David Beckham, one win away from claiming the MLS title with L.A Galaxy, said on Thursday that despite the troubles that have accompanied his time in the United States he had never considered abandoning the team.
Beckham will line up against Real Salt Lake in Sunday's MLS Cup final but his first two seasons in the US. saw little success for the team and plenty of controversy.
The England midfielder's decision to miss the first half of this season to complete a loan spell with AC Milan in Italy led to Galaxy fans booing him on his return.
A book, released around the same time he returned to Los Angeles, about his first two years with the club also painted an unflattering picture of the club's dressing room.
But after training on Thursday and before flying to Seattle for the final, Beckham said he had never considered walking away and returning permanently to Europe.
"No, not at all, never. I always committed myself to the MLS and committed myself to (Galaxy owner) Tim Leiweke and the whole franchise," he told reporters. "I always said that I would see it through.
"There's never a smooth road. There are always a few bumps along the way and there has been.
"But that's kind of been my career. There have always been ups and downs -- more ups than downs but that's the way it is, that's life."
Beckham, who will return to Milan in January for another loan spell, said while it had been an achievement for the Galaxy to reach the MLS Cup final, which will decide the league title, it would mean little if the team failed to take the championship.
"At the end of the day we've done well this season. We deserve to be where we are, but we still haven't won anything.
"We might have won in our division, but it means nothing; you want to win everything. So that's what we're going for."
"At the moment we're enjoying the success of the club and it would be nice to win the game.
"But there's still a lot of hard work to do before then. We know it's a tough game against Salt Lake, so we're preparing and I'm sure we'll be ready."
Donovan named MLS player of the year
Meanwhile, United States and L.A Galaxy striker Landon Donovan has been named Most Valuable Player in Major League Soccer, the league said on Thursday.
Donovan received the most votes in polling of players, general managers, coaches and the media. FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham and New England Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph were the two other finalists for the award.
The Galaxy captain has led his team to the MLS Cup final, where they will face Real Salt Lake on Sunday, scoring 15 goals in 28 regular season and playoff games.
"As an athlete to be honoured individually is great," Donovan told reporters after training in Los Angeles on Thursday.
"What is special about this is that its not just fans or media voting it is also your peers - and when your peers name you the best player, I think that's special," he said.
