Posted Jan 19, 2012, 4:17 pm
The news first hit the Twitterverse last night and was confirmed by the team on their website today: David Beckham will be returning to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The move was not a total surprise. Last month's speculation that the former England captain will be moving to FC Paris Saint-Germain fizzled, which led many to think that Beckham would re-sign with the Galaxy. The only surprise was that Beckham's deal is for two years rather than the expected one, which would mean he will be near his 39th birthday when his contract expires.
In an online chat today, Beckham pointed to his family as the reason why he wants to stay in Los Angeles.
"My family are happiest here in the moment. We love living in LA and living in America. We’ve adapted to the culture and adapted to everything this country has and we’ve enjoyed that. I’m going to continue to enjoy playing soccer here and my family will continue to enjoy it," he said in a Google+ chat streamed live on YouTube Thursday afternoon.
Beckham has 74 appearances with the Galaxy and in his time with the team has tallied 11 goals and 31 assists.
And yep, that means...
So, will Beckham be coming to play in the Desert Diamond Cup with his fellow Galaxy players?
Organizers have been careful to point out that the Desert Diamond Cup is not an exhibition game, it is preseason training. One part of this is a deal with the teams that there would not be demands that certain players would have to make an appearance.
"The games are there to prepare for the season," emphasized Greg Foster, managing partner for FC Tucson on Thursday after the Beckham news broke.
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However, the timing of the Desert Diamond Cup means it will be the last chance for coaches to have their full squads play before the beginning of the season. There is even more pressure on the Galaxy: their opening match in the CONCACAF Champions League is on March 7, four days after the Desert Diamond Cup Final.
This scheduling means that it's likely that the Galaxy's full squad, including Beckham, will be playing at some point.
'Bigger than the game itself'
Foster and the rest of the game's organizers have been emphasizing that Tucsonans will see quality soccer no matter who shows up, but he had to admit that Beckham is a bit of a special case.
"All of these teams have interesting players, but when you have Beckham come to town you have something bigger than the game itself," he said.
It's the "something bigger" that presents some special issues for organizers, but not ones that they didn't face last year. Last year's event featured French international Thierry Henry and Mexican great Rafael Márquez. Special preparations had to be made for both players, particularly Márquez, who attracted throngs of Mexican fans.
"We'll be providing security for the players. We're mindful of the attention they will recieve," Foster said. "Attention" is an understated description of the crowd that awaited Márquez outside the final last year.
Still, Foster wants the players to be accessible.
"The players need to be safe but the fan experience needs to be special and personal."
By the way, this year's matches will again feature Henry and Márquez with the rest of the New York Red Bulls.
The Jim Delsing of Soccer, and he's an Arizonan
Beckham's first game with the Galaxy was not a Major League Soccer contest, but an exhibition match against English club Chelsea FC.
On July 21, 2007, Beckham was substituted for Alan Gordon. Gordon grew up in Gilbert and played at Yavapai College for two years before moving on to Oregon State. He played six seasons with the Galaxy but currently plays for the San Jose Earthquakes.
2 comments on this story
Join the official supporters group of FC Tucson and the MLS Desert Cup today.
http://cactuspricks.com/
Try to contain yourself fanboy.