Although his new team were beaten 1-0 by the FA Cup holders, Beckham was delighted to launch his much-trumpeted American adventure. "It was very emotional," the former England captain told reporters after 12 minutes of action that featured a few deft touches, a tumble as he tried to evade a tackle by Chelsea's Steve Sidwell and a late corner kick.
Signed by the Galaxy from Real Madrid on a £16million five-year deal, Beckham did not appear on the pitch when his Galaxy team mates initially appeared for their pre-match warmup, delaying his arrival until both teams had run out of the tunnel shortly before kickoff.
The England midfielder finally went on for his new team LA Galaxy as a subsitute in the 78th minute. Beckham, who has been struggling to recover from an injury to his left ankle, was cheered loudly by the 27,000 LA Galaxy fans as he ran on to the pitch.
