Chicago cuts off Galaxy's season

By Jaime Cardenas

Oct. 22, 2007 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.-- David Beckham’s first season with the Galaxy has come to an end.

His Major League Soccer stat line for the season reads: five games played, two games started, 252 minutes played, no goals, two assists, eight shots and zero shots on goal.

Not exactly what the Galaxy was hoping for when it dished out a five-year contract worth $32.5 million.

The Galaxy made things interesting down the stretch, in the season and in Sunday’s game, but the Chicago Fire (10-10-10) brought L.A.’s chaotic season to a conclusion with a 1-0 loss in front of a sellout crowd of 21,374 at Toyota Park Stadium. Chicago, which only needed a tie Sunday to reach the playoffs, will play D.C. United in the first round. The Galaxy missed the postseason for the second year in a row.

Goalkeeper Joe Cannon kept the Galaxy (9-14-7) in it with one incredible stop after another, but in the 93rd minute John Thorrington lobbed the game-winner over Cannon’s head. Thorrington’s shot on goal was the 10th Cannon faced amid Chicago’s 22 shots overall.

The Galaxy experienced some highs this season -- Beckham’s signing in January, his arrival in July and the five-game winning streak near the end -- but it was mostly lows, and Sunday was no exception. After the game Beckham acknowledged that his arrival was a distraction to his Galaxy teammates.

“To go through what the players went through when I arrived, and before I arrived, was difficult to adjust,” the 32-year-old said. “But they showed character in the last six, seven games. No one expected us to be in this position today like we were, so it shows that we have character.”

Beckham won’t have much of an off-season -- or time to fully heal from his injuries.

The Galaxy will play exhibition games in Australia on Nov. 27 and in New Zealand on Dec. 1.

“I’ll be keeping on training and keeping fit,” said Beckham, who near the end of the game grabbed his right leg, after grabbing his left ankle on several occasions in a practice Wednesday. “I might take maybe three weeks, four weeks doing nothing. Apart from that I’ll be working all the way through.”

Players are expecting next year to be easier, but, then again, most of them conceded that nothing could have been harder than this year. In the postgame news conference, Cannon said he “could probably talk all afternoon about our season since” Beckham arrived.

“At first there was a sense of relief, you know. The moment’s come, [and] we don’t have to deal with being asked, ‘What do you guys think is going to happen?’ ” Cannon said. “But, we kind of got into it, and it was surreal.”

The attention -- from fans, media and opposing teams alike -- became too much.

Coach Frank Yallop said the year was a difficult one for everybody involved with the Galaxy.

“It’s not easy. You’re under the microscope the whole time since we signed David, I’m not saying it’s David’s fault or anything, but you are under the microscope as a team,” he said. “I think we struggled with it to start, but I think in the end we did get rid of the pressure, and we just played.”

Yallop was asked whether he would even like to return to coach the club next season and didn’t give a definitive answer. He said he needed to take some time to think it over.

“I’ll let you know,” he added, “but I have a job to do so until. . .”

Landon Donovan, arguably the team’s best player behind Beckham, said he wants Yallop to return.

“This would not have happened, this run, without Frank,” he said. “Any other coach, I think, we would have cashed it in a long time ago. I think Frank was more himself [the last month of the season]. He was more free to do what he wanted to do, and at parts in the beginning of the season that wasn’t the case.”

Beckham also said he would like Yallop to return, but added that he wasn’t going to go out of his way to push for any changes.

“If Alexi [Lalas] does come to me with questions and advice with certain things, of course, I’m there and I’ll give it. . . but decisions in the club are not down to me,” he said.

jaime.cardenas@latimes.com

MLS playoffs

Conference semifinals; two-leg aggregate-score series;

all times Pacific:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Chivas USA vs. Kansas City

Saturday: Chivas at Kansas City...5 p.m.

Nov. 3: Kansas City at Chivas...7:30 p.m.

Houston vs. FC Dallas

Saturday: Houston at FC Dallas...5 p.m.

Nov. 2: FC Dallas at Houston...5:30 p.m.

EASTERN CONFERENCE