Beckham attracts more abuse

(AP)

David Beckham's American nightmare appears to be getting scarier by the week. On Saturday night against the Seattle Sounders, he was sent off in just the 17th minute for a heavy tackle on Peter Vagenas.

For a player familiar with being cheered wherever he goes – both on and off the pitch – the England midfielder's stint at LA Galaxy is rapidly becoming defined by the boos that have rung out as a result of his poor performances and altercations with supporters.

The jeers were there once again when he clattered into Vagenas and was shown a straight red card in a game Galaxy went on to lose 2-0.

Afterwards, Beckham played down the clash with his former Galaxy team-mate, insisting there was no maliciousness involved. "Pete is one of my best friends," he said. "I think it's a hard tackle but not worth a red card.

"I've never gone into one tackle wanting to hurt someone. The referee saw it differently."

Beckham has had a hard time back in America since returning from a successful loan spell at Milan. On his arrival in LA he was embroiled in a row with team-mate Landon Donovan over comments the US striker made in a book called The Beckham Experiment, which questioned the Englishman's commitment to the Galaxy. And he was twice involved in confrontations with fans during his first three games back after his loan spell with Milan.

The 34-year-old is likely to seek a repeat of time with Milan when his stint with the Galaxy comes to an end as he tries to figure in Fabio Capello's England squad for next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.