SOCCER:A PLEASANT summer evening provided a fit setting for the warm welcome Robbie Keane received for his first match for his new club, Los Angeles Galaxy, on Saturday night.

Management did its part. Two large painted shamrocks decorated the grassy knoll at the stadium’s northern end. An article on Keane graced the match-day programme’s centrefold.

Souvenir stands sold T-shirts of replica jerseys for Keane, David Beckham and Landon Donovan – only in green with the white lettering and numerals trimmed in orange.

The fans did their part with banners and chants. “Keane,” blared one white bedsheet in green ink with green shamrocks on top. “Cead Míle Fáilte,” read another poster decorated with the Irish tricolour and the Galaxy crest.

When the public-address announcer mentioned Keane’s name in the starting line-ups, Keane received arguably the loudest ovation of the evening.

“It’s fantastic the reception they gave me,” said Keane.

Keane did his part. Ireland’s captain scored 21 minutes into his first match in North America, and the Galaxy added another for a 2-0 win against San Jose Earthquakes.

“When you come into a new team, it’s always nice to get your first goal,” Keane said. “If you go a few games without scoring, sometimes it plays on your mind some.”

Beckham began the move with a ball from inside the Galaxy’s half. Keane received it on a bounce, feinted past goalkeeper Jon Busch and used his left foot to convert into an empty net from seven yards.

“You could see David’s quick thinking,” Keane said, “and I was ready for it.”

Beckham returned the compliment. “He reads the game really well,” he said. “He’s always going to make the right runs. It’s up to us to find him.”

Keane did his part not only by scoring but by displaying his enthusiasm. “I like to play with energy,” he said. “I’ve always done that.”

Keane showed his enthusiasm for 72 minutes before being substituted and that despite a transcontinental flight from London.

“I felt sharp,” said Keane, who trained with the Galaxy on Friday. “I didn’t think too much about the flight. I’ve had a good night’s sleep. To get 70 minutes under my belt is certainly going to stand me in good stead for the coming games.”

That energy attracted Galaxy manager Bruce Arena’s attention when Keane first arrived.

“When I saw him Thursday, I thought he was eager,” Arena said. “On Friday, he looked fine. He’s a fit athlete. I wanted to give him as many minutes as I could.”

Nevertheless, Arena chose not to take chances. “I hope I didn’t give him too many minutes for the first time,” he added. “With this travel and the time zones, it’s not easy. He did a terrific job to give us 70.”

Keane humorously protested Arena’s decision.

“I didn’t run out of gas, Bruce just took me off and I wanted to stay on, Keane said with a smile. “But it was obviously the right decision with the travelling.”

While discussing his fitness, Keane gave notice to his new opponents: “I think there’s certainly a lot more to come from me.”