Beckham not in Olympic squad

Despite his sincere hopes, Beckham received a call yesterday from Stuart Pearce telling him that he would not be taking part in the GB football team in the London 2012 Olympics despite being chosen in the initial squad of 35. The 35 have now been whittled down to 18, and although the full squad is yet to be revealed, the three places reserved for players older than 23 have been revealed as Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards.
The reason for selecting Micah Richards ahead of Beckham is apparently because Pearce wants more defensive cover in his squad. Though naturally disappointed, Beckham has stated that he will be keenly following the British team just like any other supporter.
This follows on from a presentation earlier in the year for his 100 caps and surely signals the very last hope that Beckham had of any further involvement in international football. Meanwhile, The Galaxy have settled down a little and are starting to establish an unbeaten run which is a welcome change from their dismal start to the MLS season this year.

LA Galaxy 0 NY RedBulls 1

This home game for LA started well with a lot of pressure being put on the Red Bulls, but they somehow withstood the pressure and sneaked a goal against the run of play on 18 minutes. Keane had lobbed the 'keeper only to have his shot cleared off the line, Beckham had three or four set-pieces to deliver but all to no avail. Beckham is in his now familiar central midfield role and is seen storming forward on occasion eager to impress Great Britain Olympic Football coach Stuart Pearce who has come to see whether Beckham still has what it takes.
This looks like a game that has more goals in it as the teams leave the field at half-time with New York having a 1-0 lead.
The second half begins like the first with plenty of pressure from LA, but as the clock runs down, New York seems to find their feet and try to dictate a little more. The majority of chances fall to LA though, but a lack of success sees a change for Magee and Buddle as Noonan and Chad Barret take the field. Beckham switches to his 'old' position of right wing and pumps cross after cross into the box all to no avail. Easily the man of the match was Red Bulls 'keeper Ryan Meara who made his presence felt by taking complete control of his area for most of the game, and pulling of a fine save from an on-target effort from Juninho. In the final minute of extra time, the ball falls to Beckham on the edge of the area, he hits across it but without enough swerve to get inside the far post - his frustration is evident, but has he done enough to impress Stuart Pearce?
I have a feeling that he may have had to prove that he is still a competent player with a good level of fitness, still has great vision and passing ability - can hold up the ball when needed and still shows great desire. I'm not sure that Pearce didn't already know this, but if he wanted to know if Beckham still has the desire, I think he will have seen enough.
Beckham will probably not be pulling the England shirt on again even under new management, but there is a fair chance we could see him at the Olympics.

Beckham commits to LA Galaxy

The long drawn-out proceedings finally ended when Beckham signed a two-year extension to his MLS contract at LA Galaxy. Over the next two years, David can apparently expect $15m from The Galaxy, and they will no doubt be happy for him to make himself available for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Beckham at Arsenal

With Thierry Henry back on the bench for Arsenal, the very day after Paul Scholes came out of retirement - The Beckham boys are back in the terraces watching the latest FA cup story unfold, this time to watch Arsenal take on Leeds at the Emirates.

Arsene Wenger has also gone public voicing his belief that Beckham could play in the Premier League again like Henry, it was with Arsenal that Beckham trained in one winter break before the World Cup campaign started.

Wenger expressed his admiration for the determination of both men when playing in the MLS play-offs in 2011. He cited the anger and frustration that Henry displayed on losing the play-off, indicating the desire of the player.

Wenger said that both Beckham and Henry show the same desire to play to the best of their ability rather than sit back and take things easy in the MLS.

Henry repaid his old managers confidence by coming on late in the second half and scoring the winning goal as Arsenal beat Leeds 1-0. A fairy-tale ending to the day for Henry - a sigh of relief from Wenger as his team of youngsters showed promise but could not break through the Leeds defence.

Beckham in Manchester

David Beckham is one of two Manchester old boys popping up at Old Trafford today. He appeared in the crowd whereas Paul Scholes made a surprise return to old Trafford, suspending his retirement to help out Manchester United take on Manchester City today.

