The Galaxy won their third MLS Cup by beating the Houston Dynamo 1-0. Landon Donovan scored the only goal of the contest and thus was awarded the MLS Cup MVP.
When Beckham raised the cup among and amidst the confetti surrounding him, the Galaxy accomplished what they were set out to do in 2007 when Beckham came and that was win the Cup. Beckham lifted Donovan off his feet after the final whistle of the game, thereby sealing another championship in the long career of David Beckham.
"I've wanted to be successful for the Galaxy for five years, and tonight, I have that," Beckham said.
Even if the 36-year-old hasn't decided on whether he'll play another year, he would like to have the chance to play for the Galaxy for at least another season. Galaxy fanatics in the Angel City Brigade supporters' section chanted "We want Beckham!" This might bring Beckham back to the Galaxy, but then again, it is his choice.
"It's been the most enjoyable time of my career in America over the last year, and this just tops it off," said Beckham, whose also played with Paris Saint-Germain and a handful of British clubs. "I've said before, I need to sit back and relax and enjoy this moment, and then I'll figure out what I'm going to do next year. I might talk in the past tense sometimes, but that doesn't mean I'm leaving. It's been an amazing five years."
Los Angeles had the most expensive and eye-catching roster in MLS history, but the Galaxy got what they wanted out of their three highest-priced players, particularly in these playoffs. Beckham's assist last night was his fourth of a stellar postseason, while Donovan scored in each of the Galaxy's final three playoff games. Keane was a constant offensive threat despite flying across the world in his spare time on Irish national team duty.
It was Beckham though, who put a stylish finish on the best season of his five-year stint with the Galaxy, finishing second in MLS with 15 assists. After the game, Donovan revealed Beckham strained his hamstring during training earlier in the week, while coach Bruce Arena said Donovan has been struggling with undisclosed injuries for several weeks. That didn't seem to matter, as they both produced this game.
The Houston Dynamo are going to be the ones who will be haunted by this game for a while. They had no Brad Davis who was lost to torn quadriceps in the Eastern Conference Championship and made it harder for the Dynamo to compete on the Galaxy's home stadium.
"It's a well-balanced team," Houston coach Dominic Kinnear said about the Galaxy. "They've been the best in the league from Day 1 to now. They are a deserving champion. ... We gave ourselves a chance. It took one goal to win it, which is sometimes what finals are about."
This championship had been the Galaxy's to lose since early in the season. Los Angeles dominated the league and won the Supporters' Shield with the second-best regular-season record in MLS history, but the Galaxy didn't disappoint in these playoffs after losing in last year's conference final.
The MLS Cup is the Galaxy's. Congratulations from a very avid fan (me!) and I hope you soccer people enjoy your offseason. For others, if you are soccer fans who are going back to hockey during this offseason, it has already been a good one. If you're a Kings fan looking at this, you should be more than happy about what the Kings have done so far this season and are currently 1st in the Pacific. But that's off the point. Enjoy the offseason, soccerheads, and see you in March.
When the highlights of the MLS Cup become available on YouTube, courtesy of MLSHighlights2011, I will post them on my next blog post.
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