Where there once was adulation and optimism, now there is skepticism and annoyance.
David Beckham is back, for a few months at least, and the mood is far different this time than it was on a sunny morning two years ago at the Home Depot Center when he was presented as the Los Angeles Galaxy's biggest star before an adoring throng of fans and journalists.
We knew about the injuries, the losses and then the quiet negotiations for a loan to AC Milan. But we didn't know about the debacle behind the scenes -- his management team's de facto takeover of the Galaxy, his aloof behavior, his feud with
Landon Donovan, and more. Those details were revealed in Grant Wahl's explosive book,
The Beckham Experiment, released this week just in time for Beckham's perhaps reluctant return to MLS action.
Beckham takes the Giants Stadium field Thursday against the New York Red Bulls, having claimed this week that "what you've seen is that I've been very dedicated to the Galaxy, dedicated to the fans." Readers of Wahl's book might beg to differ. Ahead of Beckham's return, Wahl spent a few minutes with FanHouse discussing his year-and-a-half covering the Galaxy, what he learned about Beckham and what the future might hold.
