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LOS ANGELES -- Commissioner Don Garber thought he knew what Major League Soccer was getting into when the Los Angeles Galaxy signed David Beckham more than four years ago. Garber now realizes he had no idea what the Beckham Experience would mean for his fledgling league. A few days before Beckham plays for his first MLS title in the final days of his Galaxy contract, Garber says the league doesnt regret inviting the English superstar to become the face of MLS in 2007. "I underestimated the power of his celebrity by a long shot," Garber said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think we underestimated the challenge of (Beckham) playing for England, and we didnt expect his desire to go out on loan (to AC Milan). But I also totally underestimated how hardworking and tough he is. He will play through injury and fatigue. That warrior-like mentality was like nobody expected in MLS. This guy wants to win, and hell do anything. Hes been great for our league and for our game." Garber spoke at length about MLS past while outlining his goals for the leagues future, from an expansion franchise in the New York area to the growing role of supporters in MLS competitive culture. Hes also hoping the Beckham experience lasts for at least another year, putting his weight behind the Galaxys bid to persuade Beckham to stick around after his best MLS season concludes this year. "I find it amusing that when David came into the league five years ago, many sports media pundits were saying how much hes over the hill," Garber said of Beckham, whose services are coveted by Paris Saint-Germain and a handful of British clubs. "You dont hear that any more, and this is five years later." Garber also is happy about the Galaxys serendipitous appearance in the MLS Cup on Sunday on their home field. Los Angeles faces the Houston Dynamo on Sunday at Home Depot Center. "At times Im almost envious of other leagues championships when it ends up with a dream matchup," Garber said, citing the recent appearances of marquee franchises such as the Yankees, Lakers and Packers in other sports championship contests. "Those matchups always seem to deliver greater value to their league in the years to come, and we have not really experienced that." The Galaxy are playing the final in their home stadium, just the third time thats happened in MLS 16 seasons. A similar coincidence boosted the popularity of the New England Revolution in 2002, even though they lost the league title to Los Angeles at home. Garber confirmed MLS is likely to change the championship format soon from a neutral-site game to a championship matchup at the home of the highest-seeded club. "Theres something much more special when the home team is involved," he said, suggesting the league will consider additional changes to the playoff format in the off-season. With exponential growth in attendance and television exposure this season, along with a 19th franchise joining the league in Montreal next year, its clear MLS is making progress in the long-growth strategy Garber has espoused since moving to MLS in 1999 from a job with the NFL. Yet Garber also feels the leagues 35 designated-player signings have been crucial to its growth into a reputable league. "Its hard for any young, emerging business to not be guilty at times of overhype," Garber said. "While at times I regret how hyped we were when Freddy Adu came into the league (in 2004) or when David came in, I dont regret the excitement that David created by coming in. I had the expectation that MLS would become more popular, that wed see improved ratings and a different attitude." MLS television ratings rose on each of its platforms this season, and attendance grew more than 7 per cent. MLS will appear on the new NBC Sports network next year in a lucrative deal, and the Galaxy announced a reported 10-year, $55 million deal with Time Warner Cable Sports new network on Friday -- a tenfold increase on its last deal. Merchandise sales also are up, driven by the new layer of star players and MLS attention to eye-catching design with an international flair. Yet Garber said hes most pleased by the growth of what he calls "the supporter culture" around each team. From Seattle to Philadelphia, MLS fans are emulating the involved attention given to soccer clubs on other continents in increasing numbers -- and in surprising ways. "When youre a fan of other major leagues in America, the experience is somewhat similar," Garber said. "Youre in a bright facility and youre watching your team, but there is an institutionalization of sport that in many ways forced the fan to be an observer more than a participant. In soccer, the fan is that third key constituency. Weve even seen the downside of that, but thats very positive for us today. Thats what we want to instil and create in our fans." Garber is pleased to see a proliferation of "20- to 30-year-old hipsters" in MLS crowds, wearing team garb and reveling in a sporting pursuit with a different flavour than the standard American sports enthusiast. Garbers passion for stirring fan support is the main reason MLS is focused on putting its 20th franchise in the New York area. The commissioner scoffed at recent reports that the New York expansion plan had stumbled, insisting the league will figure out a plan to create a natural rival for the Red Bulls. "We believe that big markets need rivalries," Garber said. "If we truly are engaged in the unique dynamic that drives our sport, inner-city rivalries are a big part of driving fan passion." Randy Jones Jersey . Felix Pie had an RBI double earlier in the inning, as Baltimore rallied for three runs to overcome a 3-2 deficit. J.J. Hardy had two hits and Matt Wieters chipped in with an RBI double for the Orioles, who pushed their winning streak to three games. Trevor Hoffman Jersey . The Brazilian driver had the second-best time in last months tests at Jerez and said the "good start" could play to his advantage when the season gets underway in Australia in March. http://www.padresrookiestore.com/Padres-...va-Kids-Jersey/. Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game. Tyson Ross Jersey .com) - Even on the day his New Hampshire football team became the nations top-ranked team two weeks ago, coach Sean McDonnell conceded something about the team they replaced at No. Cory Spangenberg Jersey . - The Green Bay Packers got back to work on Friday without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.The Vancouver Whitecaps wasted a golden opportunity to strengthen their MLS playoff bid after losing 3-0 to the Portland Timbers on Saturday night at BC Place. The Timbers victory saw the visitors leapfrog the Whitecaps in the Western Conference standings, moving Portland to the fifth and final playoff place on 34 points, one more than Vancouver, who sit in sixth. THE FORMATIONS Both teams lined up in 4-2-3-1 formations. Once Portland took the lead in the second half, Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson brought on Darren Mattocks and switched to a 4-4-2 formation, with Pedro Morales dropping to left midfield and Mattocks partnering Erik Hurtado up front. THE GAME The opening half was a cagey affair, with each team canceling the other out. Given the importance of the match, this was almost predictable; a Whitecaps win would have seen the hosts take a five-point lead over the Timbers (with a game in hand) for the final place in the Western Conference playoff race, so the Timbers knew they had to keep the game tight. With Portland coming off a 4-2 humiliation at the hands of the Seattle Sounders, they were also desperate to bounce back with a solid defensive performance. In many respects, this game was a positional duel. Pedro Morales against Diego Valeri; Matias Laba and Russell Teibert against Will Johnson and Diego Chara. Which teams players would perform their respective duties better? While the teams were even in the first half, in the second half there was only one winner. Portland put on as good a performance from an away team at BC Place as I have seen all season. The midfield duo of Johnson and Chara was outstanding; they owned the space in front of the Portland back four, and nullified the threat of Morales completely. The Chilean playmaker had his worst performance at home in a Whitecaps jersey, in large part due to the tenacious play of Johnson and Chara. The duo kept things simple in transition, and found the feet of Valeri, Darlington Nagbe and Rodney Wallace, or relieved pressure by bringing the Timbers fullbacks into play. Fanendo Adi led the line really well for Portland, and the big man gave Vancouvers Andy OBrien and debutant Kendall Waston all they could handle at the back. While Adi didnt score, he demonstrated just how valuable it can be to have a striker in the team who can hold up the ball and bring the attacking midfielders into play. This is something that eluded Vancouver all evening, because neither Erik Hurtado nor Darren Mattocks has a good enough tactical understanding of the game to lead the line as a lone striker. One of the key roles for a lone striker is to provide an option for fullbacks and wide midfielders to play the ball forward into feet. This keeps the team in possession of the ball and allows them to bring their creative midfielders into play further up the pitch. Far too often, Hurtado was caught on the wrong side of the pitch when the Whitecaps were building up down the flanks, meaning that Portland could get very tight in midfield without having to worry about the threat of the ball being played into Hurtado or in behind their back four. A small tactical point that is being lost on both Hurtado and Mattocks; both players routinely fail to execute this crucial role for Vancouver. This failure had a significant knock-on effect for the Whitecaps. With Portland tightening things up in midfield, Pedro Morales had little room in which to operate. Morales tried to link with Mauro Rosales - who was also making his home debut for Vancouver - but all too often, their interplay came to nothing as Portland was able to get numbers around the ball. This is one of the challenges for Vancouvers coaching staff: Can they teach their young players to understand that the game is about more than what they do with the ball at their feet? If the likes of Hurtado, Mattocks, Kekuta Manneh and Teibert are going to go on and be first team regulars, they have to offer much more to their team when they dont have the ball at their feet.dddddddddddd Teiberts role in the team on Saturday was important for Vancouver, and it was on display for all to see in the first half as he did some excellent defensive work to nullify Diego Valeri. But if the first half was a plus for Teibert, the second half highlighted the concern I have with his overall game. When Vancouver are at their best, their three central midfielders all stand out. Laba provides excellent defensive protection, Morales gets on the ball and is the creative fulcrum of the team, and Gershon Koffie provides power, athleticism and excellent ball retention. Those three players complement each other really well. Yet with Teibert in a central role in place of the injured Koffie, the Whitecaps failed to click. My worry for Teibert is that he suffers from a case of being "good not great". His greatest asset is his fitness, but that isnt really a defining characteristic for a central midfielder. The ability to run all day is considered par for the course in the modern game – every midfielder is fit. It is the other things that they do (within the framework of the teams tactical approach) that make players valuable. Teibert is a good passer of the ball, but not in the same class as Morales. Teibert is a good defensive screen, but nowhere near as good as Laba. Teibert can run all day, but he isnt as powerful, athletic or strong in possession of the ball as Koffie. Teibert doesnt excel in any of the areas that one would normally categorize midfielders, which is what led me to state during the broadcast of the game on TSN that he "doesnt impact the game". It may seem at face value to be a blanket statement, but when one considers it in the context of what Robinson needs his midfielders to do in his chosen tactical approach, it becomes very clear. Teibert is not better than the other options Robinson normally has at his disposal, and must improve or he will be in danger of forever being second choice. The second half performance from Vancouver was poor though, and Portland deservedly stamped their authority on the game when Alvas Powell glanced a header past David Ousted to open the scoring. A slip from Kendall Waston allowed subsitute Maxi Urrutti the time he needed to double Portlands lead before great work from Darlington Nagbe set up Rodney Wallace to make it 3-0 for the visitors. If Teibert needs an example of a midfield player who impacts the game for his team, he need look no further than Nagbe or Valeri - both were excellent for Portland. THE GOOD Its difficult to praise a defender when a team concedes three goals, but Kendall Waston put in a good shift in his first start as a central defender for Vancouver. He had a few half chances from set pieces, as well, and looked a threat to score when the delivery was good. The Whitecaps need to devise a way to spring Waston free in the penalty area if they are to capitalize on his aerial ability. THE BAD Conceding three goals at home in a derby game is bad enough to deal with, without having individual players singled out for failing to perform. Write this one off as a bad day at the office and start preparing for the next game against DC United on Saturday, Sept 6 (10pm ET, 7pm PT, TSN1). THE STAR MAN Darlington Nagbe was a real handful for Vancouver all night. His movement was excellent, drifting in from the right side of midfield to find space between the lines against Vancouver. Perhaps Gershon Koffie would have been able to combat Nagbes power, but with the Ghanaian unavailable through injury, Nagbe had a field day against a Whitecaps midfield that wasnt at the races. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys discount uswnt jersey Wholesale AC Milan Jerseys Wholesale Arsenal Jerseys Wholesale A.S. 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