Beckham-mania arrives in Edmonton

Beckham-mania arrives in Edmonton
John Mackinnon, Canwest News Service
Published: Tuesday, May 13, 2008

EDMONTON -- It long has been the view here that when a chance to witness true sporting excellence falls smack in your lap, you have to find a mighty good reason not to show up.

Which makes the one-off visit of Los Angeles Galaxy star and England's international set-piece magician David Beckham to Commonwealth Stadium tonight for a friendly against the Vancouver Whitecaps an absolute must-see for those collectors of memorable sporting moments out there.

True, Beckham is Beckham; he's not Pele, not Maradona, not Johan Cruyff. But he is a unique player and a worldwide phenomenon whose like the fans in Edmonton are not likely to see again.
Los Angeles Galaxy superstar David Beckham is mobbed by autograph seekers as he arrives at Edmonton International Airport yesterday. The Galaxy take on the Whitecaps tonight.View Larger Image View Larger Image
Los Angeles Galaxy superstar David Beckham is mobbed by autograph seekers as he arrives at Edmonton International Airport yesterday. The Galaxy take on the Whitecaps tonight.
Candace Elliott, Canwest News Service
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Commonwealth Stadium is a fabulous backdrop for the one-off match, but given the current business model in Major League Soccer, the 14-team league Beckham's Galaxy competes in, a major pro team is not about to take root out there on Commonwealth's famous natural grass pitch.

And yet, as Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi was saying last night, while standing on a surprisingly green, game-ready field: "The Vancouver game [a friendly held at B.C. Place Stadium last November], transcended the game.

"It wasn't a game, it was an event."

Which was a good thing because that match, which pulled in 48,172 fans, wasn't the game it might have been.

"It was not the best game," said Lee Godfrey, who is the play-by-play voice of GolTV, the digital cable network that will broadcast tonight's game live across Canada. "It was at the end of both teams' season, so nothing was really on the line and he wasn't 100-per-cent healthy, either.

"The turf at B.C. Place was that first generation of Fieldturf, so it was actually in squares, so there were grooves in the ground, and I think the players really were apprehensive because it looked like it could be very easy to roll an ankle or come up with another injury."

Tonight figures to be another story.

"I think it will be a little bit better because last time we weren't so fit and they were in between coaches, which is never easy," said Whitecaps veteran and longtime Canadian international player Martin Nash of

Victoria. "Now, they're in [mid-season] and we're about a month in, too, so I think it will be a good test and be a fun match."

Midfielder Alfredo Valente, who played a few seasons for the Edmonton Drillers a decade or so ago, knows firsthand that a game at Commonwealth in front of a sizable crowd can be a special experience.

"I actually sat up there and watched Canada play a game in the freezing cold in 1999 or 2000, so I do know the history of soccer here in Edmonton," said Valente, who expects to spend some time marking Beckham. "I had the opportunity to do that in November and he was filtering onto to my left side during that game, so [I] caught quite a few pieces of brilliance out of him and I'm sure we'll see more of that [tonight]."

What the fans won't see is Beckham feeding Landon Donovan, who leads the MLS in goals with eight, thanks in large part to Beckham's playmaking. Donovan did not make the trip.

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