Beck-less Galaxy blown out by Tigres

So, David Beckham was unveiled. But a swollen ankle kept them out of Los Angeles' inter-league match up with Mexican club Tigres in the opening match of what MLS is calling the World Series of Football, and the Galaxy lost 3-0 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

It was a meaningless contest for a made up tournmanent, and the Galaxy certainly didn't play as if their lives depended on it. After Tigres forward Francisco Fonseca scored in the 11th minute off a Galaxy giveaway, L.A. managed to hold off Tigres until the second half when the yellow cards began to pile up. The straw that broke the Galaxy's back happened in 64th minute when Chris Klein was shown a dubious second yellow and sent off. After that it was all Tigres, as Walter Gaitan and Alejandro Vilalobos added goals in the 72nd and 89th minutes, respectively.

Coach Frank Yallop was upset with the level of play shown by the Galaxy, according to quotes on mlsnet.com after the match:

"It's disappointing to see the team come out and perform like that. They almost played like they didn't want to make a mistake, scared and afraid to commit themselves to anything," said Yallop. "That was the thing that really stuck with me. The team is a reflection of me, and that's not what I'm all about. I tried very hard when I played and I got the best out of every situation I had."

The Galaxy will face Chelsea in the second and final match of this "World Series," a match that is supposed to be Beckham's debut. And the trickle of British tabloid info-tainment is turning into a stream, as even some of our state-side "journalist" are trying to create some off-the-pitch drama between Beckham and his teammates.

One column featured prominently on the Yahoo! Sports page suggests that Beckham's arrival is creating a mutiny among the players and friction between coach and GM. He suggests that Landon Donovan, in particular, is upset and may lead a mutiny if he is bumped as Galaxy captain. Then, the 15-year journalism veteran quotes Donovan who says the following: "Do I want to be the captain? Sure,'' Donovan said. "But if I'm not, I'm not going to cry about it.''

OMG! Donovan is going to kill David Beckham! How the hell do you quote a guy, as saying the equivalent of "whatever" as plans for mutiny is beyond me. He must have went to the British School for Mischaracterizing Quotations. As for the friction between coach and GM, suggested by traded player Santino Quaranta in a Newark Star-Ledger interview, the "journalist" quotes Yallop saying, "It's all rubbish...He's just trying to make a few waves there."

Sure his teammates are taken aback by the attention he's receiving. Sure some of them might be jealous of his big salary and hot wife. But I think all the Galaxy players understand that they need Beckham, especially after last night's match. In fact, I would hazard a guess that the team is perhaps putting too much stock in Beckham's ability to right a ship that was in sinking long before MLS managed this historic signing.

Mutiny? That's tabloid baloney. Donovan and all his mates know that Beckham is their only hope to salvage the season. If he's unable to save the Galaxy, the mutiny will be against Yallop, not Beckham.