CARSON, Calif. - David Beckham figures the honeymoon portion of his soccer odyssey in the USA is over now and it's time to settle into real life with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Long after the celebrities had left a darkened and virtually deserted Home Depot Center and ESPN had gone on to other programming Saturday night, the British icon seemed relieved that his much-anticipated debut with the Galaxy was in the books.
Though hobbled by a sore left ankle, Beckham still felt a deep obligation to put in a cameo appearance against Chelsea in a 1-0 loss. He entered the game in the 78th minute and stayed until the end. But with the pomp and ceremony of that first Galaxy outing evaporating into a pleasant Los Angeles summer evening, Beckham's thoughts turned from style to substance.
"After this game, we've got a lot of season left," Beckham said. "This is where the hard work starts. It's not just hopefully about the exhibition game and getting the fans here for this game. It's about getting the fans here for every game that we play."
To accomplish that mission, Beckham knows what it's going to take. He has to get himself fit and healthy and the Galaxy have to harmoniously blend Beckham into their system and improve the overall level of play throughout the remainder of the MLS season.
Even with a new megastar in town, the novelty eventually wears off and there has to be progress in the win-loss column to keep interest at a fever pitch. For Exhibit A in Los Angeles, see Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
The first order of business going forward will be getting Beckham in top shape. Now that the external pressure of making an appearance in the debut is no longer an issue, Beckham has to take whatever time he needs to get his ankle well.
Coach Frank Yallop said that the club will give Beckham whatever time he might require to put the ankle issue behind him. Though not ruling out the possibility of Beckham playing on Tuesday in SuperLiga against Pachuca, Yallop said it's more likely that Beckham will be involved on Saturday.
The Galaxy wouldn't have put up any resistance if Beckham had said he didn't feel up to playing against Chelsea.
"It shows the measure of the man that he wants to do that," Yallop said. "He got through it."
Once Beckham is healthy, he'll attempt to elevate a supporting cast that showed encouraging signs against Chelsea.
"I think it's a good performance," Beckham said. "When you are playing against the quality of Chelsea, every player is comfortable. Every player wants the ball, every player is capable of doing something in the game. We just lose 1-0 and we had chances as well."
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho thinks the Galaxy could make big strides in the second half of the MLS season if it plays as well as it did on Saturday.
"They were a team highly motivated and they gave us a hard game," Mourinho said.
The more electricity Beckham's presence generates in the stadium, the more Mourinho feels the Galaxy will respond.
"I think Beckham will be not just a fellow player, but an inspiration," Mourinho said.
If anyone can make Americans develop a full-fledged love affair with soccer, Mourinho figures Beckham is the guy.
"That's what everyone is waiting for," Mourinho said. "For me, he's the one to do that. He's the one to make that contribution in the U.S."
The celebrity entertainment aspect that Beckham brings will be spliced into the nuts-and-bolts mission of making the Galaxy a better team. Beckham and wife Victoria had a downtown welcoming party hosted by Tom Cruise and Will Smith on Sunday's itinerary. On Monday, Beckham will appear at a Hollywood press conference to promote SuperLiga 2007.
But for the most part, Beckham will now be focused on making a difference between the lines and helping the Galaxy rise to a level of MLS prominence.
All honeymoons have to end sometime. Now the real work begins in earnest.
Robert Falkoff is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
