EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — David Beckham returned to Major League Soccer with a whisper, not a shout.
Playing in a stadium nearly three-quarters empty, the star midfielder was slow and had little impact in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Thursday night.
In his first match since the Italian League’s season finale May 31, Beckham was often behind the play and seemed winded. He had no free-kick chances near the goal, didn’t make any crosses that created threats and didn’t even take all of the Galaxy’s corner kicks while he was in the match. Still, fans scurried down the aisles to get better pictures when he did take corner kicks, and many booed when he came out in the 70th minute.
“A few tonight, but it’s to be expected,” Beckham said. “It’s sometimes nice to get the boos. It gives you some inspiration.”
Alecko Eskandarian, Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis scored first-half goals for the Galaxy, which has won four straight MLS games.
Footnote.
Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching has been fined $500 by MLS for criticizing the officiating in Saturday’s 2-1 loss in Seattle through his Twitter account.
The Associated Press
