BECKHAM SHINES BUT GALAXY FALLS

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BECKHAM SHINES BUT GALAXY FALLS
Monday, March 03, 2008

David Beckham displayed why his right foot is regarded on par with pudding and Harry Potter as products of English ingenuity. Too bad it wasn't enough to rescue the Los Angeles Galaxy from defeat against a physical FC Seoul squad, which didn't seem pleased with the idea of getting showed up at home.

Beckham was the only one of five Galaxy players to convert in a penalty shootout after the Major League Soccer (MLS) team played out to a 1-1 draw against the hosts at the Seoul World Cup Stadium Saturday.

Although FC Seoul goalkeeper Kim Ho-jun, who managed four saves in the shootout to deliver his team's 2-1 win, deserved the man-of-the-match title, the 34,000-strong crowd was clearly there to see the English icon, and Beckham responded with what he called his best performance since joining the Galaxy in 2007.

``I think we played very well in the first half, but we were a little bit tired in the second," said Beckham. ``We were disappointed to lose on penalties, but penalties are like that ? there has to be a winner and a loser.

``The overall play of the team in the first 30 minutes was good, some of the best football I've played with the Galaxy.''

The match had rare intensity for a friendly, as the South Korean side showed little patience for flair and trickery with the referee revealing three yellow cards to cool the increasingly ill-tempered exchanges.

Beckham got into a spat with FC Seoul midfielder Lee Chung-yong in the first half after Lee tackled him hard from behind, and Galaxy defender Alvaro Pires later had to be kept from pursuing an opposing player who brought him down.

In its last outing against a world-recognized club, FC Seoul was drubbed 4-0 by Manchester Untied in a Seoul friendly last year, and fiery manager Senol Gunes would have surely feared the possibility of his team getting a reputation as international whipping boys.

Lee nearly gave his team the lead two minutes into the game, when he collected a lob from Serbian forward Dejan Damjanovic, sprinted past two defenders and unleashed a right-footer at the edge of the box that flashed wide of the post.

FC Seoul's Jung Jo-gook found himself alone in the box in the ninth minute but hesitated just enough for a Galaxy defender to bump him out of possession.

Recovering from its opening rust, the Galaxy began finding its way around FC Seoul's territory after the 10-minute mark, with Beckham's distribution and Carlos Ruiz's pace providing a constant threat.

Ruiz came close to scoring in the 13th minute after Beckham released him into the box with a deft chip, but the Guatemalan international could only manage to knock it above the crossbar.

The Galaxy scored the opener in the 21st minute, a product of an unbelievable delivery by Beckham and a world-class finish by Alan Gordon, his lesser-known American teammate.

The score occurred after FC Seoul conceded a free kick about 30 meters out, Beckham perfectly weighted the ball toward the goal, and Gordon tamed it with his chest in traffic and drove home a right-footed volley that Kim failed to touch.

However, FC Seoul equalized nine minutes later, when Jung converted a penalty shot awarded to him for being tripped by a Galaxy defender.

Ruiz failed to capitalize on an accurate cross by Beckham in the 35th minute, while Kim Eun-jung missed a clear chance on the other half of the pitch moments later.

The pace of the game slowed in the second half with neither of the teams looking as if they were willing to take chances. Beckham went directly for the goal in the 48th minute, but his set-piece effort sailed above the crossbar.

Beckham was the first player up in the shootout and found the top right of the net with ease. However, his teammates failed to get past goalkeeper Kim, while Eun-jung and Lee Sang-hup delivered the win for the home team.

``It's hard to get a true impression of a player just after one game, but it was obvious that Beckham's kick is truly world class," said Jung.