Beckham starts but Galaxy fall to Red Bulls

NEW JERSEY: In his first Major League Soccer start, David Beckham was instrumental in three Galaxy goals but couldn't prevent Los Angeles from falling 5-4 to the New York Red Bulls.

New York's Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel and the Galaxy's Carlos Pavon all scored twice at a packed Giants Stadium yesterday.

New York opened the scoring in the fourth minute on a free kick from Angel, who fired through the defensive wall, but two minutes later Pavon scored for Los Angeles, nodding home a Beckham corner kick.
   
Beckham and Pavon came together again in the eighth minute, this time the Honduran striker scoring by heading in a trademark Beckham free kick from the right side.
   
New York's Clint Mathis equalized two minutes into first-half injury time, slamming the ball home from well outside the penalty area after a goalmouth scramble.
   
Altidore scored his first goal on a 49th minute counterattack to make it 3-2, then scored again in the 70th minute, firing a fierce shot past goalkeeper Joe Cannon after dribbling across the top of the box.

Landon Donovan replied for the Galaxy a minute later, racing the length of the field to make it 4-3, and Edson Buddle scored in the 82nd minute to tie the game at 4-4, when the ball fell to him after teammate Kyle Veris' header hit the crossbar from another Beckham corner kick .
   
Angel tallied the winner in the 88th, scoring from close range after a long shot from Mathis was blocked by Cannon.
   
A crowd of more than 66,000 was on hand for the game at the New York area venue, a record for an MLS game not part of a double-header.