David Beckham shines, when you surround him with talent

So he played the full 90 minutes -- surely something agreed to in advance with All-Star Coach Steve Nicol -- and he combined well with Cuauhtemoc Blanco, as well as delivering his usual quota of pinpoint crosses and not-quite-so-pinpoint free kicks and corners.

Now it is back to work for Beckham, what with an England friendly match next month, followed by the start of England's World Cup qualifying campaign and the Galaxy's run-in to the MLS playoffs.

Meanwhile, a Beckham profile in The Times earlier this week about his one-year anniversary with the Galaxy has brought the letter-writers and e-mailers out in force. Here is a sampling of their opinions:

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"If the late, great Charles Dickens had been assigned to write the 'David Beckham Coming to the U.S.' story he'd have aptly named it 'Unrealistic Expectations.'

"For this, I think the U.S. media has to take a large share of the blame.

"I'm convinced that the vast majority of those who were attracted to the story, but basically ignorant of the game, expected Beckham to be the Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron or Mark McGuire of the sport, coming over here and scoring 100 goals a season, totally unaware that he is basically a set-up guy, or facilitator as the NBA likes to call them.

"He is not now, nor has he ever been, a striker or Golden Boot type of player. Anyone really familiar with the sport . . . would have known that aside from set-play kicks, Beckham was not going to be a scoring machine.

"I don't recall anyone in the media . . . warning local fans to not expect an avalanche of goals from the foot of Beckham. When he did not provide those numbers, many -- including those in the media who should have known better but were as ignorant as the rest of the populace -- felt his coming here was a bust.

"The point is that for the real fan of the game seeing the footwork and ball-handling virtuosity . . . has the same appeal, if not more, than seeing the game being turned into something like pachinko or indoor soccer.

"I think the media could have done a better job in preparing the U.S. public for what to realistically expect from Beckham. They still might have been disappointed at his lack of goal scoring but could have better appreciated his overall game and its value to his team."

Bob Jackson

Simi Valley

REPLY -- I can't disagree with you but would add that soccer-knowledgeable fans who turn up at games are familiar with the role Beckham plays. It is the fans who come out merely to see a celebrity who are more likely to be disappointed that he doesn't score a hat-full of goals. Hopefully in years to come U.S. stadiums will be filled with soccer fans and there will not be room for celebrity-watchers.

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"A good, balanced article.

"Beckham is shrewd. He employs all his skills to the optimum. Although still a good and effective player on the pitch, he knows his peak is over (just), but there is no one else who comes even close to him in employing all the other skills, talents and ideas he has.

"Media star, ambassador, advertiser, teacher, et al. No hang-ups. No conceit. No nastiness. No problem.