For a brief moment you wonder whether Beckham would consider putting himself forward if Sir Alex is looking to bolster his squad for the rest of the winter - but the wily Scot is unlikely to entertain the idea for very long, although stranger things have happened ...

The game itself was a good advert for both the FA cup and the Premier League with ManU going three up in the first half after Kompany was dismissed for Man City. ManC pulled two back in the second half and the rest of the game became rather tense. Another long-lost ManU old boy Owen Hargreaves also took the field, but in the blue of Man City.

Man United teased City for the last five minutes keeping possession until City finally got a break and a free kick for a foul on the edge of the box. 92 mins on the clock and a nervy United keep the ball out of the net, the game finishes Man City 2, Man United 3 - ManU go through to the next round of the cup.

No doubt, the Beckhams will be happy with that result.

Beckham to stay in LA?

I'm not sure that staying in LA is the best option for David Beckham's aim of getting a place in the GB Olympic squad, but it does appear that (once again) the speculation of 18 months with PSG has evaporated. This time it is Leonardo himself saying that David will put family first and will not be signing for Paris.

It's not over 'til he signs in one place or another, but LA fans see this as a positive indication that he will stay with The Galaxy who have reportedly offered a one-year rolling deal.

In the meantime, although Robbie Keane initially ruled out a winter move, he is planning to train with Spurs during January, and Aston Villa are apparently set to offer a two-month loan deal to the LA Galaxy striker. Landon Donovan of course, is already in the squad at Everton for the winter break.

Paris Saint Germain

As the January transfer window gets ever closer, it looks increasing like Dave Beckham may be heading to PSG on an 18 month deal at a reported £700,000 per month. French politicians are up in arms at the proposed salary which would make Beckham the highest earning sportsman in France.

Added to this speculation is the distinct possibility that Carlo Ancelotti is also set to join the Paris club as coach setting the scene for an AC Milan 'old boys' network with Leonardo already installed...

I was personally hoping for a return to the Premier League for Beckham, but hopefully if this move comes off, it will present the right platform to launch his bid for a place in the British Olympic team for 2012. Watch this space for breaking news....

UPDATE: The BBC are now reporting that Beckham may be favouring extending his contract with LA Galaxy, which initially looked to be a strong contender - however, taking this step might mean he is in a worse position to get a place in the Olympic team.

Melbourne Victory 2 (3), LA Galaxy 2(4)

In what proved to be the toughest test of the tour, The Galaxy drew 2-2 with hosts Melbourne victory in their final exhibition match, going on to take the victory in the penalty shoot-out.

It was penalties that got them the draw in the first place, both of them sent home by Robbie Keane. Beckham had a chance to repeat his rare trick of a goal from his own half, this time narrowly missing the target.

Berhalter came on for Beckham in the 89th minute, sparing Beckham the penalty shoot-out - Berhalter scored his penalty and LA took the honours despite Landon Donovan sending his effort over the bar.

Donovan is heading for another short stint at Everton in January, Beckham looks increasingly likely to be heading for Paris..

Phillipines 1 LA Galaxy 6

Beckham scores the opening goal in open play (!) in what quite frankly a rout seeing a host of the Galaxy's star players getting goals. Beckham opened the scoring on 20 minutes curling the ball past the keeper from just outside the box. Magee scored a scorcher from Donovan just before the 40 minute mark, and the Phillipines quickly got one back 2-1 to the Galaxy at half time.

Keane scrambles the ball into the net straight after the break, Cristman headed a goal on the hour mark to take the score to 4-1, well out of sight for the Phillipines team. The Galaxy won a penalty on 80 mins and veteran Berhalter took a great penalty to take the score up to 5-1, and Cristman rounded it off on 86 mins, the game finished 6-1 and never for a second did it look like any other outcome was likely..

