The Galaxy experience… in the Philippines

The Galaxy experience… in the Philippines

The Galaxy experience… in the Philippines

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By Thera Reyes, getting her first taste of Beckham and MLS in Manila

Two years ago, it would have been unheard of to have an international football team come to Manila. Heck, football fans even recently travelled to Malaysia to watch Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool for their Asian tours. While the country had their fair share of NBA players coming over, who would’ve thought that eventually David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and the whole gang of LA Galaxy would step foot in the Philippines?

LA Galaxy had their 3-country Asia Pacific Tour starting with the Philippines as their second stop. As expected, ticket prices were expensive for the average football fan with the lowest at Php2,000 going up to Php15,000. But this didn’t stop people from buying the tickets because finally here was the opportunity to watch world-class football players! And on December 3rd, in front of a crowd of 12,000, the LA Galaxy displayed the skills that showed why they deserved to be the reigning MLS Champions.

David Beckham made a lasting impression in the Filipino’s hearts when he fired off the first goal in the 20th minute past Filipino goalkeeper Eduard Sacapano. Then through skipper Landon Donovan’s quick pass, Mike Magee made it 2-0 on the 39th minute. But cheers erupted in the 41st minute when Phil Younghusband scored for the Azkals, over Galaxy keeper Josh Saunders. This could have been the confidence boost the Azkals needed but from there on, Galaxy dominated the game.

Goals rained from Irish star Robbie Keane, Adam Cristman and Greg Berhalter who scored a penalty. The match ended at 6-1 in favour of the Galaxy but here’s the funny thing: some thought that it should have been 7 goals because Magee scored a spectacular goal. But everyone missed it because that was the time Beckham was subbed and handed over his jersey to champion boxer Manny Pacquio and wife Jinkee in the grandstand. Everyone was probably transfixed into Beckham’s abs or the exchange between two influential athletes.

How the scoring went down:

LA Galaxy: David Beckham (20’), Mike Magee (39’), Robbie Keane (48’), Adam Cristman (63’, 87’), Greg Berhalter (81’),

Philippine Azkals: P. Younghusband (41’) 

Click here for the Match Highlights.

Despite missing first-choice keeper Neil Etheridge (who had commitments with Fulham FC), Sacapano gave Galaxy a challenge by saving crucial shots. However, Galaxy’s superiority could be seen tactically and could not be stopped. Phil, Angel Guirado and Chieffy Caligdong also gave Galaxy a hard time but were eventually figured out by their defenders. The Azkals also played defensively well but disintegrated in the second half. It was obvious that the national side crumbled against a more experienced team and work needs to be done if the team wants to have a good finish at the AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal. But for now, I think it is agreed that everyone, even the players, were just ecstatic to see football icons like Beckham, Donovan, and Keane in the flesh. We hope that this match only fuels the football renaissance in the country.