It was not the high-profile superstar sitting in the stands, days away from playing for his team that excited LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena.
Nor was it Edson Buddle's 30th-minute goal on Saturday against Chivas USA. And neither was the Galaxy's 1-0 victory, in and of itself, that excited Arena.
Rather, the Galaxy boss was more than satisfied with the way his team earned their victory, which was the Galaxy's third consecutive win.
"What I'm pleased about is our guys had the right mentality and that was a real mental and tactical exercise for 90 minutes and their concentration was great," Arena said. "Winning games 1-0 in this sport is important and we're learning to do that."
With David Beckham watching from a suite alongside Zinedine Zidane, the Galaxy whipped their in-stadium rivals in a match that could have been much more in the "road" team's favor. Chivas USA did not record a shot until the 48th minute and finished with just two chances on goal.
"We do a very good job of preparing. I think they think they can kind of step on the field and outwork us and outhustle us but tactically it didn't seem like they did a very good job," Galaxy captain Landon Donovan said. "We were very organized. We gave them almost no chances."
The victory was the Galaxy's third consecutive 1-0 win, two of which have come with starting goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts off with the Jamaican national team. Playing in his seventh career start, Josh Saunders picked up a pair of saves in the shutout, and also made a diving parry of a ball that deflected off a Galaxy teammate and nearly went into the back of the net.
The backline in front of Saunders was airtight and Arena singled out rookie central defender Omar Gonzalez as a key performer.
"I thought Omar Gonzalez was a monster. I thought he had a terrific game," said Arena, who also praised A.J. DeLaGarza. "It's good to see those young players improving. They got beat up and got their noses bloodied a little bit in the beginning of the year but I think these experiences have been positive ones for them."
DeLaGarza sent a cross into the penalty area in the 30th minute that Buddle did well to finish. Buddle rose for the cross and snapped a header off the left post and across the goal line for this third goal of the season.
Buddle said it was just another SuperClasico that went in favor of his side.
"We look forward to these, they look forward to these games but the ball always seems to roll our way," Buddle said. "We know the importance of each and every game, this one especially."
The Galaxy will play New York on Thursday, and Arena said he would slide Beckham into a starting spot immediately.
"My guess is he fits in there. Exactly where is to be determined," Arena said. "We haven't had him on the field with our team yet but obviously we think the world of David. He's an outstanding player and healthier than he has been in a long time."
Beckham is set to train with the Galaxy for the first time this season on Monday. Additionally, the Galaxy will have Trinidad and Tobago international Chris Birchall available for the New York match as well.
And despite their 5-3-9 record and a fourth-place spot a little past the halfway mark, Arena said his team has room for improvement.
"The pieces are coming together a little bit better," Arena said. "Certainly we've got a long way to go. We have to get better as a team. Our aspirations are to try and make the playoffs and we have to keep trying to improve and move forward."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
