The pressure might not be off the Los Angeles Galaxy this season — Ruud, Landon, Beckham and co. will still be expected “to win something,” as Beckham says — but the media “phalanx” that greeted Becks when he arrived at L.A.’s training ground last summer is gone, for the most part. The Press-Telegram’s Billy Witz says the former England captain had just one photographer to dodge as the Galaxy began practice earlier this week. Gone, too, are “the great expectations” of selling soccer to America and saving England from its inevitable Euro 2008 failure.
The second half of 2007 didn’t exactly go according to the Brand Beckham plan. Team Becks has replaced those lofty expectations with far more modest ones this season, like staying healthy, reaching 100 caps for England, and helping the Galaxy reach the MLS playoffs. Beckham’s stated goal of winning something might be as high as he could possibly set the bar this year. “This year it’s a lot more calm, a lot more relaxed,” Beckham said. “[Last year] was frustrating. But it’s a new season, a new start, a new manager, some new players in as well. It’s exciting. We’ve got to prove that we can play and we can win things. It’s a fresh start for us.”
Witz points out that the Galaxy is pinning its hopes on a handful of established stars: Beckham, Landon Donovan, Carlos Ruiz and the incoming Celestine Babayaro. To accommodate the salary cap, the rest of its roster is filled “with veterans whose best days are past and inexpensive kids,” Witz says.