David Beckham was sent off for a studs-up challenge in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 2-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in Major League Soccer on Saturday.
Beckham slid into a tackle on Seattle midfielder Peter Vagenas, hooking his right ankle and bringing his former Galaxy teammate down. Referee Ricardo Salazar immediately issued the red card and while Beckham did not offer much of an argument before leaving the field, he later disputed the straight red.
“Pete’s one of my best friends,” Beckham said after the game. “I’ve never gone into one tackle wanting to hurt someone. It was a hard tackle, but by no means a red card.”
PHOTO: AP
It was Beckham’s first straight red card in his MLS career and his second sending off. The red card carries an automatic suspension that will force Beckham to miss Los Angeles’ match in Chicago on Wednesday.
“With the way he came in hard, I could see how the referee would determine it likely was a dangerous tackle,” Los Angeles coach Bruce Arena said. “When you throw yourself into that kind of tackle, there’s a chance you’re going to get sent off.”
There were three expulsions in the match. Seattle’s Tyrone Marshall received his second yellow card in the 78th minute, and Los Angeles’ Eddie Lewis was shown a straight red seconds later, reducing the Galaxy to nine men.
Landon Donovan, diagnosed with swine flu on Thursday, entered the game at the start of the second half.
Beckham has received a mixed reception from LA fans upon his return to MLS, as they were upset at the length of his loan move to AC Milan in Italy’s Serie A.
The former England captain received a show of support on Saturday, however, being cheered upon the naming of the lineup, while one banner behind the south goal read: “Welcome Back Beckham.”
The “LA Riot Squad,” the group of fans that displayed anti-Beckham banners when the Galaxy played Milan last month, unveiled no messages and did not boo Beckham as a unit.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
‘HELLA ENERGY’: Minnesota’s 42-point victory set a club record for points in a playoff game, but the team have to keep up their momentum to stay in the series, Edwards said Anthony Edwards on Saturday night scored 30 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overwhelmed Oklahoma City 143-101 to tighten their NBA playoff series. Edwards added nine rebounds and six assists. while shooting 12-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range as the hosts Timberwolves pulled a game back to be 2-1 behind in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. However, moments after the 42-point win, Minnesota were determined to forget all about it. Such is life in the NBA playoffs. “You’ve got to erase this one,” Edwards said. “This one is over. I know everyone is happy about this one, but we know OKC is
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
RSS