The LA Galaxy are your 2011 MLS Cup Champions.
The Bruce Arena-led team claimed their third Cup in club history on Sunday night, prevailing in front of their home fans against an overmatched Houston Dynamo squad.
It wasn’t exactly the most thrilling of games, but in the end, the best team on the night (and on the entire season) rightfully claimed the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.
Rightly or wrongly, the bigger storyline was the one that was touched on with near obsessiveness by ESPN colour commentator John Harkes -- that being whether David Beckham, now having punctuated his landmark (expiring) contract with a Cup-winners medal, will return to the LA Galaxy next season.
It’s certainly a question that seems to have gotten much more complicated over the past 24 hours.
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Beckham revealed in the post-game press conference that he actually suffered a slight hamstring tear in training on Tuesday, which explains his absence from the subsequent two days’ worth of practice sessions. That the famous Englishman would play through such an injury shouldn’t come as a surprise; he’s shown in the past that his competitive nature wouldn’t allow him to miss out on a game like yesterday’s.
But perhaps he was even more motivated to get on to the pitch on Sunday night because he knew that it would be his last match in Major League Soccer.
It makes sense, especially with the Galaxy fulfilling their apparent destiny by blanking the hapless Dynamo 1-0 and staking their claim as possibly the best team ever to grace an MLS field.
Beckham is nothing if not an astute showman, and he will have been well aware of the optics of exiting stage left after reaching the pinnacle of the league he crossed an ocean to conquer five long seasons ago.
To go out on top will eliminate the possibility of a future freak injury or high-profile falling out with a teammate from tainting his legacy in America; something that MLS Cup 2011 saved Beckham from having to endure given past freak injuries and a very public rift with U.S goldenboy Landon Donovan a few years back.
In sport, you are only as good as your most recent accomplishments, and that principle also holds true in erasing past mistakes. The same LA supporters that
Much of that had to do with the play of Beckham himself, as he’s been nothing short of sublime this year for a Galaxy team that have thrived alongside him. The row with Donovan has long since been patched up, and for two seasons the Galaxy have been the dominant force in MLS -- save for a stumble in last year’s playoff campaign.
Any way you measure it, Beckham’s last year-and-a-half have been tremendous on the pitch, finally measuring up to the massive off-field successes his presence has brought to North American soccer.
With the final piece of the puzzle now in place -- it was within seconds of the final whistle that play-by-play man Ian Darke mentioned that Beckham is the second Englishman to win championships in three different countries -- the stage is seemingly set for the world’s most famous footballer to bring his highly valuable brand back to Europe for once last hurrah on the old continent.
Paris is but a short hop from Beckingham Palace, after all.
Or perhaps not. Becks is a big family man, and he’s said on many occasions that his wife and kids are very settled in Southern California. Heck, his oldest boy is currently with a Galaxy-affiliated youth club.
So while there may be many business reasons to pick up shop and head to Ligue 1 (or wherever), perhaps now is the time that the Beckhams decide to finally stop living the nomadic football life and set permanent roots down in Beverly Hills.
If so, expect Goldenballs to be suited up for the Galaxy when they play their next competitive fixture: a date with Toronto FC in March.
David and Victoria have never been the type to dither on these types of decisions (a la LeBron James), so whatever they decide, it will be done soon. But not before the Galaxy squeeze in a few more money-spinning Asian friendlies, of course.
Rudi Schuller contributes Toronto FC, MLS, and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams, and he has spent time as soccer editor for Reuters' online publications. He has also contributed to Goal.com and other soccer media. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.