CARSON, Calif. – With a world-class set-piece ability, LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham has carved up numerous opponents throughout his storied career.
That he was able to do so once more against Seattle on Sunday was testament not only to his skill but to the players on the receiving end of his crosses.
Edson Buddle and Omar Gonzalez took advantage of Beckham’s crosses on Sunday and the Galaxy benefited from it, beating Seattle 2-1 in the match to claim the series with a 3-1 aggregate score. The victory sent Los Angeles to the Western Conference Championship game for the second consecutive year.
WATCH: FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
“It’s what I’ve done for many years but it’s important for me to have players who can put it on the top of their head or on the top of their feet,” Beckham said after the match. “I know that if I put the ball in the right area, we’ve got brave enough players, we’ve got good enough players to score goals.”
Beckham said he felt strong on set pieces from the start and that scoring a goal was all but an inevitability.
"I had a feeling one was coming because I put the ball in the right place a few times and I knew that at some point we were going to get on the end,” he said. “It was three or four corners that we had that I thought we were going to score from. … One was going to come – the law of averages.”
WATCH: Beckham on game-winning assists
Team captain Landon Donovan had nothing but praise for Beckham after the match.
“This is the best David has played since he has been a Galaxy player,” said Donovan. “He is inspiring everyone with the way he is running, the way he is defending, with the way he is talking on the field and leading. He has been fantastic.”
For the Galaxy to get past FC Dallas and reach MLS Cup 2010, a similarly strong and concerted effort is a must.
“We’re happy so far and we’re playing well, we’re performing well and the character is showing through,” Beckham said. “But we’ve still got one more to go before we get through to the final and hopefully we can do that.
“We can only do that with the hard work, the professionalism and the character we’ve shown so far.”
The Galaxy face FC Dallas in the Western
Conference Championship on Sunday, November 14 at 6 p.m. at The Home
Depot Center. Tickets are available as low as $20! BUY TICKETS
