For fans, something was amiss
FOXBOROUGH -- In the 89th minute of last night's game, a shot of David Beckham, sitting on the Los Angeles Galaxy bench, appeared on the Gillette Stadium scoreboards.
Beckham grinned upon hearing a healthy amount of boos echoing from the sellout crowd, which included fans who had to purchase tickets for a four-pack of Revolution games to watch the former English captain.
"Put him in and let him run around for the last five minutes," said Lauren Coady, a Galaxy fan from Santa Barbara, Calif., who attended the game with her family. "How many players play with an injured ankle?"
The Coadys, formerly of Boston (they return to the East Coast during the summer), were among thousands of fans -- of the Galaxy, the Revolution, or neither club in particular -- left disappointed by the nonappearance of Major League Soccer's marketing icon.
Some fans, unaware Beckham didn't even dress for the match, nevertheless held out hope in the second half that the 32-year-old midfielder would enter the game and help the Galaxy overcome their 1-0 deficit.
"Most people probably expected Beckham was going to play," Coady said. "So it's kind of a letdown. If he's not going to play, let us know. I enjoyed the game. It was enjoyable. But I'm not a huge soccer fan and it probably would have made a difference if he had played."
Tyler Coady, 11, was one of scores of observers wearing Beckham's No. 23 Galaxy jersey, the hottest-selling soccer uniform in the world, which was prominently displayed at the Gillette merchandise booths. Other fans wore No. 7 from his earlier years.
Local soccer enthusiasts had their hopes raised Thursday. Beckham, despite his sprained left ankle, made his MLS debut against D.C. United. They assumed that because he finally saw game action in Washington, he would be able to compete against the Revolution.
Such optimism prompted the Coadys to purchase three club seats for $115 apiece, thinking Beckham would take his spot at center midfield.
"When Tom Brady or [David Ortiz] get hurt, they say they're definitely going to miss the next six games," Coady said. "They're very up front about it. So come on. They know. But I guess a sprain can be worse than a break sometimes."
Arguably no one was more disappointed than the star himself. Even though he knew he wasn't going to play, Beckham hit the field in his warm-ups ("If he comes out in a suit, I'm going to throw up," said one fan, referring to his formal sideline wear in LA's match against Toronto FC Aug. 5) and signed autographs before the match.
For more than 30 minutes last night, Beckham signed autographs after the game's conclusion. At approximately 9:30 p.m., escorted by a large number of security personnel, Beckham retired to the locker room, peeling off his warm-up jacket and tossing it into the stands, which were still stuffed with autograph-seekers.
"Just a wee bit," New England coach Steve Nicol said of the extra juice the additional fans brought to the game.
Joan and Rex Hawley would have agreed with Nicol's sentiment. The Newton couple, Revolution season ticket-holders from the inaugural season, have seen their fair share of important games at Gillette Stadium and Foxboro Stadium.
During halftime last night, when the score was tied, 0-0, the Hawleys were disappointed in their team's hesitant play. But they acknowledged that despite Beckham's absence, there was a heightened sense of excitement and anticipation at the sold-out stadium.
"There's a lot of soccer fans and Beckham shirts here but they might not know much about the soccer team," said Joan Hawley. "Now maybe they'll find out how good the Revs are."
Tyler Coady wished Beckham could have played, noting that it's been two months since he originally sprained his ankle. But Coady had a good explanation for why 35,402 fans jammed Gillette last night. "He's the most popular player in MLS," said Coady. "He's played 20 minutes in MLS, but he sells 20,000 seats just because he shows up."
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at FShinzawa@globe.com. 