By David Neiman
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, July 22, 2007

CARSON, Calif., July 21 -- There was little of the characteristic flair, no real chance to display his storied field vision, not one impossibly bent free kick, but Saturday, after months of anticipation and hype, there was David Beckham.

Nursing a swollen ankle, Beckham, the international soccer icon, made his debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy as a substitute before a sold-out Home Depot Center crowd of 27,000.

"I'm very excited," he said. "It's a great day for the club. . . . I was pleased to get out there. I'm not fit, but it was nice to be out there for 15 minutes. It's good. I'm happy to be here."

It was no more than a ceremonial appearance, coming in the 78th minute of the contest -- a 1-0 exhibition loss to Chelsea of the English Premier League. Still, every moment leading up to his going onto the pitch was scrutinized by the fans and media members.

It began in the 65th minute when Beckham rose to his feet to warm up, the crowd responding with a resounding cheer. After a brief trip to the locker room, he darted out to replace Alan Gordon, and the stadium met his U.S. debut with a deafening roar.

"It was incredible," he said.

His first touch, a long ball to Quavas Kirk, came with nine minutes remaining in the game. Subsequent plays had little impact, though a collision with Chelsea's Steve Sidwell in the waning seconds left Beckham limping momentarily.

Yet neither Beckham's uneventful, short-lived outing, nor the sweltering Southern California heat, could dampen the enthusiasm of fans on hand for Beckham's historic Major League Soccer coming-out party.

His new No. 23 Galaxy jersey was the fashion statement de jour, as ubiquitous as the celebrities -- Tom Cruise, Eva Longoria, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger among them -- who arrived to pay witness.

Before the game, Beckham was nowhere to be found. He skipped pregame warmups, remaining out of view until the teams' starters were introduced.

Then, as Beckham exited the stadium tunnel and navigated the sideline, the crowd rose to its feet, erupting in applause. A crush of photographers surrounded him, taking his picture for minutes after he took a seat on the Galaxy bench, and like that, the attention of the world was upon him.