The 2009 season is over, and it was a disappointing end to the Galaxy's season. Falling on penalties to Real Salt Lake means that an offseason of rest and recovery awaits for the MLS Cup runner-up. That's true for all but David Beckham, as he will leave LA and join AC Milan in the January transfer window for a second straight six month loan.
Beckham will attempt to impress Fabio Capello and secure a spot on the England World Cup team in 2010. Given the hype surrounding Bekcham, it's difficult to imagine him not making the roster. However, Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon is in fine form and with Theo Walcott waiting in the wings, Capello may leave the Galaxy midfielder home.
By the time South Africa rolls around, Beckham will be 35 years old and have played for almost two straight seasons. After watching Beckham play through an injury last night, it's fair to wonder how he'll do in Serie A starting in January. At the same time, he would bring a veteran presence into the locker room and would be appearing at his fourth World Cup.
Here's a question for SBI Readers. Will David Beckham actually play next summer? Have your vote below.
Share your thoughts below.
he should b dere for england teams rescue b’coz he is da only 1 who can save england and england team should not forget his support foe england from so many years..
You can honestly call the worlds best free-kick taker a “Mickey Mouse legend”? You have a extremely skewed vision of soccer and clearly have little knowledge of what it takes to play at this level. Beckham is in better physical fittness than half of the England squad. To leave him at home would only up the odds of every other country in advancing against England. Walcott, Wright-Phillips, and Lennon are all great players, however, when compared to Beckham, they are simply average. In time they will all be great, but they are not yet a suitable replacement for the world besk dead ball striker.
Do they need a guy to hop around and be injured all the time?
Do they need someone who can’t really make his mark in MLS, even when it’s for a championship which he claims to want so much?
Do they need someone who is incredibly overrated at this point in his career?
If he can make one really good pass in a game, he had a great game! To make matters worse, while Landon is clearly a lot better than Beckham, it appears he has David Beckham Syndrome now. He plays when he feels like it, but always gets credit for being “great”. A championship game wasn’t good enough to motivate either one of them. The Galaxy and Arena will be better off without both of them. It has to suck to be constantly told how fortunate you are to have two such great players, and then their contribution is incredibly exaggerated and they don’t show up for so many games. You can keep David Beckham and his two goals and three assists. They can easily be replaced. He can’t even sellout the Home Depot anymore. The Home Depot was selling out before Beckham. As for Landon, while he is the best the U.S. has, he can never really be considered great while he continues to be a part time player. Almost anywhere he is likely to go in Europe, he will sit on the bench. They will not tolerate players playing when they feel like it.
Beckham may be on the team, but he won’t see alot of time. He is for selling seats and shirts, thats it. The MLS Cup was a example of his game as a 35 year old. As George Best once said of Beckham “He can’t kick with his left foot, he can’t tackle, he can’t head the ball and he doesn’t score many goals. Apart from that, he’s all right.”
England already has a poor squad for World Cup contention, why make it worse with Beckham. Its time to move on and anoint a new phenom.
I don’t even see him getting an enormous amount of time in AC Milan.
Capello doesn’t view Beckham as a right winger. If everyone is healthy (a big if with Theo Walcott) I’d say Walcott is the first choice, with Lennon being the back up. After that England have Shaun Wright-Phillips, James Milner and Ashley Young, although all of those three have featured for England on the left. Stewart Downing hasn’t played yet this season, but once he returns from injury he’ll have time to prove he belongs in the squad.
England’s first choice midfield appears to be Walcott, Lampard, Barry and Gerrard. I think Beckham has the best chance of going to South Africa as a back up for Barry. Capello seems to value his leadership.
Ultimately, I think Capello will take 8 midfielders: Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Walcott, Lennon, Carrick, Beckham and Milner. If he takes a 9th or if there is an injury, I imagine Wright-Phillips would make the trip.
Sells too many jerseys? This is the WORLD CUP. I don’t think selling jerseys is on too many radar screens in England at the moment.
Absolutely yes Beckham will go. He has 5 weeks off before he has to go to Milan, which is enough time to rest and recoup, it’s basically what he’d get were he still playing the August-May schedule if you include pre-season training.
Agree with those who say, barring injury, Beckham will make the roster as a sub. He still provides good service and can make a goal happen with it. Crosses into that giraffe Crouch would be very dangerous. It’s like bringing on a pinch hitter in baseball. Sure, the guy can’t catch, run or throw, but he might win you a game with his bat. Beckham has also been productive in the role when called into the England side. I also agree that Capello will not be swayed by FA money, etc. He does his own thing and I think he is smart enough to know that you cannot leave a weapon like Beckham off the squad barring injury.
Good article, i think although Lennon, SWP and Walcot are all younger and faster, Beckham simply provides them the crossing, passing and set piece skills to unlock a tight game. Plus he has tons of experience, trains hard and seems to be a player others want around in the locker room. I think the real question for England right now is their choice of forwards, their Def and Mid are pretty much set.
