David Beckham has at least two more seasons of memories he plans on giving MLS and LA Galaxy fans. For now, here's the countdown of the top 10 moments that stand out from his first five seasons in MLS:
#10 – August 29, 2009: This SuperClásico was decided courtesy of a wonder shot by Beckham, who knocks the ball off the left post for the lone goal of the match with 10 minutes remaining. It was his first goal of that 2009 season – but did he mean it? [Watch here]
#9 – November 7, 2010: The Seattle Sounders still held out hope of overturning their first-leg aggregate goal series against the Galaxy after losing 1-0 in Seattle. But Beckham promptly quashed all hopes with two picture-perfect assists to Edson Buddle and Omar Gonzalez inside the first 30 minutes to liquidate the Sounders. [Watch here]
#8 – August 23, 2007: Just before halftime of yet another SuperClásico, Beckham and ex-Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch got up close and personal after a rough tackle near midfield. Marsch delivered a high kick from behind and the Englishman took exception. He probably wasn’t in the best of moods after arriving only hours before from London, where he played for England against Germany. His mood wasn’t improved after a 3-0 loss to Chivas. [Watch here]
#7 – July 27, 2009: It was an incident that marked the midway point of Beckham’s stay in MLS, when his dedication to the club was questioned after completing loan deals at AC Milan. While preparing to take a throw-in with 10 minutes to go in Kansas City, his first game back from the first AC Milan loan stint, Beckham confronted a fan in the stands, who shouted comments about him and his wife.
The incident came days after he got into a shouting match with a Galaxy fan following the conclusion of an exhibition match against AC Milan. He was later fined $1,000 by the league for that incident. The irony of the KC episode was the jersey that the fan in question was wearing. “Is that an England shirt?” Beckham asked the fan before shaking the hand of another supporter. He eventually took the throw-in. [Watch here]
#6 – July 28, 2011: Beckham took on the club where he became a star during the 2011 MLS All-Star Game at Red Bull Arena, going a full 90 for the MLS squad in a 4-0 loss to Manchester United. He was the only MLS player to play the full match and he backed up the pregame hype with one of the better performances by an MLS player. [Watch here]
#5 – April 3, 2008: Year 2 of Beckham-mania saw the Englishman front-and-center in a 2-0 win. It was the first home game of the 2008 season and a national TV audience watched him score a ninth-minute goal – the first of his MLS career – and celebrate with his patented knee slide with arms outstretched, the same one he used after his goal in the England vs. Greece qualifier. Nearly half an hour later, he also dished a helper to Landon Donovan to seal it. [Watch here]
#4 – November 20, 2011: It was a fairytale ending for the LA Galaxy as they hosted MLS Cup 2011 at The Home Depot Center in what could have represented the final match for David Beckham in an LA jersey. Beckham turned hero, winning the ball and starting the play that led to Donovan’s game-winning goal against the Houston Dynamo. He would call this victory one of the most satisfying wins of his career. [Watch here]
#3 – August 15, 2007: This is exactly what MLS fans were expecting to see when Beckham signed his MLS deal: free kick goals. And it came in a SuperLiga semifinal match against D.C. United at The Home Depot Center. It was his first goal on US soil and it made highlight reels across the globe as the Galaxy won it 2-0. [Watch here]
#2 – August 18, 2007: Beckham’s second league match of his MLS career was one of the most anticipated matches in league history – and it lived up the billing. In his first trip to New York and up against another early DP, Colombian striker Juan Pablo Ángel, the Red Bulls and Galaxy lit it up for a 5-4 result in favor of the Red Bulls. Beckham contributed to the explosive start that set the tone for the match with set-piece assists in the sixth and eighth minutes, both finding Honduran forward Carlos Pavón. [Watch here]
#1 – May 3, 2008: With Galaxy down 2-0 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Beckham took over the game with goals in the 36th and 40th minutes to wow the sell-out crowd and celebrate his birthday in grand fashion. Both were long-distance efforts and Nick Rimando will still remember them to this day. An unsightly artificial surface saw two magnificent goals that finished in the same corner. [Watch here]