Indonesia 0 LA Galaxy 1

The Galaxy continued their MLS form as they start their Asia Pacific Tour 2011. With the whole squad minus a couple (Ricketts having been traded and Birchall left at home to deal with domestic affairs), it was nonetheless a lot a unfamiliar faces that graced the Indonesian turf to grind out a win for The Galaxy in typical gritty style. One would like to think that a full star-studded squad would have made more of an impression, but a win is a win, and The Galaxy have 'blooded' some players who normally don't get the chance to play under the top-class spotlight.

It was Robbie Keane who scored after 14 minutes, the ball falling to him out of a penalty-box scramble - his finish was sharp and precise as he placed it just inside the right-hand post. More chances followed but went unconverted, and the home side was lucky to only concede the one goal in the first half.

Keane was substituted at 60 minutes, and Beckham had a few set-pieces to try a trade-mark goal, but failed to find the mark. Beckham stayed on the park for almost 85 minutes and left to a standing ovation. Indonesia came into the game more in the second half and crafted a few chances without managing to get anything past reserve keeper Brian Perk. The Galaxy see the game out retaining the one goal lead.

The 2011 MLS Final LA Galaxy 1 Houston Dynamo 0

The Galaxy settle in quickly and have the majority of the possession in the first half, plenty of chances to get forward but no efforts on target. Beckham does his fair share of set-up play by pinging balls to the front men. The first half ends 0 -0, but LA are looking likely to score at any minute. The Galaxy have Keane, Cristman and Donovan running rings around the Dynamo defence, Magee spurned a chance near the end of the first half. Cristman headed over the bar under pressure, plenty of corners have been forced, everything but a goal..

Cristman was visibly struggling and was replaced by Birchall early in the second half as The Galaxy continued to pile the pressure.

Keane had the ball in the back of the net just before the hour mark, but he was judged (wrongly according to the replays) to be offside, this rallied Houston a little and they turned attackers for a short spell.

However, it was Donovan who broke the deadlock on 72 minutes combining with Beckham and Keane and scoring the only goal of the final and securing the victory for The Galaxy. The Galaxy hold on to take the title, Beckham gets another yellow card...

Any other result would not have been right on the night, had they not found the net, it would have gone to extra time and penalties - The Galaxy out-classed Houston on the night, and have been consistent all season, if ever a trophy were deserved, this one was...

If this is how the five-season experiment ends, finally one can say it ends with success, a league title which incidentally, I think Beckham has won with every team he has played for.

We wait to see what Beckham will decide, bearing in mind the nagging back injury, the burning desire to play in the Olympics and the demands of a young family.

LA Galaxy 3 Real Salt Lake 1

The Galaxy get off to a good start with a Landon Donovan penalty after 22 minutes. Up to that point, both sides had chances to score, and neither team had a good hold on the match. This was borne out 2 minutes later when RSL convert a corner to level the match at 1-1. From this point, LA look to be taking control of the match keeping possession and creating chances, Salt Lake largely restricted to hitting Galaxy on the break. Both teams hit the woodwork in a busy first half, but the honours are even at half-time 1-1.

Just 13 mins into the second half, Mike Magee got his head onto a Beckham cross for Galaxy to take the lead. Just 10 minutes later, the result was more or less sealed as Donovan fed Keane to take the score to 3-1. A couple of yellows were picked up on the night (NOT by Beckham who is now on an extended run of not getting booked..), but nothing that will prevent players taking part in the MLS final in two weeks time. Beckham was sub'd during extra time, but stood up to the task well considering that games have been coming thick and fast this week, and the continued concern over his back injury.

Keane looks to be over his injury worries, just needs to hit the net more than hitting the post (it's a bigger target after all!). Beckham will be looking to take this chance to win his first MLS cup, having lost the final in 2009 (on penalties), and lost the semi-final in 2010, LA are hopefully a little wiser and better prepared in 2011.