Beckham was substituted to a standing ovation deep into injury time and after the final whistle the former England captain broke down in tears.
It was the final act of Beckham's time with Los Angeles - on the pitch at least - as he wants to continue his playing career elsewhere
David Beckham had his heart set on leaving LA Galaxy with the MLS Cup as a parting gift
The 37-year-old former England captain conjured up a vintage display in central midfield and the crowd rose to acclaim their No 23 when he was substituted seconds before the end.
Los Angeles Galaxy made it two MLS Cups in a row following a come-from-behind 3-1 victory against Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center.
Calen Carr gave the Dynamo the lead against the run of play in the penultimate minute of the first half but the Galaxy fought back with three unanswered second-half goals to secure back-to-back MLS Cup wins.
Omar Gonzalez headed them level on the hour before Landon Donovan converted a penalty following a Ricardo Clark handball five minutes later.
The Dynamo introduced all-time leading goal-scorer Brian Ching as they chased an equaliser but Irish striker Robbie Keane dispatched a second penalty in stoppage-time to seal the deal.
Having made a sluggish start to the defence of their MLS title with a meagre three wins from their first 13 regular season games, the Galaxy began this game with intent but failed to turn their early dominance into an advantage.
First, with very little pressure on the ball in midfield, Beckham found Keane in behind Bobby Boswell with a sweeping cross-field ball, but Donovan contrived to put the square ball from the Irishman wide from nine-yards out with 14 minutes gone.
The Dynamo were a threat on the break, but with Omar Gonzalez marshalling the Galaxy back four they looked comfortable despite some shaky goalkeeping - particularly in set-piece situations - from Josh Saunders.
Unfortunately for the Dynamo, they did not have a player of Gonzalez’s quality amongst their ranks as Mike Magee managed to escape the attention of a gaggle of Houston defenders only to head a Beckham free-kick down and then over the bar from three yards out with 21 minutes gone.
Following a frenetic start, the pace of the match began to slow as the half progressed, which appeared to suit the men from Houston as a more pedestrian pace allowed the visitors to get more ball into the box with Saunders continuing to look suspect.
Keane and Donovan had been electric in the post season, but apart from that early chance they rarely combined and failed to put pressure on the Dynamo defence when required, and it was off a quick ball from back to front that the Orange Crush scored in the penultimate minute of the half.
Carr bent his run behind Tommy Meyer before remaining composed, waiting for Saunders to go down and firing into the net at the near post to give his side the lead at the interval.
By his post-season standards, Keane had a sluggish first half but was bright come the opening exchanges of the second period.
He finished cleverly on a tight angle only to have his celebration cut short by the assistant referee’s aloft flag, before he ran at Corey Ashe at pace and forced Tally Hall to save from an angle even more acute.
The Dynamo had chances of their own, the most presentable of which fell to Carr, who was unable to generate enough power on a Will Bruin cross 10 minutes into the second half.
But the Galaxy pressure would soon pay off, as Gonzalez rose highest to head a Juninho cross past Hall on the hour.
Having drawn level, the Galaxy were as rampant as the Dynamo were ragged and the almost relentless probing from the home side was to pay further dividends on 65 minutes when Clark handled a goal-bound Gonzalez effort to give away a penalty.
Donovan remained composed to give the Galaxy the lead. A now more open game played heavily into the hands of Bruce Arena’s men with Beckham afforded more time on the ball to dictate the play as the game drew to a close.
The fragility of a one-goal advantage was almost exposed by the Dynamo’s own veteran, Brian Ching. The second-half substitute had Saunders scrambling across his goal with 88 minutes on the clock, having been afforded too much time on the edge of the box, but Ching's effort whistled just wide.
Into stoppage-time, the Dynamo over committed and Keane made the most of it by first breaking the offside trap and then drawing the foul from Hall inside the box.
The Irishman dusted himself off and dispatched the kick past Hall in the last minute to secure the MLS Cup for the fourth time and the second year running.
Anybody questioning the impact Beckham has made on a sport which still has a long way to go to catch up established American games such as gridiron and baseball, would have to acknowledge his popularity with the fans. There were banners all round the ground proclaiming ‘Thanks David’ and ‘We love Beckham’ while fans were wearing T-shirts with slogans such as ‘Beckham — take me with you’ and ‘Beckham you rocked the Galaxy’.
After the game an Emotional David said".
he still does not know where he will be playing next but he confirmed he plans to maintain his involvement in MLS.
"It's special to get any victory in a cup final, in front of our home fans," he told ESPN.
"It's an amazing day today. I'm sad it's the end - it's been a special place for me and it will continue to be a special place for me."
Asked if he could reveal where he would be playing next he said: "I have no idea - I'm happy that I'm wearing this uniform today and that I have been part of this club for six years. I'm happy that I've been successful with this club for the last four years. I'm very thankful for that.
"I'm going to continue my commitment to this league and this country and my commitment will be the same as it was when I first came here six years ago.
"I might not be playing here anymore but my commitment stays the same to growing this league and growing this sport."
As seen in movies, David Beckham farewll from the MLS will be remembered as a Holywood classic. It also sent minds running back to the days of the Brazilian great Pele when he retired from football in front of thousands of Americans fans and faithful a like.
Beckham has been cagey about where he will go next. France, and particularly Monaco, remain a favourable option but he has been impressed with overtures from China. For now, though, he will just enjoy the Hollywood ending to his LA career.
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