By VictorM: But sometimes, you get what you want. Case in point: a soccer game in New York that was simply as exciting as they come. There I was, in my regular season tickets seat and this time, I was actually surrounded by people... close to 67,000 of them, in fact (the NY Red Bulls average 11,000+).

Yes, most came to see David Beckham, but they got muck more than they bargained for. They saw one of the most exciting soccer games in a long time:

• David Beckham, sore ankle and all, played the full game, and played very well.
• Beckham's famous freekicks produced 2 goals, and his awesome corner kicks produced another.
• Although he strolled for quite a few stretches of the second half, he played with the intensity and the desire to win befitting one of the best players in the world.
• There were a total of nine goals, most of them pure class!
• Juan Pablo Angel showed that although he doesn't have the name recognition that Beckham does, he is the best player in the league. The man was pumped, and it showed.
• The crowed was very vocal and very much into the game. I have no doubt there were a few Beckham curious only people, but the majority of the fans there knew their soccer.
• Beckham was challenged very early on with a studs up tackle and he didn't like. He pushed back, and a near skirmish nearly broke out among the players. This incident helped raise the game's level of intensity.
• The play was exciting end to end. Yes, we still saw some of the sloppy passing common in MLS, but we also saw that it only takes a few more talented players to raise the all around level of play. We saw wonderful stuff from the likes of Beckham, Angel, Donovan, Altidore, and Pavon.
  
• The New York fans greeted Beckham with much respect, but once the game started, many times the cheers by Beckham fans were drowned out by boos. And that's the way it should be. For 90 minutes, he was the enemy and NY fans rose up to the occasion.
  

It was a glorious night of soccer in the Meadowlands and an example of how great things can get as the MLS continues to improve. Just get us a few more world class players and we're on our way.

See the highlights by clicking here.

PS. Just on a side note, Blanco, the other big star in this league, scored a fantastic goal and had an assist. He's a bum when he plays for Mexico, but oh how I love him in MLS (except for the 90 minutes at Giants stadium).