The LA Galaxy today announced that the club has reached an agreement with AC Milan that would allow David Beckham to remain on loan with Milan through the end of the 2008-09 Serie A season. That season culminates on May 31, after which Beckham would re-join the Galaxy. However, Beckham will not be eligible to play for the Galaxy in any league games until the international transfer window re-opens on July 15, 2009.
As part of the agreement to extend the loan, AC Milan will participate in an exhibition game against the LA Galaxy at The Home Depot Center on July 19. This game will necessitate the re-scheduling of the Galaxy’s MLS regular-season match against the New York Red Bull two days earlier to July 16 at Giants Stadium.
The Galaxy has also announced a rollback (10% on average) on ticket prices for the upcoming season. The team will be issuing refunds, in the amount of the rollback, for fans that have already purchased individual and season tickets, according to President of Business Operations Tom Payne.
More information will be provided on LAGalaxy.com.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Agreement Reached
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23 comments:
As I had thought, this back-and-forth nauseating, sick drama took the organization, the players, the fans, and the media all the way through the very last of the loan-period to get sorted and finalized. I hope - I sincerely hope - that the LA Galaxy front-office and AEG have learned and accepted some very important and valuable lessons... In a league such as ours with many different competing interests from west to east and north to south - to try and bring in a multi-million, international star player fit into a team and a system with such mind-boggling, high-strung limitations is just LUNACY, IDIOTIC, and UNFAIR!!! Please understand and accept this AEG!!! For the past two seasons, we the fans, have been fed bloated crap about chances of making it to the play-offs. When what it took, was incredible home-work, research, negotitating, and holding onto our best, productive players and talents that we had. MLS is a very physical, challenging league in terms of player size, geography, turf, weather, altitude... and, so on. Players that are brought in must be able and willing to handle of these factors. I just hope there is enough time for Bruce and Dave Sarachan to bring in the tough, quality, experienced, hard-nosed players we need to complete this team!!! Otherwise, we're going to get torched and set-a-blaze again!
This deal is a joke.
I don't want David Beckham to ever wear the Galaxy jersey again.
Tim Leiweke must think the Galaxy fans are stupid.
The executive leadership (if that what you want to call it) and David Beckham are the perfect example of what's wrong with football. Thanks for the slap in the face to your fans who help you make all this damn money!!! So what did the Galaxy get here!!! Seriously what did we win, a couple of bucks, an exhibition game, and a tired legged Becks for the end of the season. No thanks guys!! This is such an insult!!! Thanks for screwing this all up. Becks thanks for nothing...you didn't do crap for soccer in America, you didn't travel the country promoting soccer and appearing at soccer expo's, no instead you sold shirts, crappy cologne, armani underwear, and flew to Europe every other weekend. Let's not B.S. the fans with this crap press release. For once be honest with us. We'd respect the team board and the player more if you'd just been straight with us since last November. I'm soooo disappointed in this team and this player. I love the Galaxy and I'm gonna cheer on the lads because its gonna be on them to make something happen with all this unneccessary pressure. I wish they succeed, but don't think I'll be cheering for becks when he returns because I won't. He doesn't deserve anything from our fans!!! I'll there booing the heck out of him with a sign that says Thanks for nothing BrandTraitor!!! Please take off the Galaxy jersey because you don't deserve the honor to be associated with the team crest in the front of the jersey!!! and for that matter, neither do the Galaxy exec's who negotiated this crap deal!!!
i can't believe i'm reading this crap did not the league set a dead line that was not met and the commish said no offer wont be considered after that date what a bunch of two face liars i cant stand this how can i support this team that does not support its fans what a joke
P.S. Tim take my 10% refund and shove it
Insulted, You don't have a clue. Boo all you want. becksis above that The MLS is not a serious league. we all attend matches for entertainment and a day out in the sunshine not to watch serious football. I don't understand why the useless Donovan is a hero because he failed in Europe and Becks is the villain becuase he is a huge success. Boo Donovan too. Oh i forgot he gets booed every game anyway. Are we dissapointed that we won't see Becks here until July, yes of course, do we understand obviously. Why would he play with struggling players when he can play with the cream of Europe.
