Not just like old times

FOXBOROUGH — There were few chances for Revolution coach Steve Nicol and assistant Paul Mariner to be reacquainted with David Beckham as New England took a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy last night.

‘‘He was pretty busy, so it would have been difficult,’’ said Mariner, who coached Beckham at Preston North End in the 1994-95 season.

When Nicol played for Sheffield Wednesday, he played four times against Manchester United with Beckham, losing once and tying three times. Nicol also coached an MLS all-star team that lost, 5-0, to Real Madrid when Beckham played for the Galacticos in 2005.

‘‘I’ve been hurt and tried to play, so I understand why he didn’t,’’ Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph said of Beckham. ‘‘He is going to be here for five years. So why risk one game? I understand the thinking of Beckham and [coach] Frank Yallop.’’

Matter of time

The Revolution squandered several scoring opportunities in the first half before Taylor Twellman converted in the 55th minute. ‘‘At halftime, we came in and were positive,’’ said midfielder Steve Ralston, whose right-wing two-way play was a key to the victory. ‘‘We knew the goals were going to come. We were creating chances and if we kept doing that, we were going to get one.’’

The crowd of 35,402 was the second largest for an MLS regular-season game at Gillette Stadium, behind the 36,778 who attended a doubleheader that featured a Revolution-Chicago match and a friendly between the US and the Netherlands May 19, 2002.

A wanted man

Beckham could be joining England’s national team for a game against Germany Aug. 22, even if he is not fully recovered from the left ankle injury that kept him out of last night’s game.

England coach Steve McClaren attended the D.C. United-Galaxy match Thursday and requested that Beckham be present at the England-Germany game.

‘‘We spoke about my fitness and the league,’’ Beckham said. ‘‘He said he was looking forward to seeing me come over for the Germany game. It’s important for all the players to get over there and get together, even if I can’t play. We’ll see how it goes. I have to be fit. I have to play for the Galaxy first.’’

Beckham said he has been surprised by his reception since moving to Los Angeles from Madrid last month.

‘‘The attention I’ve received is far greater here than anywhere in the world,’’ Beckham said. ‘‘In Toronto, the fans showed me a lot of affection and some showed me even more affection. In Washington, there was a great reception. It was incredible. It was the sort of interest we need for the sport in this country. I believe this is the best sport in the world and we need to convince people of that.’’

Friendlier skies

The Galaxy are traveling by charter aircraft on this trip. They played in Toronto (0-0 tie) and at D.C. United (1-0 loss) before heading to New England. They’ll charter to Los Angeles for a SuperLiga game against D.C. United Wednesday, then to New York for an MLS game against the Red Bulls Saturday. The Galaxy will continue to charter to games this season, according to a team spokesman. The Red Bulls were refused permission by the MLS competition committee to set up charters for the season because it could constitute ‘‘a competitive advantage.’’ ‘‘Teams can petition for exceptions,’’ MLS spokesman Stephen Rodriguez said. ‘‘In this case, it is for security reasons. The league is handling it on a case-by-case basis.’’ ..... The Celtics’ Ray Allen participated in the ceremonial opening kickoff and played a juggling game with Revolution players in the locker room afterward.