DC United vs. LA Galaxy

[bandl]

Anyone else going to the game tonight at RFK Stadium? Sold out, 45K tickets. There's an off-chance that Beckham will play. But I don't really care about that...45K for a soccer game is going to be a blast!!! xthumbsupx

Look for me in the PSV Eindhoven Jersey (since I don't own any DC United items yet :o )

[SuperJon]

I was going to go but couldn't afford the ticket and 3.5 hour drive. I really wanted to go though.

[mcveyrl]

Saw that Beckham played. How was it bandl?

[bandl]

Saw that Beckham played. How was it bandl?

It was incredible. RFK was sold out and packed (although it was easily apparent there were quite a few no-shows because of the speculation concerning Beckham not playing). We arrived to tailgate around 5:30 and the parking lots were almost entirely filled. I wore my ‘PSV’ jersey, and saw jerseys from other teams throughout Europe. Even heard a ‘DAMN YOU PSV!’ coming from someone wearing an Arsenal jersey (PSV knocked them out of the Champions League last season), all in good fun though. The crowd was a fairly even distribution of people there just to see Beckham, and those that support DC United and soccer and the amount of excitement that a world-class player like Beckham brings. ‘DC United’ chants echoed throughout the stadium the entire game, and both boos and cheers echoed throughout whenever Beckham appeared on the big screen. DC United was easily the better team on the pitch, scoring early on a 25-yard blast form Emilio (that the LA goal-tender should have stopped or at least pushed over the crossbar). DC United had more shots, shots on goal, corners and attacking chances than L.A., they just couldn’t get the ball in the net again. It started pouring around the 55th minute, which seemed to put the crowd into a frenzy. Meanwhile Beckham was warming up on the sideline, which resulted in flashbulbs galore. When he entered the game in the 72nd minute, the place just erupted. I haven’t heard RFK that loud since the Skins used to play there, again both boos and cheers. I initially booed him, but I had to admit that it was pretty cool to witness his MLS debut and to see the crowd so into it that I eventually turned to cheering him, as did most of the crowd. He had a couple decent passes, including a free kick from 40 yards out that was headed about 2 feet over the goal. So, while he didn’t do anything spectacular other than his picture-perfect arcing passes, it was good to see that he realized the importance of his appearance in the game (as he said both before and after in interviews) since so many people paid good money to see him play. While I certainly don’t think his appearance will drastically change people’s view on soccer in the U.S., it will certainly increase interest somewhat. The fact that people who say they don’t like soccer but have an opinion on Beckham and MLS speaks for itself. I see that as a good thing. xnodx

[laxVik]

Yeah and buzz here in LA was been loud ever since he arrived. It's all good imo. Beckham jerseys are everywhere.

[SuperJon]

It's amazing how much better LA played once Beckham got in the game. You stick him at center mid full time and they could be a decent team this year.

Had Perkins not made a great play on Landon Donovan, Beckham would've had his first assist in the MLS.

DC played good last night, which made me happy. Only wish I could've been there. I've never been able to make it up for a game and have always wanted to. I've been a DC fan since I was 10 (when the league first opened).

[blur2005]

I enjoyed watching that game and seeing such a vibrant atmosphere. It helps that DC actually has good attendance for its games and therefore it was easier to sell out a game with 45,000 people than in some other places. But all in all, it was pretty cool seeing that in this country. Beckham definitely gave LA some chances there towards the end, as that ball to Donovan was so well placed, it's a shame Perkins got there at the same time and crushed him.

[SuperJon]

It's a shame if you're an LA fan. If you're a DC fan you liked it.