Becks will be there because sometimes England’s attack simply does not run, and at those times his service and free kicks provide their only chances of scoring.
I think it’s up in the air whether or not he’ll make the squad. My vote right now would be a yes to him being in South Africa, but I don’t think he should play. Only for 20 minutes if England are down and need to try something different. But I think Lennon right now has the edge for a starting spot, and if Joe Cole and Walcott recover from their injuries, they would be the best backups, along with Shaun Wright-Phillips.
how many players on their squad actually play outside of the EPL?.. none execpt their coach. and becks really has not impressed me during the run of play that much this season with the Galaxy.
hope he does tho.. good press for MLS
at least they can get there jacka**. cant wait to see US go 3 and waaaaaaaaaaayyy out for the next 4 WC’s!
If on the roster, Becks will get cameo appearances only.
Capello likes Beckham (see Real Madrid’s title run a couple of years back, where Beckham’s work forced Capello to recall him) and will include him, and Beckham, despite all the hype (which brings its own negatives, but I digress…), he delivers off-pitch intangibles to a squad, in addition to his value as a late-game striker of the ball. If I’m Capello (and probably why I’m not!!!), I think at the end of the day, I still want Beckham taking the crucial kick at the match’s conclusion before Gerrard, Lamps, Rooney, et al. It’s a very hard call, but the “wily veteran” card is most valuable in the biggest matches, i.e., the World Cup.
England won’t have the slowest midfield, in response to the above post, b/c A. Lennon (or Walcott) will be starting and Gerrard is not “slow” by any means. Last I checked Lennon is finally becoming the winger that we thought he would 4 years ago, just on his own schedule.
On topic, this is a very balanced assessment of Becks chances and why, if he is healthy, he should go. On the BBC site.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8373584.stm
OK…now that was funny! LOL
lol thug. hardly
Of course he’ll play he sells too many jerseys not too. Of course Gerrard n Lampard sell jerseys also n thus will play n England again will have the slowest midfield and be bounced in the round of 16
If Capello doesn’t put him on the squad after making Becks jump through all these hoops, then that’s just messed up. In the World Cup, I would take veteran leadership and experience over a younger guy with no experience any day of the week.
I certainly can’t see him starting but he’s a nice situational sub to have on hand if your squad is trailing the last 20 minutes. He’s still a good weapon against a team that is packing it in with his wicked crosses and free kicks.
Having followed Capello’s coaching career for many years, the only thing we can predict is that, although he may have a group of players in mind that he would like to take if fit, he’ll be deciding in May based on form and fitness at the time. And marketability won’t come into it, the man likes to win too much to think about anything else. In other words, way too soon to name anyone on the roster as an absolute.
He obtains secret placenta treatments from an undergound Serbian doctor, and those treatments miraculously return him to his 23-year-old state. Then, he starts every game, plays every minute of every game (including a couple of overtime thrillers) and scores eight goals to win the Golden Boot award, all while leading England to its first Cup since 1966. Afterwards, he announces a hostile takeover of Soccer by Ives just so that he can prevent all of you naysayers from posting. 😀
he will be a 60-min ‘not-so-super-sub’
He makes the team but I don’t see him getting off the bench.
I guess if England is looking for a thug to cheapshot someone. This is what he was good for in the MLS this year.
He will be included in the squad because of his experience and England’s marketability goes way up (Beckham = English FA $$$$). Follow the money trail. He won’t play much and it really will all depend how he does at AC Milan which will all depend on his health.
Bekcham at 35 next year will be a liability to Fabio Capello’s way of playing. There are too many players ahead of Beckham who can also play other positions: Shaun Wright Phillips, Joe Cole, Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon. That’s why Capello would be taking these four right wingers who can play other positions instead of Mickey Mouse league playing Beckham.
Beckham is a no-brainer to be included in the England squad in South Africa. He has shown he can still have a very positive influence off the bench. I cannot possibly see him being a first teamer though, not without a few injuries to other players.
Not gonna happen. I remember seeing a break down of it and England had to make at least the semi finals of the world cup
If he is healthy I can’t see them not taking him. No one can make a pinpoint pass or free kick like him. Even if he is 35, as long as he can hit the ball like that you can’t leave him home. I doubt he can play the full 90 on the international level but if you need to pepper the box with crosses late in a game to get an equalizer I can’t imagine anyone else I would want on the field aking those crosses.
Did you not see Lennon yesterday? Your definition of average is conservative.
It’s too soon to tell. The Milan fans seem to want him to come over. I also agreed that he won’t start for england but rather be a 60 min supersub.
Walcott and Lennon are similar players. Lennon has been in better form, though it depends on how things are in april-may. Unless Beckham flops this time around at Milan, I can’t see him not going to the cup.
cant afford to leave the worlds best striker of a dead ball at home just because youve got lennon (average) and walcott (pace is his only good attribute) as well. that being said, id take swp above any of those 2, and i say this as an arsenal fan.
I think he will be on the roster no doubt,I don’t think he will start though.
It’ll be close if he can break Peter Shilton’s record for caps.