Beckham doesn't think L.A. return will be issue

David Beckham is headed back to Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy after ending his six-month loan at AC Milan and says he wants to show his commitment to being an ambassador for the game in America.

"I'm committed to being one, an ambassador for the MLS and soccer in America, because I still believe that in 10, 15 years that this game will lift to the level where it can compete with some of the big teams in Europe and some of the big leagues in Europe," the midfielder said in an interview with MLSnet.com.

"Obviously, I'm committed to the Galaxy," he said. "I said that to the players before I left and I said it to the manager and I said it to Tim Leiweke [of Galaxy ownership group AEG] before I left. This is not me running away from soccer in America. This is me doing something that I need to do to achieve certain goals with my country."

When asked if he had been following the Galaxy while he was away, Beckham made it clear that he had been paying attention to their results.

"I've followed every game, even when I've been sleeping or playing, I've made sure that someone sent me a text with the score and I've been texting the manager, just saying good luck, get a good result and just keep the guys lifted," he said. "We've been on a run of draws, but last year, maybe they would have been losses.

"I think that there's times when we've played good football. I've seen one or two of the games. It's hard to see the games here in Italy. But the games that I have seen, the guys, they work hard, they work hard for each other," he continued.

Beckham also said that he is not worried about upsetting the team chemistry when he comes back and that he has never caused a problem with any team he joined.

"That kind of problem is only caused by a player going to a team and upsetting it -- which, it's not happened to me in Milan and it's never happened to me on any other team," the England international said of his return to L.A. "I know it's been said by other players that players coming into teams in the middle of the season can upset team. But any team that I've gone into it's not happened."

Much has also been made of the fans in L.A. and what they might have to say about Beckham upon his return, but the Englishman said he's sure the fans understand why he went to Milan.

"[The fans have] always been great with me," Beckham said of the Galaxy faithful. "They've always supported the team, even though we haven't made the playoffs in the last couple of years. They've still supported me as a player and supported the team as a team. I'm sure they realize by now the reasons why I had to go on this loan spell."

Beckham will rejoin the Galaxy on July 11, with his first match being a July 16 encounter against the Red Bulls in New York. Without Beckham, the Galaxy have rolled up nine draws with only one win and one loss in 11 matches, a total good for fifth place in the Western Conference.