More Time for Becks in MLS?
It looks like Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham may not be ready to call it a career just yet. Next year could be Beckham's final season after all.
"Yeah, you know, there’s a chance," Beckham told MLSSoccer.com's Duane Rollins. "I haven’t made any decision about what I’m going to do after this year. At the end of the day, I am 35-years-old, I’ll be 36 in May and I’m getting older, so I’ll need to see how my body feels at the end of the season, and if I feel that I can perform and continue, then I will continue."
Beckham had been pleased with the improved caliber of play in the league.
"I think it’s definitely gone up," Beckham said. "You’ve got improved [player] performances and improved team performances and the way the league has gone...with the franchises that have come into this league."
The addition of players like the New York Red Bulls' Thierry Henry raises the profile of MLS, according to Beckham.
"It can only do good and promote the sport and obviously the MLS," Beckham said.
The goal of Los Angeles winning the MLS Cup has always been on his mind. "I think it’s always disappointing when you don’t win trophies," Beckham said on the Galaxy's recent shortcomings, "but no [I wouldn’t consider my time in MLS a disappointment].
"Overall, I’ve enjoyed my time here. I have lots of friends throughout the league, throughout the teams I’ve played against and I think that it’s been very enjoyable."
He also was looking forward to playing at BMO Field for the first time this season.
"It’s a great city,” he told reporters on Tuesday, according to MLSSoccer.com's Duane Rollins. "The two times that I’ve actually been here I’ve enjoyed myself. I’m glad to be back.
"It’s important [that we win]. We played well [against D.C. United], but the way it ended was tough. We’ve moved on and are looking forward."
This Is for LA, Not TO, Says CB
Forward Chad Barrett is looking to make a statement for Bruce Arena's men, not Aron Winter's Toronto FC.
"I’m more to the point where I have to prove myself more in Bruce Arena’s eyes and in my teammates’ eyes than to come back and have some personal vendetta for the game against Toronto," Barrett told Luis Bueno of MLSSoccer.com. "When I got traded from Chicago to Toronto [in 2008], I looked forward to going back to Chicago, proving them wrong for trading me.
"It’s not really the same situation. It’s not the coach that traded me away. A new manager came in and for one reason or another wanted to make room on their team for somebody else."
Barrett had a huge chip on his shoulder after his time in Toronto fell short of expectations.
"I wish I could have taken TFC to the playoffs when I was here, but for some reason or another, it didn’t happen," Barrett said. "I feel like the stability of the team from the top down was always a problem, but we definitely had the players here throughout that should have been able to get the job done and take TFC to their first postseason.
"They are a good club, they have great support, fans who will show up 20,000 strong every game and deserve to see their team in the playoffs."
Regardless of what happens, it's all about bringing home a win for the G's.
"It would be kind of surreal," Barrett said of winning at BMO Field. "I don’t really know how I would act if I did score, but it definitely would be a great way to get my first goal of the season. To get that monkey off my back and being against Toronto, it would be kind of funny. All I really care about doing is leaving with points."
Juan Pablo Angel: "What, Me Worry?"
Galaxy forward Juan Pablo Angel had been finding it difficult to score goals early on this season. Still, the Colombian international wasn't going to hang his head in disappointment.
"When you look at the games we’ve played so far, the game against New England was a very difficult field to play [on]," Angel told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. "We didn’t have a good game against Salt Lake and against Philadelphia we played pretty much the second half one man down. But it’s important we keep getting results."
Landon Donovan was injured in the Galaxy's match with D.C. United.
"It’s been difficult," Angel said. "We didn’t have Omar [Gonzalez], [Donovan] Ricketts, myself for the first game, Gregg [Berhalter] has been out and Landon is out right now."
But if injuries are to be an excuse for the lack of production, think again, says Angel.
"Those are the things you are going to face throughout the year and that’s going to tell you how good as a team you are," Angel said. "At the end of the day, it’s how you replace those individuals that are important for the team and tells you if you have the depth and the strength within the squad to win things."
Beckham noted that a new partnership involving Angel and Miguel Lopez might be budding at around this time.
"There’s obviously a partnership with Miguel and Juan that’s starting," Beckham said. "Partnerships take time. They’re two very good players with a lot of talent. They’re going to get their goals, whether it comes in the next game or the next three games, we’ll have to wait and see.
"But as long as we’re working together as a team, as long as we’re supporting each other as a team, then we’ll be fine."
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