Penalty heartbreak for Beckham and LA Galaxy

David Beckham was unable to give his Los Angeles Galaxy team the perfect send-off before leaving for AC Milan after they lost the MLS Cup on penalties.

The former England captain scored his spot-kick after a 1-1 draw in normal time with Real Salt Lake in Seattle, but three of his team-mates missed, handing the win to their opponents.

Beckham, who has been knocked out of major tournaments with England on penalties on three separate occasions, said he was still "proud" of his team's progress this year.

"It's always tough losing, whether you lose on penalties or in normal play, but we can be proud of where we've come to," the 34-year-old said.

"I wouldn't say it's tougher to lose on penalties, but it's Russian roulette, it's not a nice way to lose, but that's the way it is.

"The people that step up are brave enough to step up and if you score, great, and if you miss it's hard to take."

Beckham is due to rejoin AC Milan in January in a bid to win a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad next summer.

He confirmed last night however that he intends to return to California next year.