LA Galaxy Re-Sign David Beckham

[Chris Harmon]

CARSON, Calif. (Wednesday, January 18, 2012) ? The LA Galaxy announced today that the club has re-signed midfielder David Beckham to a two-year contract, extending his stay with the MLS Cup Champions. Beckham, who had the best season of his five-year MLS career in 2011, helped lead the Galaxy to their first MLS Cup title since 2005.

Since joining the club as the first Designated Player in MLS History, the Galaxy have reached MLS Cup twice and won the Supporters’ Shield twice while also seeing the club reach new heights in terms of international recognition and popularity.

"This was an important decision for me,” Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said. “I had many offers from clubs from around the world, however, I'm still passionate about playing in America and winning trophies with the Galaxy.”

"I've seen first hand how popular soccer is now in the States and I'm as committed as ever to growing the game here," he added. "My family and I are incredibly happy and settled in America and we look forward to spending many more years here."

In five years with the Galaxy, Beckham was twice named to the MLS All-Star Team and finished the 2011 season with a career-best 15 assists, earning him a spot on the MLS Best XI. Beckham’s individual success helped translate to team success last season as the club repeated as Supporters’ Shield winners, finishing the season with a 19-5-10 record for 67 points, which were the second most in League history. That form continued into the postseason where the Galaxy won all four of their postseason games, culminating with a 1-0 win over Houston at The Home Depot Center in MLS Cup 2011. Beckham had an assist in that game, just as he did in each of the club’s first three playoffs games, giving him a league-best four postseason assists on the year.

“I am thrilled that David has chosen to re-join the Galaxy, especially as he had numerous options where he could continue his career,” Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. “I felt that he was one of the best players in all of MLS last season and we could not have achieved the success that we did without him. We look forward to trying to replicate that success this season with David once again in a Galaxy uniform.”

In 74 career regular season games in a Galaxy uniform, Beckham has 31 assists to go along with 11 goals with the club going 15-2-4 in the past three seasons when he scored a goal or recorded an assist. Additionally, the 36-year-old has helped lead the Galaxy to the postseason in each of the last three seasons, tallying seven assists in 11 postseason games. The Galaxy also qualified for the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in club history last season, with Beckham playing in four of the club’s six games while setting up a pair of goals in the competition.

In addition to Beckham’s on-field success, the former England captain has also had an historic impact on the game in the U.S. and globally. His mid-season arrival in Southern California coincided with the launch of the club’s new logo and colors, strengthening the Galaxy’s reputation in the global game and making the club’s jersey the best-selling in MLS and one of the best in the world.

“There has been much speculation in the past four months on where David was going to play and we did not get caught up in this and remained focused on re-signing him,” said Tim Leiweke, President & CEO, AEG. “David had many options and we are pleased he felt comfortable, not only with our organization but also with Los Angeles, and will remain an important part of our club, our AEG family and our City”.

“The Galaxy had an unbelievable year in 2011, David had a great year individually and the club were deservedly crowned Supporters’ Shield winners and MLS Cup Champions,” added Leiweke. “The 2011 Galaxy team may have been the best club in MLS history and like David, we are focused on repeating that success in 2012 and fielding the most exciting team for our fans.”

"When David and I discussed making the move from Real Madrid to the LA Galaxy back in 2007, our minds were firmly focused on the massive opportunity of helping to grow soccer in the United States,” added Simon Fuller, Beckham’s Business Partner and Manager. “We have made great progress over the past 5 years in raising the profile of soccer domestically and the MLS on a worldwide stage, and we are encouraged by all the results. However, clearly this is an ongoing mission and this new deal confirms our commitment to continuing our journey and making sure the world's biggest sport, soccer, continues to grow in the world's most passionate sports loving nation, the USA.”

In the past five years, the Galaxy emerged as a truly international club with worldwide recognition through tours that have drawn record crowds and major sponsors in such countries as Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea. Locally, the Galaxy have hosted sellout crowds against international powers such as AC Milan, Barcelona, Boca Juniors, Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid, playing in front of more than 330,000 fans at The Home Depot Center, L.A. Coliseum and Rose Bowl in those matches.

Major League Soccer has also experienced exponential growth in the first five years that Beckham has played for the Galaxy, growing from 12 teams in 2006 to 19 teams this season, including the expansion Montreal Impact. In that time, the expansion fee for clubs has quadrupled from $10 million to $40 million, with $170 million being raised in expansion fees since the start of the 2007 MLS season. In that same time, nine new soccer-specific stadiums have been built in Major League Soccer, giving the League a total of 15 in 2012, while average attendance rose to 17,872 last season, making MLS the 10th best attended league in the world.

“What David has accomplished since joining the Galaxy five years ago is truly remarkable,” said Jeff Frasco of Creative Artists Agency (CAA). “While David has been a tremendous ambassador for soccer in the U.S., he has set further goals for himself, both professionally and personally, and we are pleased to be part of the team to help him achieve these and more.”

