CARSON, Calif. -- It wasn't quite the end to the season the Los Angeles Galaxy were looking for, but they were proud of their performance nonetheless in Sunday's 2-2 draw with visiting FC Dallas.
Los Angeles outplayed their guests for long stretches of the match, but a disastrous six-minute spell saw them fall behind by a goal and go down a man just before halftime.
For a team already eliminated from the playoffs, and with very little to actually play for, LA showed some grit and determination to battle back and earn a draw.
"Oddly enough, I thought in the first half we played fairly well. We were 10 players to their 11 for a short period of time and the game really opened up," said head coach Bruce Arena. "The part that I'm pleased with is the character our team showed. I think if we were able to show that kind of character over 30 games this year we'd still be playing in the MLS playoffs."
Part of that character came from their veteran leaders, Landon Donovan and David Beckham. Donovan scored his 20th goal of the season, which not only tied the game, but sealed the MLS Golden Boot, and Beckham picked up an assist and set up the play that led to the penalty that Donovan scored.
For Beckham, today's performance came under a whirlwind of scrutiny as a pending loan move to AC Milan has been reported over the week. With the microscope clearly centered on the English international, he played one of his better games this year. It wasn't until after the game that it was revealed that he did so while playing through an injury.
"I applaud David for his effort on the field today because he was not at 100 percent," said Arena. "He showed that he has a commitment to the Galaxy and I'm happy for that."
Beckham admitted after the game that he had picked up a slight knock in his quadriceps this week in training. While he went the full 90 minutes, he did look hampered at times, and Beckham attributed that to the injury.
"I've had (the injury) for three days. I haven't been able to train, so it's been hard," said Beckham. "They (my quadriceps) were burning towards the end, but I got through the game."
It was late in the game that Beckham found Eddie Lewis running in behind the Dallas defense that eventually led to a penalty decision when Dallas 'keeper Dario Sala ran over Lewis in the area. Donovan stepped up and scored the spot kick, sealing a share of the points for the Galaxy, and earning him the league's goalscoring title in the process.
"I'm proud of it. I'm very, very proud of it," said Donovan about winning the scoring title. "I would have liked to have played more games. For me it's a massive honor. I really wanted to get to 20 goals. Not many people do it here, or anywhere in the world, so I'm very proud of it."
It's possible that Donovan scored his last goal as a member of the Galaxy. Donovan spoke at length following the match about his desire to take the next step in his career and return to Europe. A lot would need to happen in order for that to come about, but it summed up what is expected to be a busy offseason in Los Angeles.
Arena gave Julian Valentin his first start of the year, and his first minutes, at center back. He admitted that he was taking a long look at goalkeeper Josh Wicks, midfielder Alvaro Pires and defender Mike Randolph, all of whom started.
There will be changes in the Galaxy roster before they kick off the 2009 season. That is a given. For Arena, and the core group of players that this team will be built around, the one thing they hope won't change come next season is the attitude and heart showed in the closing minutes in putting an end to 2008.
"Some of my reading on the team is that there has been a shortage of leadership on and off the field, and today there was that leadership," Arena said.
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