It's too much to ask a top level player to throw away the last few years of his career to play in a crappy team.
LA Galaxy should have built a competitive team around him. Did they not understand that he's a playmaker and needs competent players around to direct? He's not a striker or an attacking midfielder ... US fans are so clueless about football. There are 11 players in the field ... failure cannot be attributed to a single player!
It's 'MLS' not 'The MLS', idiot.
whats with all these losers on here bad mouthin mls if your not a fan of the league and its teams dont log on this blog
Anonymous @ 11:34 - get real. Donovan doesn't get booed by his own fans; Becks will be slaughtered by the Galaxy fans, and rightfully so.
Donovan has been upfront and honest from the beginning with the Galaxy in asking for a loan to Bayern Munich. Becks went behind their back and negotiated his own deal and then has been pitching a whiny fit the whole time and casting aspersions to MLS while he does it. He is dishonorable.
Donovan could have scored 15 goals for Bayern Munich and they still wouldn't have taken him; Galaxy refuse to let him go and are setting too high a price tag. Becks gets to pitch his little hissy fit and get his way....forking out his own money, by the way. Guess AC Milan didn't want him that bad, huh.
Donovan didn't fail in Europe this time. BM front office said he was too expensive, weren't going to buy. Donovan showed respect to BM and the Galaxy. Becks shows he's a manipulated ******bag with his "yay, I get to play for AC Milan and the Galaxy and help develop soccer in America, which I'm so passionate about."
You England/AC Milan fans of Becks can have him. You all deserve each other.
"The Galaxy has also announced a rollback (10% on average) on ticket prices for the upcoming season."
It says "AVERAGE" 10% roll back, that doesn't mean all will get !0%, most of us will likely get little or nothing with the roll back going to the Luxury Seat holders.
Hey Lie weke looks like your word means S@#T. i wish this team could fire the management
Who cares if it is the MLS or MLS it is football. Doesn't anybody in this country realize that "soccer" is a derisory snub but maybe that is appropriate for MLS.
To all you Galaxy fans who are justifiably angry at this rubbish, all I can say is...IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME!!
The ultimate blame for this fiasco rests not on Beckham but on Leiweke and Garber. Their "deadline," as we now know, was nothing but a PR stunt. If they were really interested in keeping Beckham...and they knew that Milan was interested in purchasing him once the loan agreement was consummated...all they had to say was, "While we're flattered, we're not going to sell David because he's too important for the development of soccer in North America."
They didn't. Instead, they catered to Beckham, panicked at Milan's aggressiveness and showed themselves to be the rank amateurs that they are ... and I include Garber because he's sadly nothing but a Leiweke/AEG tool.
Unfortunately, Leiweke and Anschutz have made a bundle off you Galaxy fans by viewing you as stupid. AEG doesn't look as soccer as sport but as "entertainment;" that's why the quest to bring in "big name" players and coaches.
I don't know how you start a revolution but it's time for the pitchforks and torches, people.
Ah Joseph,
Man, I love to read your posts/comments. They carry raw emotion and flavor that you can only masterfully put into writ. I do agree that I am left feeling "had", "used", "pic-pocketed", dare-say. But, the important thing for me remember and know is that Tim & the AEG are indeed about MONEY & BUSINESS first, entertainment - perhaps, second, and quality, possibly a third - if there's room for it. I believe Tim and AEG leaves the production of quality, excellence, and satisfaction up to the staff, the coaches, & the players. Honestly, I do wish for a business & captial owner that truly cares & wants better soccer and a better team... but, right now - the checks are indeed coming to the hands of the players from them. And, without those checks - no one is going to do, nor say, nor provide anything. Personally, I think the real problem is that fans & supporters' groups do not actually have a viable & legal say in the daily on-going of the club and organization. It doesn't necessarily have to be as great as 50 or 60% - just having 20-25 % say in the on-goings of the club should be good enough - as long as it's public, viable, and legal.
Let's hope your voice, writ, and message resonates across many-a-ticket holder. VIVA LA REVOLUCION !
