“Every ball he touched was pure magic,” said Juan Pablo Angel, the Red Bulls’ forward and captain.

Bruce Arena, the Red Bulls’ coach, suggested that Beckham looked maybe 60 percent fit. That number is unlikely to rise much further, with the hectic schedule of travel and matches he has set for himself. There are at least four Euro 2008 qualifiers coming up for England that figure to crowd the Galaxy’s own demanding fixtures. England is struggling, sitting in fourth place in its group, which is why McClaren has turned to Beckham in a humbling reversal of policy.

It is one thing for Beckham to play in those important qualifiers. But Beckham is also heading over to England now for a mere exhibition match against archrival Germany. Presumably, Beckham believes he needs to make this commitment in order to win favor with McClaren.

Yallop was asked repeatedly whether he wanted Beckham to do this. The Galaxy coach repeatedly chose to avoid answering the question.

“He wants to go,” was all Yallop would say. “That’s important to him.”

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It appears sincerely important to Beckham that this American experiment become a grand success. Even after the defeat on Friday, he said he looked forward to changing the landscape here and luring more stars from Europe. He even gave those players a short pep talk.

“It’s exciting, it’s different,” Beckham said of MLS soccer. “You’ve just got to experience it. I’m enjoying it immensely.”

He must enjoy the bus rides, the small bags of pretzels on airplanes, the frantic and sometimes sloppy pace of these matches. Surely, it’s more than the $250 million that has grabbed Beckham, because money can’t buy this kind of love. The Beatles once told us that, and we didn’t want them to ever leave our shore.