LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham says the boos from New York Red Bulls fans only spurred him on during yesterday's winning return. "I've had a lot more boos than that in games," he said, recalling perhaps the abuse he suffered on his return from the World Cup finals in 1998 following his dismissal against Argentina.
"There were a few tonight, but it's to be expected. There were a lot of people highlighting that I might get booed in the build-up, so I expected it. It's sometimes nice to get them, actually. It gives you some inspiration. When we played like we did, the boos start to go away in time."
"To be honest, I thought it was going to be worse," said Juan Pablo Angel, the former Aston Villa striker who scored the Red Bulls' late consolation goal before missing a last-minute penalty. "But he's used to the pressure. He's played for teams where he has to perform every weekend, and I'm sure he's used to dealing with this kind of pressure. He'll be able to deal with all of that, no problem."
Beckham made a point of celebrating with his team-mate and recently restored captain, Landon Donovan following the team's second and third goals, in a public show of unity after the United States international's criticisms of the Englishman's professionalism and commitment to MLS. Donovan admitted football had caught the imagination locally "not always for the right reasons" after his recent comments.
"But it was great to be playing in a confident team that got a lot better with a real class player joining us," he added.
"I would think David's been booed before," said the Galaxy's coach, Bruce Arena. "I would think that was almost a pleasant environment for him to play in, actually. He's been in bigger venues, in bigger games and with more hostile conditions. He can cope with all that. David brings confidence to the team. He's a competitive guy and we thought we'd only got an hour out of him against the Red Bulls but, if he'd had his way, he'd have played the full game.
"It was good to have him back. He walks in the locker room and he's just one of the guys. He gives them the respect that they want, and they give it back. For the organisation, he's been very respectful and he's fitted right back in. He's a player and we expect him to be like all the other guys, and that's what he wants to be. I think he's excited about playing this year in MLS with a team that's been a bit better than we've had in the past. He's excited about the opportunity. And it's almost as if I became a better coach with the addition of David Beckham to my side."
