Beckham’s Triumphant Swan Song

Yesterday afternoon, the LA Galaxy won their second consecutive MLS Cup title, but perhaps the bigger story was David Beckham’s MLS departure, a departure that has ended with a championship.  While Beckham wasn’t a huge factor in the Galaxy’s 2012 cup win, his presence was felt throughout the entirety of the match.  On the other side was the Houston Dynamo, who, despite strong play in the first half, could not hold onto their 1-0 lead in the second, leading to three unanswered LA goals and ultimately the cup victory.

The Galaxy and the Dynamo both shared a steady amount of the possession in the first half, but Houston was able to capitalize on a handful of misses opportunities, including a low cross from Robbie Keane to Landon Donovan who had a wide open net, but hit the ball wide, resulting in absolutely nothing for the Galaxy.  Houston punished LA for their mistake, picking up a late first half goal off the foot of Calen Carr.

Despite a strong first half, the Dynamo slowed down in the second, opening the game up for the Galaxy.  Fifteen minutes in, Omar Gonzalez got the equalizer for LA off a brilliant header delivered by a cross from Juninho.  That one goal changed the whole dynamic of the game, shifting the balance of power to LA’s favor.  Houston got desperate despite the 1-1 score, trying anything and everything to try and re-take the lead.  Instead of playing smart, the Dynamo’s play instead got rough, and led to the two penalties that gave LA their second cup win in so many years.  The first was taken by Landon Donovan who put it away with ease.  This would end up being the winning goal.  The second was taken in the last minute of stoppage time by Robbie Keane, putting the icing on the cake for the Galaxy.

When all was said and done, it was the David Beckham lifting the trophy once again along with the rest of his team.  Landon Donovan also got a chance to hoist the trophy up one last time as it seems pretty evident that he will be taking some time off from the game of soccer now that the season is over.  With four MLS Cups to their name, it would seem that the LA Galaxy have reached dynasty status, a title that has been well earned.  They owe David Beckham much of the credit for this, as he brought this team from worst to first back in 2007 when he first joined the league.

That wraps up this year’s Major League Soccer season.  MLS will return in March of 2013, with opening day kick-off slated for the 2nd of the month.