Beckham and the LA Galaxy will open preseason ahead of the 2012 MLS season next week at The Home Depot Center. They will return to competitive action on Wednesday, March 7 when they take on Toronto FC in the first leg of their 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal, which will be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They will open the 2012 MLS season three days later on Saturday, March 10 when they host Real Salt Lake at The Home Depot Center in MLS First Kick 2012, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. (PT) and tickets are on sale now as part of season ticket packages as well as three and six-game plans. Fans who reserve their 2012 Season Tickets by Sunday, January 22, 2012 will receive collector’s edition season tickets, featuring images from the Galaxy’s championship 2011 season. For more information about this game or to purchase tickets, please visit the club’s official website at www.lagalaxy.com.

Official Release

 

[HuffyCane]

I'm willing to bet that the two years is window dressing.

He needs to stay healthy and a long term deal to have a shot at one of three senior spots on the England Olympic squad -- one of the few things in soccer he has not won.

I'd say it is a one year playing contract, most of which is a farewell tour after the all-star break. Then there will be a transfer with no fee paid so he can retire with United.

The last year will be bought out in the form of a front office job with the Galaxy or some type of Los Angeles based role with MLS or USSF. He has a right of first refusal supposedly for the 20th franchise. He will need some experience if he is going to be an owner. I would imagine he could have a stint in the "visiting coach" role that Klinnsman created, if that's what he wants to do.

It's nice to see that he elected to stay in the US, but he isnt staying for the soccer. He's staying for the quality of life and the opportunities for his wife. I guess that's a start and might attract other stars.

Supposedly they had Lampard lined up after next EPL season if Beckham didnt sign. I would have liked to see what he could do stateside, even if it was only 50% of what Frankie used to be.

On a side note, I posted some comments on a blog about Justin Chavez during the draft. The exact same words were used by a well known MLS commentator this morning. Lazy jerk.

 

[Chris Harmon]

Interesting take, Huffy. I didn't know he had right of first refusal on the next franchise. At least he would have money to dump into it, and maybe he could convince some other EPL guys to move to MLS, maybe a little sooner than they have been (before their mid-30s).

 

[HuffyCane]

His first contract contained a clause that he had an option on a franchise at a specific price that was lower than the going rate. The conventional wisdom is that by re-signing him, the franchise fee was further reduced. The current base line price is at least $40 million, upwards to $100 million for New York. Beckham, Cantona, and a few other people are investors in the Cosmos, so many people believe that Beckham re-signed to reduce the franchise fee for New York to something more reasonable. I think another New York franchise is the last thing American soccer needs -- the first one has never been successful. Nor does American soccer need another franchise in a small market like Columbus, when towns like Dallas and Houston have trouble getting people to grounds, much less watch on TV.

But the Commissioner wants a second New York team and he controlled the purse strings on the Beckham deal, so Im betting the two are intertwined somehow.

 

[Chris Harmon]

The only thing I like about a 2nd NY franchise is the potential rivalry. Other than that, you are absolutely right...Red Bull NY has an incredible venue, but it is in the middle of nowhere. It took me like an hour at least to get from Manhattan to the stadium, which is in Harrison, NJ I believe. The area was sketchy, but the facility is fantastic.

Nobody was there, and I got midfield seats about 10 rows up for $15 apiece. However, this was before Henry, Marquez and DDR.

Just curious, but where do you believe would be the best place for an additional franchise?

I'd love to see them draw a diagonal line between Tulsa and Wichita, find the center, then draw a line from there directly to OKC...then find the center of that and put a franchise. That would probably be in Stillwater or something. I know that isn't truly feasible, but there are some soccer-hungry fans in Wichita, Tulsa and OKC that would travel to something like that...then that team would be a short distance from Sporting KC and FC Dallas.

Just rambling at this point..

 

[Li'l Eric Coley]

I hope Shep Messing is fit. He's already penciled in at keeper for the Cosmos.

Attached the link for you guys. Roughnecks conversation starts about 15 minutes in.

Interview with Caskey & Moreland

 

[Chris Harmon]

Reminder: New York has a soccer team.

The New York Red Bulls, formerly the New York/New Jersey Metrostars, have made the playoffs, and will begin their pursuit of an MLS Cup title on Wednesday night. That is about the only thing that has gone according to plan in what was supposed to be their coronation season in a league desperate for a credible soccer franchise in the New York market.

New York signed a pair of expensive “designated players” last summer: forward Thierry Henry, who arrived in New Jersey via Arsenal and Barcelona, and defender Rafa Marquez, captain of the Mexican national team. And early this season, New York traded for Dwayne De Rosario, a five-time MLS Best-XI attacker, and declared him “the final piece” of a champion-caliber construct.

Anyone familiar with New York's history?no trophies since MLS play began in 1996 and a remarkably consistent inability, year after year, to rise above mediocrity?couldn't have been too surprised by what followed.

With little explanation, New York shipped De Rosario to DC United, less than three months after trading for him. De Rosario scored his first goal for his new team against New York and went on to lead MLS in scoring while the Red Bulls struggled in attack, almost single-handedly rallying DC past New York and into the playoffs.

