Tucson, Ariz. — It doesn’t matter where he is playing, or what competition he is playing in, but LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham always wants to win.
When the LA Galaxy lock horns with the New York Red Bulls Wednesday night at Kino Stadium (7 p.m. PT, on www.lagalaxy.com/gamedaylive), in the final group stage game of the Desert Diamond Cup, the emotions might not be the same as they were four months ago— when the two clubs faced off in their Western Conference Semifinal Series— but goal certainly remains the same. Win.
Training Update with Arena, Beckham
“Whether it’s a friendly match, a World Cup match, or playing in the garden with my kids,” Beckham said, “I always want to win. Though I take it easier on my kids, I still want to win.”
The Galaxy could enter their game against the Red Bulls needing a win in order to advance to the Desert Diamond Cup championship game.
LA (1-1-0, 3 points) are currently in second place in the standings, tied with Real Salt Lake but possessing a +1 goal difference compared to RSL’s -1. Both teams trail the first place New England Revolution, who are a perfect 2-0-0 in the competition, by three points. New England and Salt Lake kick off Wednesday night’s doubleheader at 6 p.m. (PT) with the Revs clinching a berth in the final with a win or a draw. With a Revolution win, the Galaxy could then book the second spot in the final with a win or draw with New York or even by losing but maintaining a superior goal difference to the Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake.
If New England and Salt Lake draw, the Galaxy would need a win or tie against the Red Bulls (0-2-0, 0 points) to play in the final. If Salt Lake wins Wednesday’s early game, the Galaxy would need to beat the Red Bulls and end up with a greater goal differential than either New England or Salt Lake to play in the final.
“It is an important game, especially as we get closer to the season, which is now only about a week-and-half away, guys are still getting 90 minutes fit. That’s kind of our main priority,” said Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant. “It’s obviously a big game and every time we step onto the field we want to win. We want to win trophies and tournaments, but the most important things for us is to look forward to the Champions League game and get ready for that, so that’s kind of our main focus and this game is going to help us do that.”
The two teams that don’t advance to play in the championship game will take part in the third-place match. Both games will be played on Saturday night at Kino Stadium, with the third-place game kicking off at 5 p.m. (PT) and the championship game at 7 p.m. (PT).
