd of 46,686, who waited anxiously to see if this
would be the night Beckham would finally play in a competitive
match, roared when the 32-year-old star stripped off his warmup
jacket and T-shirt, displaying his bare chest, and prepared to
enter as a second-half substitute. The three-time World Cup
veteran, his hair closely cropped and stubble on his face, then put
on his No. 23 jersey and replaced Quavas Kirk in the 72nd minute.
By then, the rain had soaked everyone, but that didn't deter
Beckham.
"It was the biggest raindrops I've ever seen -- much bigger than
back home," he said. "It made it enjoyable. I'm used to that sort
of weather, so it was nice to go out there. I like it when the
ground's wet anyway."
The crowd cheered and flashbulbs popped every time Beckham
touched the ball, but he wasn't able to make much of an impact for
a Galaxy team that was shut out for the second straight game and is
3-6-5, the second-poorest record in the league. Beckham's task was
made more difficult because the Galaxy were playing with 10 men
following midfielder Kyle Martino's ejection for a hard tackle on
Fred in the 67th minute.
The former captain of England's national team did get one free
kick, but it from 40 yards out -- too far to "Bend It Like
Beckham" and into the goal. He served it into the penalty area,
where Carlos Pavon headed the ball over the crossbar.
Beckham also played a pass half the length of the field to
American star Landon Donovan, who tripped over goalkeeper Troy
Perkins at the corner of the penalty area. Beckham raised both
arms, angry that a foul wasn't called. And two minutes into injury
time, he lofted a ball for Pavon into the area.
"We have to look forward to the next game and work hard because
it's a process that we have to get right," he said. "And we will,
because we've got a lot of talent in this team. It's just about
getting it onto the pitch and proving it to people."
Beckham and coach Frank Yallop both felt the Galaxy should have
received one -- possibly two -- penalty kicks for fouls against
Donovan.
"That can't be missed," Yallop said. "It cost us the match."
Looking on was England coach Steve McClaren, who is interested
in Beckham's status for an Aug. 22 exhibition against Germany and
European Championship qualifiers against Israel on Sept. 8 and
Russia four days later. Beckham planned to meet with McClaren after
the game.
"He'll only judge me off seeing me play, seeing me get minutes
on the pitch," Beckham said. "That's the only way he can be
confident I can be in the squad."
The game's only goal was scored by Luciano Emilio in the 27th
minute, his league-leading 13th.
Beckham's appearance was the latest milestone in his move to the
United States, a signing that has created unprecedented publicity
for a league that hopes to elevate itself above niche status in a
crowded sports landscape. The debut had been delayed by a sprained
ankle, sustained while playing for England on June 6 and aggravated
in his Real Madrid finale 11 days later.
Since joining the Galaxy, Beckham had made only a 16-minute
appearance as a substitute against England's Chelsea. He then
missed all three of the Galaxy's SuperLiga games as well as
Sunday's scoreless MLS draw at Toronto.
The crowd was the fourth largest to watch an MLS game at RFK,
and more than twice United's previous largest home draw this year.
Tailgaters took their spots in the parking lots several hours
before kickoff, and a group of United fans -- known to sing loud and
long during every match -- hung a huge banner that read "We sing
better than your wife," a reference to Beckham's pop-singing wife,
Victoria.
Pele's U.S. league debut came on June 18, 1975, for the North
American Soccer League's Cosmos at Downing Stadium on Randalls
Island. Two days earlier, Pele had made his first Cosmos appearance
in a home exhibition against Dallas.