Real Salt Lake: Galaxy has overcome some shortcomings

A lot is being made about Real Salt Lake's surprising run through the MLS playoffs, and justifiably so after an inconsistent regular season.

Realistically, though, RSL's improbable run to the MLS Cup has overshadowed just how unlikely L.A.'s spot in the final is as well.

The Galaxy tied with expansion club San Jose for the worst record in MLS last year, and by all accounts it was a disastrous season that led coach Ruud Gullit leaving and general manager Alexi Lalas being let go. The David Beckham circus had been a clear disaster in 2008, and his apparent lack of passion had effectively divided in the locker room by year's end.

Landon Donovan had some pretty harsh things to say about Beckham at the end of the season after word got out he was heading to Italy to play for AC Milan for a few months to stay sharp for World Cup qualifying.

In the "Beckham Experiment" book, author Grant Wahl asked Donovan if he thought Beckham was a good teammate in 2008.

"He's not. He's not shown that. I can't think of another guy where I'd say he wasn't a good teammate, he didn't give everything through all this, he still didn't care. But with (Beckham), I'm not so sure. I'd say no, he wasn't committed. And there's nobody else I could think of that I would say that about."

With Donovan's comments now public, some wondered if the two would be able to coexist when Beckham returned from Europe in July. They eventually did, and the Galaxy ended up winning the Western Conference in both the regular season and the playoffs.

Everything seems rosy now, but that wasn't the case just four months ago. When Beckham returned to MLS on July 16 to face the New York Red Bulls, the Galaxy were tied for fourth in the West with a 5-3-9 record.

The release of the "Beckham Experiment" book conveniently coincided with his return to MLS. Upon hearing of Donovan's comments, Beckham immediately shot back saying it was unprofessional for him to share his grievances in a book.

Many figured there would be season-long tension between the two, but they reportedly sorted things out quickly. The Galaxy posted a 7-3-3 regular-season record after Beckham's return, and much of the credit goes to coach Bruce Arena, who handled the Beckham circus much better than the previous regime.

"By the time David showed up here, we'd really established ourselves as a team inside the locker room. Whether it was David or any other player coming in, they had to step in and contribute, and David wasn't treated any differently than anybody else," said Arena. "He was accepted for his efforts on the field, and he was expected to perform and live up to the responsibilities of all the other players."