Keane hails Beckham impact

LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane believes departing superstar David Beckham will leave a lasting legacy in the MLS.

The Ireland international scored in Galaxy’s 3-1 MLS Cup final win over Houston Dynamo on Saturday as Beckham signed off in the US with back-to-back titles.

“It’s massive, isn’t it? Since he’s arrived, the game has grown massively and continued to grow and he’s a massive, massive part of doing that and I think the MLS is in a good state at the moment,” Keane said.

“I think it’s going to continue to grow. I think Dave has set her up and I’m sure the other players that’ll come in now will keep her going, but he’s been a credit to the league and to everyone.

“I think when he gets a bit of stick from other fans and when he gets booed and stuff like that I think they should sit back and realise what he’s done for the MLS – he’s been absolutely massive and that’s the reason they come to games, because they want to see people like David Beckham.”

Team-mate Omar Gonzalez expressed his own gratitude to Beckham as he and his team-mates paraded the MLS Cup in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“I just wanted to go over there and thank him (Beckham) because he’s been remarkable for the league, for the team and for everyone on this team,” Gonzalez said.

“To be able to see him day-in, day-out and what he’s done and how he handles every single situation, you know, it’s first class and I think it was really special for me and I just wanted to thank him.”