Beckham is Beckham in First Start

David Beckham did what David Beckham does in his first start last night, leading the LA Galaxy to a 2-nil victory over DC United in the Superliga semifinals. He pinged the ball around the spotty Home Depot pitch (hat tip to duNord) with aplomb, he made the keeper look silly with a signature free-kick goal (YouTube) and he passed a perfectly-weighted ball to Landon Donovan to complete the scoring.

And none of this is surprising to those who know anything about David Beckham's soccer abilities, because this is what he's been doing since Alex Ferguson plucked him from the Brimsdown Rovers youth club when he was 14-years-old. And this is what he will do until he retires. He's not Pele. He's not Michael Jordan. He's not John from Cincinnati. He's David Beckham.

For those desperately needing someone to compare him to, think Major League Soccer's Carlos Valderrama, sitting in the middle of the field and orchestrating the offense with vision, touch and savvy. Or for old timers, think Cosmos playmaker Vladislav Bogicevic, employing superior game awareness, body control and attacking flair as a midfield general.

Becks was also lucky to avoid a straight red for his clumsy from-behind mugging of Jaime Moreno (channeling serial bad tackler and old friend Paul Scholes?), and survived a potentially career-ending high-studded attack from Ben Olsen's Beard. He gingerly limped off the field to big applause and now we'll all await the latest word from his Cranky Ankle. This is Beckham. A terrific, international soccer star playing out his final years in the United States and creating buzz and helping to grow the Beautiful Game. Enjoy it for what it is.

Beckham on Saturday: Will He or Won't He?

The David Beckham Saga has more angles than Picasso's lady friends. Should he have played against Chelski? Should he save himself for Major League Soccer action, or compete in Superliga? Should he tell McClown to buzz off with his Germany friendly?

While these are all interesting questions (with easy answers, a) obviously not, b) you bet yer bippy, and c) hells yeah), for now, we'd like to examine a purely parochial part of the Becks-Injury conundrum: How does this affect the Red Bull?

According to Soccernet he may play at the Meadowlands on Saturday, depending on how he feels after participating in tonight's Superliga encounter with DC United. But on the other hand, Soccernet also opines that Becks hate him some turf so there's a good chance he'll take a pass on the crappy Giants Stadium surface.

Being sunny, optimistic types, here's how we see it:

If Beckham plays on Saturday, it's terrific for the Red Bull, because all of the extra fans who come out will get what they paid for and enjoy the day and want to come back to support the local team they discover while gawking at the vaguely androgynous curiosity from Ol' Blighty. It's kinda like Becks is the recreational weed, the gateway drug, if you will, to the seductive heroin that is live professional soccer (YouTube). (Hey kids, remember, don't do drugs. And stay in school. Oh, and don't forget to floss.)

If Beckham doesn't play on Saturday, it's terrific for the Red Bull too, because all of the extra fans who come out will get pissed at the EuroTrash Slacker, and the enemy of their enemy being their friend, they will immediately support the rampaging Red Bull who will proceed to hammer the Galaxy en route to three crucial MLS points. With Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore strutting their stuff, the Red Bull will gain thousands of fans and march to their first Major League Soccer championship.

Limited Engagement: The ProducersStarring JP Angel and Jozy Altidore

Remember when Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick were the hottest duo in town, starring in The Producers? We figured once the hysteria died down (not to mention the ticket prices) we'd eventually catch the performance, but time passed and before we knew it Ralph Malph and Potsie were playing Max and Leo. Not good.

That's when we learned an important lesson we feel compelled to share with you today: All dynamic, electrifying pairings -- including the Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore combo that tore through Toronto FC Sunday at the Meadowlands -- are limited engagements, and you need to see them while you can.

The Angel-Altidore Show is the most entertaining (YouTube), productive goalscoring force in Major League Soccer. The quiet confidence, deft touch and aerial dominance of the classy Colombian, coupled with the raw power, intuitive skills and brash enthusiasm of the explosive American teenager is simply a sight to behold. Angel opened the scoring in Sunday's 3-nil victory with a poacher's delight, first-timing a deflected ball in the box into the net with enough vinegar to drown a fish supper. Altidore then took center stage, shaking off Tyrone Marshall near midfield, before passing neatly to Angel on the right and then bundling home the former Aston Villa forward's cross for a 2-0 lead. On the final score, Angel flicked on a header to Jozy who danced past a defender with a superb first touch and blasted into the net to complete the rout.

