David Beckham's two assists could not help the Los Angeles Galaxy in front of a whopping crowd on Saturday.

Juan Pablo Angel scored his second goal of the game in the 88th minute to give the host New York Red Bulls a 5-4 win over the Galaxy in front of an announced crowd of 66,237 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

David Beckham and New York's Jeff Parke battle to head the ball during Saturday's game.
(Bill Kostroun/Associated Press)

Beckham's first appearance in the New York area led to the largest attendance in Red Bull franchise history and the biggest for a U.S. league contest since the New York Cosmos drew 70,312 in a 1980 North American Soccer League game.

The Red Bulls had averaged 11,573 for their first 10 home matches — next to last in the league.

Beckham went the distance in his first regular-season start for the Galaxy, giving his team full value for the first time after weeks of inactivity due to a left ankle injury.

His corner kick led to a goal by former Toronto FC member Edson Buddle to give the Galaxy a 4-4 tie in the 82nd minute. Kyle Veris headed the corner off the post, with Buddle putting the loose ball in the net.

Beckham assisted on Carlos Pavon's two goals, both scored in the game's first 10 minutes to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead. Longtime U.S. national team member Landon Donovan scored the Galaxy's other goal.

Young Jozy Altidore scored two goals for New York (10-7-3), with Clint Mathis also finding the mark.

Altidore, 17, recently played for the United States at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada. He put New York up 4-2 in the 70th minute, but Donovan replied less than a minute later.

Angel scores 12 goals in 14 games

Angel, the former Aston Villa star, now has 12 goals in 14 games this season.

Los Angeles (3-8-5) is 12 points back of the current playoff pace.

Beckham's only previous regular-season action was an 18-minute appearance as a substitute on Aug. 9. He started for the Galaxy in a SuperLiga tournament match on Thursday, scoring a memorable free kick goal and adding an assist.

The 32-year-old midfielder signed a five-year contract with Los Angeles in January that will pay him $32.5 million US a season.

Beckham plans to be in the lineup for England in Wednesday's exhibition game against Germany at Wembley Stadium, then to jet back to Los Angeles for a home game Thursday against Chivas USA.

With files from the Associated Press