Beckham´s Galaxy battle to reach MLS title match

The Los Angeles Galaxy, with David Beckham on board and Landon Donovan on song, battle for a berth in Major League Soccer’s championship match on Friday when they take on Houston in the Western Conference final.

It seemed an unlikely scenario early in the season for a club that equalled the league’s worst record in 2008, and started 2009 with 11 draws in their first 13 matches.

England star Beckham was at the centre of a storm as he stayed on at Italian club AC Milan four months beyond his original loan period, provoking the ire not only of Galaxy fans but also of teammate Donovan – who questioned Beckham’s commitment to the US league in a book.

Thanks in part to the intervention of coach Bruce Arena – named the league’s coach of the year on Wednesday – the two mended fences.

With a shored-up defence and newfound confidence, the Galaxy had seven clean sheets in their last nine matches of the regular season and earned the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

“Even in the beginning part of this year, we went a bunch of games without winning and it became frustrating,” said Donovan, a candidate for MLS Most Valuable Player honours. “Once we got that taste of victory and realised what it took, everybody grabbed a hold of that and we’ve maintained that the rest of the year. Now, I think we’re playing as well as we have all year.”

One of Beckham’s trademark crosses to Donovan helped create the winning goal in Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Chivas USA that sent the Galaxy into the Western Conference final.

Donovan fed Mike Magee, who was fouled in the penalty area. Donovan then converted the penalty and the Galaxy return to the Western final for the first time since winning the MLS title in 2005.

The Dynamo, meanwhile, are in a familiar spot. The 2006 and 2007 MLS champions, Houston ousted Seattle on Sunday thanks to a goal from Brian Ching in extra time.

The Galaxy beat the Dynamo 1-0 in June before the teams played to a scoreless draw on October 18 in a contest that Ching called “feisty”.

Beckham earned a yellow card and Ching was also cautioned after a heated exchange with the English midfielder.

“We’re expecting the same kind of a matchup, the same kind of intensity,” Ching said.

The Western Conference winners will play the winners of Saturday’s Eastern Conference final between Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup championship match on November 22.