In brief: Beckham plays well in first MLS start

David Beckham brought back memories of Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, reviving soccer interest in the New York area for a night.

Playing before a record crowd of 66,237 in East Rutherford, N.J, Beckham made his first Major League Soccer start and set up a pair of goals by Carlos Pavon in the first eight minutes. But the New York Red Bulls rallied for a wild 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy when Juan Pablo Angel scored his second goal of the game in the 88th minute.

The 32-year-old midfielder, slowed by an ankle injury since joining the Galaxy last month, played the full game.

He created Los Angeles’ first goal in the sixth minute with a corner kick. Two minutes later, Beckham took a 37-yard free kick on the right side and fed an open Pavon for another score.

“Freddy Adu’s league debut in Europe will have to wait.

The teenage American soccer star was rested for his Portuguese team’s first league game, a 1-1 tie for Benfica against Leixoes in Lisbon, Portugal.

Adu already played for Benfica when he came on as a substitute in a 2-1 win over FC Copenhagen in a Champions League qualifier Tuesday.

The 18-year-old Adu joined the high-profile Portuguese team from Real Salt Lake on July 31 after agreeing to a $1.5 million transfer fee with MLS.

“U.S. striker Brian McBride dislocated his left kneecap in London while scoring for Fulham and will be sidelined several months.

The 35-year-old McBride slipped in the 16th minute while putting Fulham ahead 1-0 against visiting Middlesbrough. Fulham went on to win the Premier League game 2-1.

Gymnastics

Johnson wins title

Shawn Johnson won the U.S. gymnastics championships so handily the rest of the field might as well have gotten its own division. Her score of 123.650 was 3.450 points ahead of runner-up Shayla Worley.

Johnson is only 15, a “newbie” in the senior ranks as she called herself Thursday night. But she acts – and performs – as if she’s been doing this for years.

Johnson earned a spot on the team for next month’s world championships in Stuttgart, Germany. Worley also secured a spot on the world squad. National team coordinator Martha Karolyi will select another five for the group.

Two-time U.S. champion Nastia Liukin, long considered one of the world’s best, finished third after another rough night. Liukin is nursing a nagging ankle injury, and she took an ugly tumble on floor and had another bumble on vault.

Tennis

Federer to meet Blake

Roger Federer moved within a victory of his 50th career title by beating Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (1) in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters at Mason, Ohio.

Federer, who won this event in 2005, will face James Blake today. Blake beat Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 6-2 in the late semifinal match.

“Justine Henin ended the surprising run of qualifier Yan Zi 6-3, 6-0 in the Rogers Cup semifinals at Toronto.

Henin will face No. 2 seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, who defeated 12th-seeded Tatiana Golovin of France, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal.

Miscellany

Team U.S.A. gears up

It’s a good thing Team USA wasn’t playing Brazil or Argentina.

The Americans had trouble shooting against zone defenses in splitting a four-quarter scrimmage with the U.S. select team in Las Vegas, comprised of younger NBA players. The senior team won the first and second quarters and lost the third and fourth, the last in overtime.

“Jens Voigt became the first rider to win consecutive Tour of Germany events, finishing 1 minute, 57 seconds ahead of American rider Levi Leipheimer of the Discovery Channel in Hanover, Germany.