It Must Be Nice to Live in Lalaland
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by Tyduffy
David Beckham made his epic trek last week. He played the full 90 minutes in England's friendly match against Germany on Wednesday and flew back from London to Los Angeles to play a full match for the LA Galaxy. Unsurprisingly, considering he was not fully fit to begin with, he was forced to miss the next match on Sunday due to exhaustion. Why did this happen?
Of course it would have nothing to do with Alexi Lalas. The Ginger Baker wannabe apparently blames England and Beckham himself. "There comes a point when your body can't do it anymore" stated Lalas, because there apparently is a point of physical fitness where Beckham wouldn't have been tired playing a match on back to back days, let alone after a 12 hour flight. He followed this up with "we have spent a tremendous amount of money to retain his services, we want to make sure we get our money's worth." He also criticized Beckham being recalled for friendlies, because the Galaxy would never extort money out of him or jeopardize his health by flying him halfway across the world to play in a friendly...oh wait.
It would not be Galaxy manager Frank Yallop's fault, either. The manager stated, "I wasn't going to play him at all, but he said he felt OK." Who would ever think that the manager would the one responsible for picking the squad? Where would anyone get a silly notion like that?
As shocking as it sounds, Steve McClaren is the one with the least amount of blame. Should he have blooded David Bentley (because he knows what he will get out of Beckham) instead of punishing him for a meaningless match? Perhaps. Should he have brought Shawn Wright-Phillips in for him after the first half? Probably. But, the fact is, he has the right to call up Beckham and play him if he wants to do so. Country has clear precedent over club, no matter how much money is involved. If he wants to play him 90 minutes in a meaningless friendly, its his prerogative.
It is not England that is shamelessly abusing Beckham, it is the Galaxy. The Chivas match, though important, was in Los Angeles, so it was not denying a market the right to see the spectacle. Yallop could easily have kept him on the bench, like he did Donovan, and used him if needed in the 2nd half. Better yet, they could have sent him home with some Ambien and let him rest up for Sunday.
The only person who comes out well in this situation, is Beckham himself. He recognizes the importance of playing for England and at the same time assumes the burden of being the MLS' wedge to drive itself into the mainstream American marketplace. Feeling duty-bound, he attempted to please both parties, and not disappoint. Though stupid to assume such a herculean task, there is some nobility in it. One would hope that those managing his fate would have the sense to stop him. Unfortunately, all three rely on his presence to save their jobs, so expect the thrusting around of him like a peace of meat to continue.
Originally published here.
