CARSON, Calif. – They got the band back together for another run at MLS Cup, but even David Beckham knows the clock is probably ticking on this version of the LA Galaxy.
The 37-year-old himself only has one year remaining on his contract and is unsure what the future will bring. It’s still even a question, he says, if he has another season left in him.
“Who knows?” the Designated Player told reporters on Wednesday after training. “I’m going to enjoy being in the playoffs again this season and then we’ll see – see how this body feels after the playoffs.”
Beckham is preparing for Thursday’s Knockout Round match against the Vancouver Whitecaps (10:30 pm ET, NBCSN, TSN in Canada, live chat on MLSsoccer.com), which marks the fourth consecutive year he has featured in the MLS postseason.
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But he’s admitted this season that the little injuries – “30 years of football,” as Galaxy coach Bruce Arena termed it – have started to add up. Beckham played through the pain of various ailments from before First Kick, missed 10 games entirely and has played only 62 minutes of soccer since early October.
None of that has affected his hunger to compete, he’s quick to add.
“Even when I stop playing, I’ll have hunger to do something better and be the best at something and always be successful,” he said. “No matter where I am, no matter what age I am, no matter how many championships I’ve won, I still wake up and I still want to win another championship every year.”
For now, Beckham says, he’s going to enjoy the quest for a second straight MLS Cup title with most of the same faces from 2011's triumph. If this is the last ride of this current group of Galaxy players, he’s just going to enjoy it for what it is.
“People [suggested last year] that, we’ve won the championship, maybe now it’s time to move a few of older players on and start fresh,” Beckham said. “And sometimes that is the truth, but I think it’s been great the last three or four years that we’ve all stayed together because it builds stability.
“When you’re with players for long enough, you get to know them on and off the field, so it makes when you win a championship more special than anything.”
