Galaxy Impresses Against AC Milan

• MLSnet.com, Monday, July 20, 2009 3 PM

David Beckham didn't receive a heartwarming homecoming, but he did what he does best in helping the Los Angeles Galaxy tie his former team, AC Milan, 2-2, in Sunday's spirited exhibition at The Home Depot Center. The 34-year-old Englishman, playing in his first home game since returning from a five-month loan with the Italian powerhouse, played a part in both goals in front of a sellout crowd of 27,000 that booed him throughout the match. One fan even jumped onto the field to try and confront Beckham as the teams were heading into the halftime locker room. "One of the guys was saying things that really weren't very nice and kind of stepped over the line," Beckham said. "I walked over and said, 'You need to calm down.' "

Beckham said the mostly negative reaction of the fans in general didn't bother him. "I'm not disappointed because it doesn't affect me," he said. "A lot of people predicted the vicious kind of reaction that would be here, and they were right. But at the end of the day it didn't affect me as a player. I think the majority of fans were incredible and only one or two that weren't. The majority of fans were here to enjoy the game, and they did. The cheers in the end silenced the boos, which was nice."

The incident detracted from an entertaining game in which the Galaxy twice rallied to forge a tie with one of the biggest clubs in the world. Beckham sparked the first goal with a long ball to Landon Donovan, who then found Alan Gordon for an easy goal. Beckham then swerved in a trademark corner that substitute Bryan Jordan converted for the team's second. Milan's new coach, the Brazilian Leonardo, said that both Beckham and the Galaxy impressed him. "A very fast team," Leonardo said of the Galaxy. "It's a good team. That's why they won their last four matches."

 

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