Failure as defined is "The inability to perform a function." It has also been broken down in to three areas: Anticipation, Perception, and to carry out a task.
Last Sunday in Seattle the LA Galaxy failed to carryout a task. In the end Real Salt Lake pushed some of the best soccer players to the brink and won in a roll of the dice.
When the Galaxy scored in the first half, Magee’s goal looked easy. Beckham, to Donovan, to Magee equaled a goal. But I could tell in the second half that the Galaxy were not going to win it, Real Salt Lake kept the ball deep in the Galaxy goal box and took shots all night. Sure enough, RSL tied it and forced the game into overtime, then to Penalty Kicks. (I would argue for a system where the players keep playing, but MLS is trying to follow FIFA rules).
For a moment it looked like The Beckham Experiment would pay off in the end. Much like Pele playing for the New York Cosmos of the USL (which folded in 1985), Beckham brought Americans back to the Soccer pitch. I caught the bug when I visited Highbury in London, Allienz Arena in Munich and watched Red Bull Salzburg beat the Altach Tigers while standing and cheering in the student section. The closest I got to the craziness of European soccer was when I attended a Seattle Sounders game in July, the fans actually STOOD FOR 90 minutes! (All it took was for one guy to sit down and complain in my section at the MLS Cup match, I was going to be the crazy guy still standing in nothing but my Galaxy jersey, the jacket tossed aside, and nothing covering my ears in 39 degree weather).
One of the things that I noticed during the match was how the mostly Seattle crowd routed for Real Salt Lake and Beckham. The Galaxy as a team seemed relegated to the supporting character role by the fans. Maybe in one way the Beckham Experiment was a success, it brought the fans to the stands and raised the stature of Major League Soccer in the States.
But if the end result of the Beckham
Experiment was to be victory for the Galaxy, then the experiment was a failure.
Beckham was playing hurt, he took three shots to the ankle which all wore off
in 15 minutes. His passes fell short and he was visibly limping on the pitch.
Donovan, who has made it to final games before, blew it when his penalty kick
shot sailed high over the crossbar. From my seat it looked like it was a good
six inches to a foot over. And the Galaxy didn't seem to play as a team, unlike
RSL who knew when to collapse down on the Galaxy offense, when to corner
Beckham, and when to take their shots. As one sign said at the March to the
Match: "Overrated v. Underpaid."
RSL played as a team, no single star
players vying for the spotlight, no worries over contractual obligations to AC
Milan, no worries over the weather or the Astroturf. They played with one goal,
to win the MLS Cup. Real Salt Lake earned this cup; they truly deserved it as a
team.
As for the City of Seattle (a place
that I consider my second home) Soccer is alive and well in the Northwest.
Qwest Field rocked; the pub-crawls made it feel like Europe, and the March to
the Match with a large number of Sounders fans made the game fun. If MLS can
work with the teams in the league to recreate the amazing fan experience that
Seattle has to offer, I believe MLS can earn their place among the top sport
leagues. The Supporters Summit was a great way to meet fans from the other
teams in the league and meet with fans of future teams (Philadelphia, Portland,
and Vancouver). I would regret if I didn't give a tip of the hat to the North
End Supporters of the Seattle Sounders, it was great to meet such a great group
of soccer fans.
