Wizards will get first look at Beckham on the field
By BOB LUDER
The Kansas City Star
For Kevin Hartman, Chance Myers, Jimmy Conrad and Sasha Victorine, any Wizards game against the Galaxy in Los Angeles is a chance to come home.
But this will be something altogether different.
When the Wizards kick off against the Galaxy at 9:30 tonight at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., it’ll mark the first time the Wizards have stepped into Beckham-mania and dealt with that circus firsthand.
The Wizards played the Galaxy in Carson last year, but the British superstar and pop icon, David Beckham, in his first season with the club, didn’t play because of an injury.
“To be honest, I’m just looking forward to getting back to playing in front of friends and family,” said Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, a native of Palos Verdes who played college soccer at UCLA. “They’ve had some great results. Obviously, they have Landon (Donovan) and David playing very well.
“I’m just excited to get there and play. Obviously, the notoriety of David has done a lot for (Major League Soccer). But I think we’re all conscious that it’s a team sport. I think he’s fit in there really well — he has five assists.
“But we’re going to try not to overhype the situation.”
No overhyping necessary. The mere power of Beckham’s presence has ensured that, as MLS’s attendance report indicates. The Galaxy leads the league in home attendance, drawing an average of 24,965 to the Home Depot Center. And Beckham has packed them in at opposing venues around the league as well. Galaxy games have drawn an average of 22,205 in opposing stadiums.
The Galaxy isn’t scheduled to play the Wizards in Kansas City until Sept. 13.
A venue more suitable for the Beckham hype than the 10,375-seat maximum CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home to the rest of the Wizards’ games this season, has yet to be determined.
Of more immediate concern to the Wizards is the Galaxy’s recent form. Last weekend, Beckham, Donovan and company imposed such an ugly 5-1 thrashing of FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park, that its coach, Steve Morrow, was fired two days later. Donovan and Beckham have proved to be a lethal scoring combination, with Donovan leading the league with eight goals and both players currently tied for the league lead with five assists.
As a team, the Galaxy leads MLS with 19 goals scored, though it also has surrendered 16 to opponents, tied for second worst in the league. By comparison, the Wizards have scored just nine goals (third-lowest in MLS) and given up 10.
“We’ve got to look at every game the same,” Myers said. “It’s Beckham and all, but it’s just another game against the Galaxy.
“It’s the same as New York (last weekend) — big stadium, big crowd. It’s not too different. It should be the same, except I have close family and my girlfriend’s family all coming. That’ll be cool to see them.”
Most Wizards are looking forward to playing in a bigger game environment.
“I think it’ll be good,” said midfielder Jack Jewsbury. “The environment will be one in which we feel like we’re playing in a big game. We lost two points late in the game last weekend in New York, and we feel like we gave it away.
“Hopefully, we can use the big atmosphere to propel us to get three points (for a win).”
Join the discussion
Share your observations and experiences about news. Lively, open debate is the goal, but please refrain from personal attacks or comments that are racist, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. If you see an inappropriate comment, please click the "Report as violation" link to notify a KansasCity.com editor. Thanks for your feedback.