Boo him all you want, but Beckham will improve the LAG

2009-07-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

Hate him or love him, but with David Beckham on board, the Los Angeles Galaxy are a much better team.

It would be silly on my part to assess the affect of Beckham based on a friendly match in which the opponent – AC Milan – was fielding a number of second string players. But anyone who knows anything about the nature of Beckham’s style of play should realize that, aside from the Hollywood drama off the field (which I won’t get into), he will only improve the Galaxy at least from a tactical standpoint.

Bruce Arena’s side is already a solidified defensive team. Their backline is versatile in skills, physically strong and possesses chemistry of individuals who play well as a unit. As lacking as their midfielders have been this season in terms of providing creativity, Coach Arena has done a great job of building a waistline that supports its defenders in frustrating its opponent.

Of course, the Beckham-less Galaxy’s biggest flaw was that they had no creativity in central midfield. Because of this, they’ve only managed to win a handful of matches until the recent winning streak despite being one of the most close-grained defensive teams in the Major League Soccer this season. With Beckham in the mix, however, this weak point of theirs puzzles itself out immediately, as displayed in the match against the Rossoneri last night.

Coach Arena already has a combination of players with on-ball skills and physical aptitude at his disposal – both upfront and out wide. Landon Donovan, as unorthodox as I think he is as a player, is still one of the most feared offensive weapons in the MLS while big men Edson Buddle and Alan Gordon will only be more effective as the Galaxy push to make the playoffs with Beckham supplying them with crosses.

And then there is Alecko Eskandarian, who so far has been the best mid-season pick up in the league with his energy and skills. Then the veteran Eddie Lewis, who can turn any defense in this league inside and out on his day, and make runs behind it. So to sum it up, the Galaxy already had an effective defensive unit and individuals on the attacking end who were starving for a coordinator in middle of the park to provide chances for them to do what they do the best – being recipients of well-placed passes at their feet when they’re making runs towards the goal.

Because they had no player making plays in the center, the likes of Donovan, Lewis and Buddle have been inconsistent at best this season. For the most part, the Galaxy’s tendency to sit majority of its players deep and soak in the opponents’ attacks, constrained Donovan and Lewis to receive the ball with their backs turned against the goal, not allowing them to take advantage of their pace and dribbling. Gordon seems to be the only effective player with his back to goal, but without a traditional playmaker in midfield to play the ball off to, a decoy upfront will inevitably to lose its value.

This is exactly why, with the addition of Beckham, the sky is the limit for the Galaxy’s tactical flexibilities. Coach Arena can play Beckham, and continue to count on his penny-pinching defensive unit to win matches. Even with Coach Arena keeping the base of his defensive-minded strategic approach, the Galaxy’s attacking improves significantly with Beckham in the line-up. All it will take is for Beckham to receive the ball in transition, and for Donovan and rest of the attacking players to do what they do the best – run, run and run. Beckham will be there to spoon-feed them in the final third to make things happen.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that without Beckham, Mike Magee is probably the best passer in midfield on this team. However, he’s an inconsistent passer beyond the Galaxy squad. But with Beckham in place, Magee all of a sudden becomes a valuable asset on the depth chart. Same can be said for Chris Klein and Bryan Jordan, who can come in at any stage of the match and provide a spark. Not to mention, Beckham’s return also puts the unorthodox Donovan in his best position – a roamer behind the two strikers who a lot of people will mistake as a “winger” on paper.

Of course, one can still argue that Beckham’s role for the Galaxy (or for the MLS) is beyond being a player who just plays. In a perfect world, he’s supposed to be the icon of the sport in this country as he promised and lord knows he’s being paid dearly to keep that promise. But this, in my eyes, is nitpicking at worst and a weak attempt at criticism at best. Haters can make their choice. But realists of the SoCal soccer population will sit back and enjoy the show while it lasts.

SoCal Soccer Chronicle

Boo him all you want, but Beckham will improve the LAG