"Hell' awaits Beckham
By: North County Times - | ∞
David Beckham is in for a life of "hell" when he gets to the United States, according to Rodney Marsh.
Beckham will join the Los Angeles Galaxy later this month after agreeing to a five-year contract with the team.
Marsh, who moved to the U.S.in the 1970s to play with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the now defunct North American Soccer League, believes the amount of traveling for away games in the U.S.will be significantly more than Beckham was accustomed to in England and Spain.
"David's life is going to be hell in America," Marsh told the English newspaper Daily Mail for Sunday's editions. "He won't know what's hit him. Every other week, you have to make a road trip for away games. That does not mean a 200-mile trip up the motorway in England or Spain. It requires travelling 4,000 miles to play the New England Revolution, and there tends to be a second away game on the road.
"Over a four-day period, you can fly almost 9,000 miles and play twice. Do that four or five times, factoring in time changes, training and media engagements, and it becomes very wearing.
"Other aspects he won't understand until he gets here is the fact that the referees are next to useless and offer little protection from young men who will be looking to make a name for themselves at David's expense."
Beasley transfers to Rangers
U.S.men's national team midfielder DaMarcus Beasley transferred to Scottland's Glasgow Rangers last week.
Beasley, who was injured for much of last season and played just 18 Premier League games for Manchester City, had been on loan to the English Club from PSV Eindhoven.
Beasley signed a three-year contract with the Rangers, who did not reveal how much it paid PSV to obtain him, although reports said the fee was $1.38 million.
"I've got a couple of good friends who played at Rangers, Michael Ball and Claudio Reyna, and they had good things to say about the football club," said Beasley, who was integral in the U.S.'s CONCACAF Gold Cup championship.
"Claudio said that being at Rangers is like being part of a massive family. Everyone is nice. Everything is first class."
Cuban defectors to get MLS tryout
Two players who left Cuba's national team during last month's CONCACAF Gold Cup will get a tryout with Chivas USA, team spokesman Keegan Pierce said on Friday.
Pierce said that Lester More, a 28-year-old forward, and Osvaldo Alonso, a 21-year-old midfielder, are expected to work out with the team during the week of July 9. Pierce added that Chivas USA has been in contact with both players through a person who is representing them.
Chivas USA's leading scorer is Maykel Galindo, who left the Cuban national team two years ago in Seattle. He eventually received political asylum and played for the Seattle Sounders of the United Soccer League's First Division until joining Chivas USA during the preseason.
Local headers
Toronto FC's Marvell Wynne, a Poway High graduate, earned his first cap with the U.S.men's national team as a starting defender in the Americans' opening 4-1 loss to Argentina at Copa America. ... Stanford standout Rachel Buehler, a Torrey Pines grad who was invited to U.S. women's national team World Cup training camp in April, will not make the World Cup roster. She is now training with the under-21 national team for the Nordic Cup, which begins July 12.
---- Staff and Wire Reports
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