CARSON, Calif. -- David Beckham spoke to reporters ahead of Sunday's Western Conference Championship First Leg between the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders FC at The Home Depot Center.
During his interview, Beckham touched on a number of topics including his opinion of the Sounders, Seattle's Osvaldo Alonso and a number of other topics.
Beckham's thoughts are below...
(On the team’s balance…)
BECKHAM: “We've got great balance on the team, we've had it for the last three or four years and Bruce has brought players in that can perform and have performed. It doesn't matter what age they are, they've stepped into the team. Jose [Villarreal] and other players that have stepped in, they don’t look out of place. That’s down to the coaching staff and Bruce [Arena] and the confidence of these young kids. Tommy [Meyer]’s stepped in and he’s done well in other games and coming up against the players that he did in San Jose, he proved that he’s matured a lot and his performance was exceptional. We've definitely got the right balance throughout our team; we just need to keep producing these kids because it’s good for the sport and obviously, the U.S. as well. It’s nice to see these players progress and go into the national team and that’s what you want to achieve ultimately."
(On whether LA is better now than they were at the end of the season…)
BECKHAM: “I think that if you've had asked me after the first game in San Jose, I’d have said no, but obviously we preformed really well. That’s the standard that we need to keep, that’s the standard for the last half of the season and we got ourselves into the playoffs in an impressive way. If you’re going to win this competition, you have to play at this standard every single game.”
(On the challenges that Seattle presents…)
BECKHAM: “Many, I've always been a big fan of Seattle as a franchise because they do things in a great way and they have done since they've come into the league. Last time we played in the [playoffs] there, we beat them with a great goal from Edson. The atmosphere was the best that I've ever been in, in this country. I’m a big fan of Seattle and they pose many difficulties. They've got good players, good team spirit and so it’s going to be a tough game. I think we have a good chance of progressing if we play our game. It’s not going to be easy.”
(On whether the Seattle crowd makes it more important for LA to get a result in first leg…)
BECKHAM: “No, I don’t think it matters. I love playing in atmospheres like that. It’s what I've done throughout my career. I love playing in opposing stadiums where they’re on their back and we've done it once or twice in Seattle, and we haven’t done it once or twice in Seattle. It’s important that we get a good result, a better one than we got in the first game against San Jose, but like I said before, they pose many difficulties for us. Either one of us could progress so it’s about who performs best on the day.”
(On Alonso…)
BECKHAM: “I like him as a player, he’s very energetic, he tackles, he passes, and he can head the ball. He’s a very good player, I played with him in the all-star game and he’s a great kid as well. He’s a very good player, so they've got a few good players throughout their team. They've got good balance through their goalkeeper, their defense, good midfield players, and they've got attacking players that could score goals. It’s going to be a tough one.”
(On the turf field at CenturyLink Field…)
BECKHAM: “It doesn't effect my game too much. It’s not ideal playing on a surface like that and I've always said that throughout my career. It’s not an easy surface to play on, but it is what it is. We've drawn Seattle in the [Conference] Final and like I said, it’s not an ideal surface, but we’ll still play on it and it doesn’t effect my game too much.”
