The largest crowd for an MLS regular season game at Giants Stadium came out in droves to see superstar David Beckham. Every free kick, every corner kick, every touch of the ball brought with it thousands of flashbulbs and the hopes of seeing something brilliant.
Beckham did play a part in three goals and the crowd, many of whom were there for their first MLS game, witnessed an offensive explosion by both teams in an entertaining 5-4 New York Red Bulls win against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night.
While most in the massive crowd of 66,237 were there to see something brilliant off a Beckham free kick, it was another former English Premiership standout who delivered the game-winner as Juan Pablo Angel followed Clint Mathis' saved shot and pushed the ball in off Joe Cannon in the 88th minute for his second goal of the match.
Angel was one of three players with a pair of goals on the night. Teammate Jozy Altidore also scored twice in the second half as the Red Bulls took a two-goal lead with 20 minutes left, snapping a 2-2 halftime tie. Carlos Pavon also scored twice as the teams hit for three goals in the opening eight minutes.
Angel also scored the first goal of the game on a free kick in the fourth minute. After Los Angeles defender Ty Harden was issued a yellow card for pulling down Jozy Altidore, Angel stepped up and put a 24-yard free kick through the Galaxy's wall and off the hand of Cannon, who dove to his right.
But the Red Bulls' lead was short lived as the fans were treated to some Beckham magic off his second consecutive corner when the recently anointed Galaxy captain found an unmarked Pavon at the near post for the equalizer two minutes later. His header bounced inside the far post and past Ronald Waterreus, who returned to the lineup after four games.
With the crowd still buzzing over the tying goal, Beckham hooked up with Pavon again. This time he floated a perfect cross from 33 yards out to Pavon, who slipped behind the Red Bulls defense at the far post and headed the ball past Waterreus again.
Beckham, who was polite and accommodating Friday when he took part in a youth clinic in Harlem, showed a fiery streak in the 10th minute, when he screamed at Dave van den Bergh, who came at the England international with a slide tackle. Beckham briefly favored his infamous left ankle, but he remained on the turf.
Galaxy teammate Ante Jazic, though, left the turf seven minutes later on a stretcher, suffering a sprained right ankle on a 50-50 challenge with Angel. He was replaced by Gavin Glinton.
Another Beckham service, this time on a free kick, nearly resulted in another Galaxy goal in the 21st minute. But Waterreus, who had a shaky first half, robbed Alan Gordon at the far post.
Pavon tracked back and cleared a shot by Jeff Parke off the line in the 32nd minute and Beckham connected with him again five minutes later, but Pavon put the shot wide of the far post.
In the 38th minute, Pavon nearly beat Waterreus at the far post with a clever attempt from the right of the 18-yard box. But the ball sailed just inches wide.
In what was a fast-paced first half, Angel came down the field a minute later and was robbed by Cannon, who made a diving save to push the ball out for a corner kick.
In the 43rd minute, Landon Donovan was played behind the Red Bulls defense, but Waterreus did well to come off his line and force Donovan to put the ball off the outside netting.
Cannon was again called to action a minute before the break, when he saved an Altidore header from the top of the six-yard box.
Mathis, who is no stranger to playing on the big stage, seemed to thrive there Saturday night. He broke the club record for goals scored in all competitions two minutes into first-half stoppage time with his 45th goal in a New York uniform.
But it was rookie Dane Richards who did all the work, splitting Chris Klein and Beckham, even putting the ball off Beckham's face, before sending a deflected pass that found Mathis at the top of the box. The veteran volleyed a rocket into the net to send the Red Bulls into the locker room with a 2-2 draw.
Four minutes into the second half, Mathis played Altidore behind the Los Angeles defense and the 17-year-old sensation beat Cannon to give the Red Bulls a 3-2 lead.
Altidore struck again, this time taking a pass from van den Bergh, dancing around a pair of Galaxy defenders in the penalty area and beating Cannon on a shot back across the goal in the 70th minute.
But the Galaxy struck right back, this time almost directly from the kickoff as Donovan took the ball and raced through the Red Bulls before beating Waterreus inside the far post with a low shot in the 71st minute to bring his team to within a goal again.
After putting four second-half free kicks off the Red bulls' wall, Beckham played a part in setting up the equalizer on another corner, as former Red Bulls forward Edson Buddle followed a Kyle Veris header off the crossbar in the 82nd minute by stabbing home the rebound from close range.
But two minutes from full time, Angel scored his second goal of the game, sending the massive crowd home happy. It was the 10th game in MLS history with as many as nine goals (five of which have involved the New York club), and the crowd was the eighth largest in MLS history.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
