Andy Gottesman/The LanternDavid Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy were defeated 1-0 by the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

The appearance of David Beckham did not distract the first place Columbus Crew from continuing its eight-game unbeaten streak as the Crew defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0.

The sold-out crowd of 22,685 was the largest to watch a Crew home game this season.

Most fans were captivated by Beckham’s first trip to Columbus. His presence was evident by the constant stream of flashbulbs every time the Galaxy midfielder touched the ball.

Beckham was disappointed but he was impressed by the crowd on hand.

“I was expecting a great atmosphere and it was a great atmosphere,” Beckham said.

Adding to the excitement was the return of Crew forward and MVP candidate Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The MLS assist leader played 60 minutes after sitting out the past three matches with a hamstring injury.

“It was nice to get Guillermo back on the field,” coach Sigi Schmid said. “Obviously there was a little bit of rust.”

The Crew came out shaky in the opening moments as both teams struggled to maintain possession and create chances on goal.

The breakthrough came in the 43rd minute when Crew forward Alejandro Moreno headed a cross from defender Danny O’Rourke past Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders. The goal was Moreno’s ninth this season and a career-high for the Crew forward.

Moreno, in his eighth season, felt the Crew’s accomplishment should overshadow his own personal statistics.

“It’s important but more important is the kind of season we’re having,” Moreno said.

The Galaxy rarely looked dangerous even with Beckham and forward Landon Donovon.

Donovan tried to add to his league-leading 19 goals but could only muster one shot against a tough Crew defense anchored by Chad Marshall and Andy Iro.

Marshall knew one of the main tasks was to contain the quickness of Donovan.

“We just didn’t want to let him run and makes runs through the midfield,” Marshall said.

The Galaxy (7-12-8) look to be playing themselves out of playoff contention for the third consecutive year while the Crew (16-6-5) are inching closer to home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and the supporters’ shield, given to the team with the best record in the regular season.

The Crew was without coach Sigi Schmid and captain Frankie Hejduk who were serving one-game suspensions.

With the best record in MLS, the Crew continues to make a push toward the playoffs, but Marshall said the mindset of the team should be to finish the regular season strong.

“You want to keep a good rhythm going into the playoffs,” he said.

Tyler Gillespie can be reached at [email protected].