Scintillating stuff and it brought the house down. But the curtain is about to fall on Angel-Altidore, just as it falls on all great pairings. Martin and Lewis. Butch and Sundance. Donald and Ivana. Nothing lasts forever. It's the circle of life. Jozy Altidore is headed to Europe for big bucks, sooner rather than later, so get your tickets now and enjoy the show. Or before you know it, the Red Bull strikers will be Ralph Malph and Potsie. Not good.

Jozy Altidore Headlines YouTubePalooza

We've been waiting for Red Bull striker, and FIFA 08 coverboy, Jozy Altidore's version of the Adidas Impossible is Nothing videos to pop-up on YouTube, and although the quality of this version is less than perfect (you've got to endure a choppy bit of cheesy pregame nonsense prior to the actual spot), without Freddy Adu.....er....without further adieu...here's Jozy and a sampling of other cool YouTube video:

Jozy | Messi | Beckham | Kaka | Guardado | St. Margarets

Extended Impossible is Nothing Video | Jose Plus 10 | Ali

Becks-Scooby Doo | Messi Chip | More Messi (via Dailymotion.com)

David Beckham Plays Soccer Game

Becks made his Major League Soccer debut last night, appearing as a sub for the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 1-nil loss to DC United before an announced crowd of over 40,000. Here's a quick roundup of links:

MLS | ESPN | DC Centers | NY Times | Times UK | Deadspin | TMZ

Jozy and the Eurocrats: Big Clubs and Fat Contracts

Freddy Adu's inevitable foray into European futbol has pushed Red Bull striker Jozy Altidore to the top of the He's Leaving For Europe List. Soccer by Ives, as usual, gets the straight dope directly from the 17-year-old out of Livingston, New Jersey.

"There was a time when I said to myself that I'm not going to go there [Europe] until I'm 21, when I'm more mature and able to take care of myself and live a life like that. But then again I thought about the soccer aspect. The quicker you can get there the better. Even if it starts off tough you can always adjust to it, especially if it's a team that needs you. It's all about timing."

Regarding timing, Altidore becomes legal when the clock strikes midnight on Nov. 6, just as Major League Soccer shuts down and European clubs start scouring the globe for elusive goal-scoring saviors who can answer their prayers via the winter transfer window. Merry Christmas, Ajax fans, here's Jozy! P.S. Check out Paul Gardner's complete review of the Under-18 European Eligibility Kabuki Dance (hat tip to du Nord).

Of course, none of this comes as a surprise to the tens of Red Bull Rising readers, who remember this from way back on April 23, 2007.

"Jozy Altidore's combination of strength and skill is something to behold ... The kid's only 17, and still learning, but when he figures out how to battle ... rough treatment without resorting to histrionics ... he will be one of the most feared strikers in the league. Sadly, here's a prediction: Catch him now while you can, folks. This will be Jozy's last year with the Red Bull and MLS. A player with this much upside and youth is heading abroad for Big Money."

Beasley Battles Fat Bastard, Balkan Bigots

American winger DaMarcus Beasley had an eventful first week with new club Glasgow Rangers, where he was repeatedly assaulted by notorious Tartan Torturer Fat Bastard in his Scottish Premier League debut, and then subjected to some good ol' fashioned Balkan racism in European action.

Beasley overcame the oh-so-clever monkey chants from the highly-evolved FK Zeta faithful by scoring his first Champions League goal for the Old Firm side out of Ibrox. DaMarcus hopes to avoid a roadside confrontation with William Wallace upon his return to the Land of Haggis.

We're Back

Red Bull Rising was forced to leave the country, because of this Sollozzo business. Thankfully, our Godfather got us cleared of all those false charges and made arrangements to bring us back here safely. While away, we followed MLS, the US National Team and World Soccer religiously via satellite dish, when not enchanted by a beauty piu Greca d'Italiana. We considered posting in absentia, but in a court of law they could've proved that you, our loyal readers, had knowledge of our whereabouts. Anyway, we've settled all family business and in five years Red Bull Rising is going to be completely legitimate. Trust us. It's all we can tell you about our business. Now, back to the soccer...