Galaxy Midfielder David Beckham Left Off Olympic Roster

It has been reported that Great Britain Olympic coach Stuart Pearce left international superstar, LA Galaxy midfielder, and Londoner David Beckham off the 2012 GB Olympic team.

Beckham said in a statement

"Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me. And like everyone, I will be hoping they can win the gold."

His exclusion shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise to Galaxy fans who see the midfielder on a regular basis. The 37 year old Beckham is past his prime. His effectiveness is inconsistent. But at least with Beckham you know what you are going to get—quality service from the midfield and dangerous set pieces.

Coach Stuart Pearce spent some time in LA over the past weeks to gauge Beckham’s fitness and effectiveness in Major League Soccer. Per Olympic rules, Olympic soccer teams are only allowed three players over the age of 23, and after his assessment Pearce obviously decided to go in a different direction.

England’s three players over age 23 include Manchester United captain Ryan Giggs, Liverpool midfielder Craig Bellamy, and 24 year old Manchester City defender Micah Richards.

While they bring much different elements to the field, Bellamy’s inclusion over Beckham is surprising. But then again, at this point in their careers Giggs and Beckham bring similar skills to the table, so its Giggs inclusion that likely makes Beckham redundant in the equation to bring gold back to Great Britain.

As far as the Galaxy is concerned, this is good news. This should result in Beckham spending more time with the club. He won’t leave LA for training with the team in the weeks leading up to the Olympics.

It is expected that Beckham will be in London for the two weeks the Games are underway beginning July 27th. London organizing chairman Sebastian Coe says of Beckham

"He is from east London and knows how important the games and sport are to young people. He is a great role model and we are lucky to have such an advocate. I will be talking to him about a games-time role."

After all, Beckham was one of the big draws when London won the rights to host the 2012 summer games.

The full roster for Great Britain’s Olympic squad hasn’t been announced yet, but with the members of the squad over 23 years away, it would appear that Pearce was looking to players who haven’t had any experience in big tournaments at the international level. Richards was left off England’s Euro squad, while Welshmen Bellamy and Giggs have never appeared in a major international tournament. Beckham has a record number of appearances for an outfield player in England history with 115.

The final roster should be named by the end of the week.

The Galaxy’s next home game is on July 4th, where the team will be hosting the Philadelphia Union and a fireworks show after the game.