As homecomings go, David Beckham's return to Carson on Sunday to join the Galaxy for an exhibition game against AC Milan was the exact opposite of the Manny Ramirez lovefest that broke out at Dodger Stadium last week.
It started out nasty and took a turn toward ugly as the teams left the field at halftime of what would become a 2-2 tie against the team Beckham played for last season and hopes to play for again next season.
Incensed at remarks hurled at him by fans sitting in a corner of the Home Depot Center, Beckham approached them to urge them to calm down. One hurdled the barrier separating the stands from the end zone and was escorted away by security officers.
"One of them jumps over to shake my hand," he said, "but maybe not."
Definitely not.
"They were saying things that really weren't very nice," Beckham said. "There's always going to be a certain reaction. The majority of fans here wanted to watch the game and the great players and I think they enjoyed themselves."
Beckham got some payback in the 64th minute, when he took a corner kick in front of his most virulent critics in the so-called "Riot Squad" and watched as teammate Bryan Jordan headed the ball home. He turned to the fans to share his glee, even if they wanted no part of it.
"I'm not disappointed because it doesn't affect me," he said of the boos. "At the end of the day you can't be liked by everybody."
Beckham was taken out in the 75th minute after a strong performance. He finally tipped the jeers/cheers meter in his favor, but he will be a polarizing figure as long as he's here, an obligation that lasts at least through the MLS season.
This was supposed to be a friendly game, but the fans' venom toward Beckham became the overriding story. Landon Donovan, restored to the captaincy he was forced to relinquish to Beckham in 2007, said he expected the story to change.
"If he keeps playing like that, I'm sure people are going to be behind him," Donovan said.
And maybe not entirely.
Not to justify the actions of morons who cross the line to insulting players' families and other obscenities, it's clear you can't fool the soccer faithful. Fans here know Beckham was so intent on not coming back to the Galaxy that he reportedly paid $3 million to ensure his loan to AC Milan was extended four months past his original March 9 MLS return.