As for Marquez, his effort has come under repeated scrutiny. Following a disappointing 3-1 home loss to Real Salt Lake last month, Marquez called out his teammates for “infantile” mistakes, causing coach Hans Backe to suspend him for a game. Marquez moved from the more vital center back position to defensive midfield, replaced by the well-traveled Stephen Keel. Considering Marquez's $4.6 million salary, the third-highest in the league, his season has been a massive disappointment.

One of the only two players who makes more than Marquez, his teammate Henry, nearly derailed New York's playoff hopes in a single inexplicable episode. In a crucial late-season game on Oct. 15 against Sporting Kansas City, Henry collided with Sporting KC's Roger Espinoza, kneeing him in the head. The referee quickly determined that Henry had done so on purpose, showing him a red card. Down a man, the Red Bulls eventually lost, 2-0. The red card meant a one-game suspension for Henry, keeping him out of New York's final match of the regular season as well.

Because of the league's aggressively inclusive post-season set-up, and thanks to a 1-0 win over Philadelphia, the Red Bulls were able to claim the tenth and final available playoff spot. (The league has 18 teams.)

Along the way, they set a league record for ties, hardly dominating as most observers expected of a lineup that contains not only high-priced stars, but up-and-coming United States national team members Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo.

It is the presence of all that talent, along with the club's recent improved form, that gives New York a chance, even after their lousy regular season, to make some kind of post-season run.

But it is clear that the Red Bulls, like their Metrostar predecessors, have once again failed to live up to expectations, and failed to register as a presence on the New York sports scene.

After all, MLS posted its highest average attendance per game in league history?an average of 17,870 people attended each regular-season match, up seven percent from last season. Ten of the 18 franchises topped 17,000 per match, with Houston checking in just under that mark at 16,924. And in Seattle, the Sounders are bringing in 38,495 fans per match. New York's 19,691 per match ranks a comfortable fourth in the league, so it's not as if fans aren't going to beautiful Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

Yet New York's playoff pursuit drew barely a ripple in the local media. Consider the contrast between that silence and the flood-the-zone coverage of a New York Jets player hanging up on an obnoxious radio host. That story is now in its fourth day, if you are keeping score at home.

Judging from the efforts by MLS commissioner Don Garber, he's certainly aware of what's going on.

Garber has made no secret of his desire to make MLS' 20th team (the 19th, the Montreal Impact, joins next season) New York's second team as well, ideally as early as 2013. All the standard explanations are issued to protect the Red Bulls?the rivalry would make both teams stronger, etc.?but the league is clearly looking to address a problem.

(MLS was in a very different place in 2004, when the league introduced a second team into the Los Angeles market. There were just ten teams at the time, and two that had recently folded, and a desire, above all, for sponsors. The Mexican club Chivas' willingness to step in was key there?they were an owner in search of a team. The league's hunt for a second team in New York is the complete opposite: it is a location in search of an owner.)

That Garber met with potential investors for another team during the U.S. national team's recent match?held in Red Bull Arena?speaks volumes about the urgency, and the desire to have that team receive the media attention the Red Bulls aren't getting. No one is clamoring for a second team in Seattle, for instance, though their attendance, divided by two, is roughly equal to that of the Red Bulls.

So by that standard, New York faces an even tougher task in the MLS playoffs than simply beating FC Dallas on the road Wednesday night, defeating the regular- season champion Los Angeles Galaxy in a two-leg playoff, then likely facing Seattle in front of that enormous home crowd, where a win would put them in the MLS Cup final. The Red Bulls need to hope that this unlikely pursuit captures the imagination of New York.

That may not seem like a fair thing to ask of a soccer team in just a few weeks. But this franchise has had sixteen seasons to win New Yorkers' hearts. Each defeat now reminds fans of failure, while bringing MLS one step closer to relegating the Red Bulls to a second division within their own market.

Capital New York

 

[Tu Geo]

Originally posted by HuffyCane:
His first contract contained a clause that he had an option on a franchise at a specific price that was lower than the going rate. The conventional wisdom is that by re-signing him, the franchise fee was further reduced. The current base line price is at least $40 million, upwards to $100 million for New York. Beckham, Cantona, and a few other people are investors in the Cosmos, so many people believe that Beckham re-signed to reduce the franchise fee for New York to something more reasonable. I think another New York franchise is the last thing American soccer needs -- the first one has never been successful. Nor does American soccer need another franchise in a small market like Columbus, when towns like Dallas and Houston have trouble getting people to grounds, much less watch on TV.

But the Commissioner wants a second New York team and he controlled the purse strings on the Beckham deal, so Im betting the two are intertwined somehow.

Tulsa outdrew Dallas every year in the old MLS....Dallas doesn't give a crap about soccer...I love Dallas soccer more than people in Dallas....I'll bet there are more like me in Tulsa...I don't think the size of the market has anything to do with it....

Go TU!!!