CLASICO GETS SOME ENGLISH BECKHAM-MARSCH LEADS TO SCRUM CHIVAS 3, GALAXY 0.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

Staff Writer

David Beckham woke up Thursday morning in London, flew to Los Angeles, pulled on his jersey, laced up his boots and headed out to the Home Depot Center field last night, where he walked right into ... England versus Germany.

Or was it Ali versus Frazier?

The Galaxy-Chivas USA rivalry is now in its third season, and despite the best intentions of both front offices to tweak each other's noses, the teams have mostly minded their P's and Q's on the field.

Then a certain Englishman chased down a loose ball in midfield. When Beckham was kicked in the midsection by Jesse Marcsh, the rivalry was on.

Beckham leaped up, shouted at Marsch and moments later was surrounded by a scrum of players from both teams. A swing of a fist, a headbutt and two ejections followed.

But rather than inspire the Galaxy, it only seemed to lift Chivas, which thanks to striker Maykel Galindo's two goals, trounced the Galaxy, 3-0, in front of a sellout crowd of 27,000.

After only a pair of cameos and no training sessions for nearly two months, Beckham has now played 90 minutes in New York, London and Los Angeles over the past five days. If that kind of determination, along with some strong defensive challenges and his reaction to Marsch's tackle were supposed to inspired any of his teammates it was hard to see it in their play.

The game turned on a early second-half blunder by central defender Kyle Veris, who shanked a clearance, leaving Galindo alone at the top of the box. He calmly put the ball past Joe Cannon for the only goal Chivas would need.

After the ball rolled across the line, Galindo trotted over to the corner of the stadium where the Galaxy fan club, the Riot Squad, is stationed and used both hands to hold out his jersey. That was all the reason the Riot Squad needed to shower Galindo with streamers and cups of what presumably were filled with beer.

It all started moments before halftime when Beckham tracked down a bounding ball and started a counter attack just inside the Chivas half. Marsch, trailing Beckham by half a step, tried to reach around Beckham and poke the ball away. But he missed and instead booted Beckham in the lower abdomen, knocking him to the turf.

Beckham, having been whacked several times - including a hack from behind by Lawson Vaughn that drew a yellow card - immediately jumped up and rushed toward Marsch, yelling in his face. As that happened, players rushed to the scene.

Somewhere in huddle, as players jawed at each other, Kevin Harmse - whose hard tackles have drawn the ire of several Galaxy opponents in recent weeks - took a swing at Marsch, a 34-year-old veteran.

That drew a crowd of Chivas players around Harmse. As Zotinca closed in on the retreating Galaxy midfielder, he delivered a Zidane-like headbutt to Harmse's chin, sending him to the turf. Referee Kevin Stott handed out his fourth yellow card of the half to Marsh and ejected Harmse and Zotinca.

The yellow earned by Vaughn means he'll miss Chivas' game Sunday against Real Salt Lake.

The Galaxy has bigger problems. The loss, which dropped the Galaxy to 3-9-5, leaves them 12 points behind Columbus for the last playoff spot. Though it has four games in hand on Columbus, its trip to Colorado on Sunday - which is 10 points ahead of the Galaxy - looms as a can't lose, if not a must-win.

After Chivas went up 1-0, Landon Donovan came on to try to spark the Galaxy despite being bothered by a sore calf. He played 64 minutes in the United States' 1-0 loss at Sweden on Wednesday, as did Chivas' left back Jonathan Bornstein. The pair flew back Thursday, landing at 12:30 p.m.

Donovan, who had scored or assisted on all four of the Galaxy's goals against Chivas this season - and had never lost to the club - didn't have much to contribute.

While Bornstein warmed up, Chivas coach Preki never had to use him thanks to Galindo's second goal in the 69th minute, when Panchito Mendoza delivered a perfectly curving pass from the left wing that eluded Veris and hit Galindo in stride.

He calmly pushed the ball past Cannon, effectively ending the Galaxy's hopes.

The first goal was just the sort of misfortune that has seemed to find the Galaxy all season. Veris, a rookie, was in the lineup only because Ty Harden, another rookie who had played every minute of every game this season, strained a hip flexor at practice Tuesday.

As it was, the Galaxy had its hands full all night with Galindo, who tortured them with electrifying, weaving runs through the midfield or using his speed to run onto balls over the top. If not for two point-blank saves by Cannon, it could have been worse. The speedy Cuban, who defected when he walked out of a Seattle hotel two years ago during the Gold Cup, toiled in the USL for two years before Chivas snapped him up. Galindo now has 10 goals this season, leading Chivas and tied for fourth in MLS.

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Photo:

(color) The Galaxy's David Beckham, second from left, confonts Chivas USA's Jesse Marsch after Marsch tripped him.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press