Beckham likes Manchester United’s chances

In 1999, the last year in which Manchester United won the European Champions League, David Beckham was the player providing that team’s telling crosses and wicked free kicks.

Now, United is back on the doorstep. Manager Alex Ferguson’s talented-laden squad plays Barcelona in one semifinal game later this month, and Liverpool takes on Chelsea in the other.

On Thursday, Beckham, now with the Galaxy, said his money is on his old team.

“I think they’ve got a great chance,” he said. “They played some great football last night and they’ve done it all season. They’re favorites, I’m sure.”

Manchester United knocked AS Roma out in the quarterfinals Wednesday night, after Liverpool had ousted Arsenal the night before. Which team would Beckham want to see ManU avoid in the May 21 final in Moscow?

“I don’t care,” he said. “A Man United-Liverpool final would be incredible, but it’s hard to call because Chelsea have picked up and are playing some good football now. We’ll see, but it would be an amazing final, Man United and Liverpool.”

——

Galaxy Coach Ruud Gullit has a different take on the potential finalists.

“I would like, of course, Barcelona and Chelsea,” he said. “I would love that.”

Gullit played for Chelsea and also cut his coaching teeth with the London club, while Barcelona’s coach, FrankRijkaard, was his teammate on the great AC Milan and Dutch national teams of the 1980s.

——

Beckham’s youngest son, Cruz, was at the Home Depot Center on Thursday morning, kicking a soccer ball around with his nanny while they waited for No. 23 to get through training.

Not to be outdone, Landon Donovan also brought along a new arrival – in his case a three-month-old pit bull puppy that he and his wife, actress Bianca Kajlich, have named Santiago. “We have to teach him to be submissive,” Donovan said, “because we have three other dogs and it could be a problem.”

If he really wants Santiago to be submissive, Donovan might consider bringing him to see the Galaxy’s opponent Sunday because no one rolls over more easily than winless Toronto FC.

——

While the television cameras Thursday were trained on Gullit, Beckham and Donovan, there was also time for a far less illustrious but nonetheless interesting trio.

Jose Manuel Miranda, Yenier Bermudez and Yordany Alvarez are three of the six Cuban players who defected to the U.S. last month while playing in a qualifying tournament in Tampa, Fla., for the Beijing Olympics.

The players are being given a two-week tryout by the Galaxy, which is footing their bill at a local hotel. Just getting to Los Angeles was an eye-opener in itself for the three Cubans. They came from Miami by bus.

“So they were a little bit tired,” when they arrived, Gullit said. “But they can play, they can play football. You have to give them a chance. It’s quite an adventure for them also.”

Gullit said the Galaxy is serious about the tryout, and if one or more can add depth to the Galaxy, so much the better. “It’s always good to have players come in and push other players and teammates for positions,” Beckham said. “They’re good players. It’s been good.”

——

Interesting reaction from last year’s MLS leading scorer, Luciano Emilio of D.C. United, after out-of-his-depth Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar failed to award a penalty kick when D.C. United’s Fred was clearly fouled by a Pachuca player in Wednesday night’s CONCACAF Champions Cup second-leg semifinal in Washington.

“The whole stadium saw it,” Emilio said. “The referee lacked personality in not making that call.”

Personality?

Aguilar lacked something, to be sure, but it wasn’t personality.

D.C. United won the game, 2-1, but lost the series, 3-2 on aggregate to the Mexican club. In the final, Pachuca will play Saprissa of Costa Rica, which knocked out the Houston Dynamo, 3-0 on aggregate.

——

Equally interesting to see D.C. United Coach Tom Soehn take a swipe at MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who said Soehn’s team had “struggled” in its 2-0 loss in the first leg at Pachuca.

“I want to thank our commissioner for motivating us … ” Soehn said sarcastically. “I appreciate his TV analysis.”

For comments or questions on soccer, e-mail: grahame.jones@latimes.com