The inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship is currently being held in Hawaii, and the MLS have sent its best team and most famous player to the islands to mark the occasion. Of course, the most famous player did not fare as well as the nation’s best club.
On Wednesday, the Dynamo thoroughly dominated Australia’s Sydney FC, while Japan’s Gamba Osaka dispatched the Galaxy in a yawner.
The Galaxy game would have been nearly unrecognizable as professional soccer if not for Becks. Granted, Donovan was unavailable, but Gullit’s bunch looked absolutely anemic offensively. Defensively, the young back line actually held pretty firm, but overall the Galaxy looked overmatched. It took one score from the Brazillian Bare in the third minute to put the game away.
Beckham played with a tenacious fervor though. His stamina and skill exceeded that of basically all of his teammates as well. He played on the right side, which ultimately should allow him to concentrate more on swinging the ball into the middle with his trademark crosses.
Meanwhile, making the Galaxy look even more unrefined were the reigning champs, the Dynamo. De Rosario, as always, looked more than impressive controlling Houston’s fortunes.
The Dynamo scored three times in the first half (De Rosario, Holden, Wondolowski), and then played shut out defense the rest of the way.
The only part of the fairy tale missing was that Brian Ching, Hawaiian soccer hero, did not notch a goal.
Perhaps he can correct that in Saturday’s final against Gamba Osaka.