A team is not based off of one player, although it does help to have a star! People bought tickets to see the Galaxy. I would not give any refunds to anyone! You buy the tickets to see the team not watch an individual player play! Whoever said Donovan gets booed every game and failed in Europe is nuts! Someone needs to check their facts before they start running their mouth again and looking stupid!
I don't want him back, wheter as a player, owner or ambassador.
Just go and stay away please!
First, charlesj27, many thanks for your compliments. I hope Galaxy PR is reading this (Right, Justin?).
Second, of course professional sports is a business. The problem here is the massive incompetence of Galaxy management. It's one thing to make money; it's quite another to gouge people (such as for parking) or to sabotage your own credibility. AEG and Leiweke excel at both, even more so than in their stated professional goals.
Third, the reasons I place less blame on Beckham (though he's not exactly blameless, either) are 1)any professional athlete worth his salt wants to test himself at the highest level possible and play in the big events, since careers are so short 2) the Galaxy has been run so badly that anybody who has the wherewithal to leave would be foolish not to try. The only players on the squad who have that wherewithal are Beckham and Donovan, since they are the only ones w/other or better potential options.
You Yanks know very little about "soccer" if you brand Beckham a failure and a traitor.
His passion is football and that is reflected in his affection for the game, dedication to training and desire to make 2010 (you might get there but you wont get passed the group stages!!!)
Name a decent US international that has replicated this? Or his collage for success for that matter..... Reyna, Jones, you're having a laugh!
Button up and concentrate utilizing Becks in July and when he retires from the game and develops the MLS in a coaching capacity.
get over it.....why play for a sunday pub team when you can play for ac milan, becks will be back and he will entertain you all in his twilight years and when he raises the profile if us soccer you will be happy again..
Oh dear ... it is my opinion that all that has happened is exacerbated by the broadly American naivity. Calling the beautiful game soccer is at the root. The game is football. It is about action not statistics and the introduction of ridiculous terminolgy only used within the shores of the USA or heard on FSC is also laughable. MLS (properly MLF)is a great idea badly implemented. The best footballers will always attract money, controversy and be subject to idol worship. Make no mistake that Beckham is truly great, had he beter players around him with the England set-up they too would be successful and he would have senior honours including European Cup and World Cup medals. LA Galaxy would be best served licking their wounds and welcome such greatness back into their fold and pray that David can continue to fuel both his and the dreams of the teams he plays for. Get over it indeed.
To the last two anonymous posters:
1. Do you know that "soccer" is an acceptable term for "football" even in England?
2. Beckham alone could not and cannot solve the problems England has internationally. The club academies are in crisis. England has not produced an above-average world-class goalkeeper since Peter Chilton 20 years ago. The FA has been in an internal mess (as evidenced by Steve McLaren's hiring) for a long while.
3. Beckham could not solve the Galaxy's problems in central defense or defensive midfield the past couple of years -- unless somebody moved him to center back (he would have been better than Xavier or Vanney).
4. The question is not whether the best footballers will attract money and controversy and always be subject to idol worship (answer: they always will). The question is whether they stand by their publicly stated goals (such as being an "ambassador for MLS"). I don't blame Beckham for wanting another crack at the World Cup but he has gone about it in an obsessive manner that has alienated a lot of people who, otherwise, would have supported him.
To Galaxy fans,
All the people that are calliing Beckham a 'traitor' for wanting to play at the highest level he can obviously don't understand the sport of football/soccer. He is a 'World Class' athlete and had dedication to the sport like no other player i can think of.
His desire is to play in the next World Cup in 2010, and the only way that he feels, and also i feel, is by playing for A.C Milan in Seire A. And unfortunatly for you, i feel he will be leaving in November to play their full time.
So call him a traitor all you want, but do you actually know what the word actually means, most definitions will probably say "Someone who betrays their own country" i didn't realise he was American, i thought he was doing all he can to be in the best of shape, condition etc. for the country of his Birth, England.
Very few here get it. You don't hear the players complaining. If they were in Beck's situation, any player, they'd do the same thing. Get off his back. It's the way it is. Watch the game and the contract deals around the world. This is no shocker. For anyone to deny a player a chance to play in the WC or not give him the best chance....? He's spot on and those that really get it know he is.
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