"There's Only One David Beckham"
Congratulations to the England seniors team, who won their key friendly vs. Switzerland today (2-1) and ushered in the Fabio Capello era on a positive note. It was a job done, but occasionally not well done; it took some time for the team to find their feet and Beckham's presence was missed. Of particular interest to Beckham fans is the fact that when things were off to a rocky start, it was only 20 minutes before fans at Wembley began chanting and calling for David. I'm sure if schedule allowed Becks was watching, and hopefully he took heart hearing his fans across the pond shouting "There's only one David Beckham!"

Despite fan pressure, the new boss isn't regretting his decision to leave Beckham off the squad. Post-match Capello said:

'I'm pleased to have won the game and some players impressed me greatly. I'm happy for the fans to chant Beckham's name. I know him very well but the things I do have nothing to do with my feelings for the player. What I do is best for the team.'

More here.


A Tale of Two DBs
Obviously this isn't a site about David Bentley, but any Beckham site worth its salt must make mention of his bid to permanently replace David on England's right side. He will be the natural and deserved heir when the time is right (and it isn't now; Becks is still very much needed and Bentley lacks experience) but he's been big for his britches promoting himself as the latest greatest better-than-Becks. During England's match vs. Switzerland he got a dose of reality, and this article discusses it. Read it for a rundown of the Bentley vs. Beckham debate.

Quote of note:

England — or at least a significant part of it — is still in love with Beckham and the young man from Blackburn who has been pencilled in as his replacement on the right side will not be cut any slack as long as he keeps telling people how good he is.


How Much Would You Pay for Becks in Your Bedroom?
Oh, how tempting it is to sell that oil painting and clear a corner for this little baby: David Beckham wall mural by Pottery Barn Teen. I'm not sure at what point PB started selling their Major League Soccer items, but better to mention late than never (and if this made news here some time ago, it's worth a reminder). Credit to Kickette.com for cluing me in.

And a mere snip at $99-$199 a pop! (!!)


An Exciting Fresh Start with Eyes on the Prize
Further to what Franco reported yesterday, David's taken a firm stance on the goals the Galaxy must set for their 2008 season. Quite simply put, the point is "to win something", he said.

"We can't afford to be in the position we were in, where we ended up chasing it," Beckham said. "That's not good for the players or for a team. We've got to get it right from the first game and carry on right through the season."

He also added:

"I'm just looking forward to this season. It's a fresh start for us; it's exciting."

Read more at ESPN.


Take a Moment to Remember...
Today marked the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster in which 23 of the 44 passengers on board a plane chartered for the Manchester United team died (the 21 survivors were injured). 8 Manchester United players were among those killed. The anniversary was marked by an emotional minute of silence prior to today's friendly (at, by my clock, almost the exact anniversary down to the minute). This weekend Manchester United will play Manchester City in their usual epic derby; in remembrance of the Busby Babes both teams will wear special retro uniforms. Manchester United's shirts will be numbered, but not named. (This follows suit with the first match following the disaster, when a largely borrowed Manchester United side debuted with corresponding numbers on their roster left blank in honour of their fallen comrades.) Be sure to watch if you can--Becks may no longer be on the Man Utd side, but he's Man Utd forever, and the tale of the Busby Babes had a big influence on his life (as passed along from his father; see his autobiography Beckham). It ought to be a tearjerker.


One last note: Since Franco so graciously took the time to thank everyone who's collaborating on DBFO for their help, I'd like to take a moment to thank Franco for the hard work, too. Coordinating a site as awesome as this must be a big task, so thanks for keeping DBFO around and building the community even further.


Posted by Dina Ely, soccer editorial/commentary writer. Blog: Eleven Men