Beckham leads star-studded Galaxy vs. TFC
Sell-out crowd of 45,000 expected at Rogers Centre
David Beckham’s soccer skills may have diminished. His star power has not.
The English soccer superstar and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates are in town for Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions League match (8 p.m., Sportsnet) against Toronto FC, which will smash the home attendance record for the locals.
“It’ll be great,” Beckham, the soon-tobe 37-year-old former England captain, told reporters after the Galaxy trained Tuesday at the Rogers Centre, where a sell-out crowd of about 45,000 is expec- ted. “These are the stadiums you want to play in.
“You want to play against 45-50,000 fans. Whether they’re going to be for you or against you, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes it’s better when they’re against you because it’s more enjoyable when you have a little bit of success, so hopefully we have that.”
Beckham was the headliner when TFC set its attendance record of 22,435 at BMO Field in a MLS regular season match last April. Most observers believed that 0-0 draw would be Beckham’s first — and last — meaningful game in Toronto.
Other than a cameo in the 2008 MLS all-star game at BMO Field, he had either been on loan or injured each time the Galaxy came to town over his five-year, $32.5-million (U.S.) contract, which ended following the Galaxy’s 2011 championship season.
The MLS Cup title, Beckham’s first in North America, came at the end of a brilliant season. After struggling through much of his first four years here, he had a careerhigh 15 assists, was selected to the league’s Best XI and won comeback player of the year.
But rather than opt for a return to Europe as many had expected, Beckham signed another two-year deal in January. He cited his goal to raise the popularity of soccer in North America and the fact his family — former Spice Girl, Victoria, and their four children — is enjoying life on the West Coast.
This is his only scheduled visit to Toronto in 2012. Fears of inclement weather forced this match indoors to the bigger stage — and artificial turf — of Rogers Centre.
It’s clearly not the surface of choice for either side.
“It’s not ideal but it’s the same for both teams,” Beckham said. “Ideally, you want to play on grass, but . . . at least it’s a touch warmer.” Teammate Robbie Keane, Ire- land’s captain, was much less diplomatic. “Me personally, I don’t think we should be playing on a plastic pitch,” Keane said. “These days, it should be grass pitches. But . . . that’s the way it goes.” No matter the surface, L.A. is an elite team. With Beckham, Keane and U.S. captain Landon Donovan, the Galaxy were expected to make it into this knockout stage of the competition for clubs in North and Central America and the Caribbean. TFC, a club that’s yet to appear in a playoff game in its five-year history, was not. But Donovan made it clear the Galaxy isn’t underestimating their opponents. “I know historically there hasn’t been a ton of success but this is a big moment for them,” Donovan said.