David Beckham

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A month into his hugely hyped arrival with the Los Angeles Galaxy, David Beckham has finally made a splash on the field.

His timing was impeccable.

Just when Beckham mania appeared to be fading, the English superstar revived it by scoring his first goal and notching three assists while playing major minutes in two games last week.

Beckham's first goal for the Galaxy came in a 2-0 SuperLiga victory over D.C. United last Wednesday, his first start for his new team.

That famous bending free kick led to a fresh round of next-day Becks' highlights on everything from ESPN's "SportsCenter" to the tabloid show "Inside Edition."

"I've scored a lot of important goals in my career, big goals in my career, and this ranks among them," he said. "I wanted to get off to a good start with the team and with the fans."

Then he drew 66,237 to Giants Stadium for his first Major League Soccer start. Beckham set up two goals, but the Galaxy lost 5-4 to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

"Oh, yeah, there's tremendous pressure," Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas said. "We're not naive to the fact that a lot of people want to see him and that there's a lot of people buying tickets specifically to see him."

The initial Beckham buzz had quickly died down because of a left ankle injury that relegated the former England captain to the bench for much of his first month.

Instead of "Bend It Like Beckham," it was more "Bench It Like Beckham."

He played a total of 37 minutes in two token appearances in his first eight games, disappointing fans in sellout crowds who were forced to buy tickets for multiple games just to see Beckham.

His first extended road trip drew an average of 42,211 fans to Toronto, Washington, New England and New York, although he sat out in Toronto and New England.

Lalas made no apologies for aggressively marketing Beckham despite his injury that occurred a month before he joined the team.

"When you buy a ticket to see the Galaxy, it says L.A. Galaxy on that ticket. It doesn't say any of our players' names and we can't guarantee that any of them will be out there," he said.

"We were upfront and said he could miss games because of injury, he could miss games because of England call-ups, all of these things that occur in every other sport."

Indeed, Beckham hopes his ankle is well enough for him to make his 97th appearance for England against Germany in London on Wednesday night. Then he'll fly across eight time zones to try to make Thursday's night MLS game against Chivas USA in Carson.

Not only are fans buying tickets -- although just 17,223 saw his first goal in Carson -- they're snapping up No. 23 jerseys.

Even with his injury, merchandise sales are up 700 percent for the Galaxy this season and 300 percent leaguewide because of Beckham, according to MLS.

However, until the most scrutinized left ankle in sports is fully healed, Beckham may continue to play in fits and starts, prompting more of the criticism that's been directed at him and the team.

"It's unfair," Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas said. "If it were truly up to him, and if it were medically the right thing to do, he would have been out there a long time ago."

Beckham didn't practice with the team for the first time until last week. Before then, the Galaxy had limited media access to Beckham to news conferences. The team had been vague about his ankle and his playing status.

"It's so hard to come into a new situation where everything is so hyped and not be able to do anything about it," Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon said. "It's been a trying time for all of us."

Beckham recently admitted that his ankle wasn't ready when he made his July 21 debut in an exhibition against Chelsea attended by a star-studded sellout crowd of 27,000 and shown live on ESPN.

"It definitely aggravated it and put me back at least a week," he said.

But Lalas said Beckham himself decided to play that night.

"There was certainly a tremendous amount of pressure and in a perfect world, we would just say no and we would have set him down for a month," the general manager said. "But this is not a perfect world. This is a sport that is growing, and David has a tremendous responsibility that he accepts and recognizes."

When Beckham finally did start for the first time last Wednesday, what the public likely didn't notice was that by simply playing extended minutes for the first time, Becks became one of the guys.

"When he's on the field with you and he's helping you and contributing, then you look at him in a different way and he looks at us in a different way," Landon Donovan said. "Not that we didn't respect him before, but now there's so much more respect."

The air of mystery about Beckham's ankle and the amount of time he spent rehabbing it during his first month had created an unintentional distance between him and his new teammates. He was reluctant to take a leadership role and tell others what to do when he had yet to play much.

That changed last week when Donovan and Beckham chatted while walking to their cars after practice. Donovan, the Galaxy's biggest star until Beckham arrived, offered his captain's armband to Beckham.

"It made him immediately part of the team in a real sense," Donovan said. "Guys looked at him differently and he could say things to guys differently."

Beckham's new influence apparently extends to his teammates' fashion choices. Like him, several of them have dressed in black suits, white shirts and red ties after recent games.

Having the world's most famous soccer player suddenly dropped in their midst has been "an eye-opener" for the team, Vagenas said.

"His being here puts us on the world stage. Every little game that we play, every little thing that you do truly means something," the midfielder said. "You're in the pressure cooker, so you've got to perform."

No one more so than Beckham.

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England manager Steve McClaren said David Beckham was ready to play for England against Germany on Wednesday despite a recent ankle injury and a long-haul flight from the U.S.

"He trained this morning and looked very, very good," McClaren said in a news conference on Tuesday.

The friendly at Wembley is preparation for England's Euro 2008 qualifiers at home to group rivals Israel and Russia next month and McClaren said he was happy to have Beckham, now with LA Galaxy, back in the squad with him set to win his 97th cap.

"We've said right from the beginning he's back in the squad because of his performances, he'll stay in the squad because of his performances and he'll play because of his performances and that's it," said McClaren, who axed the former captain from the squad after the 2006 World Cup finals.

"We'll monitor his progress in LA in the MLS and we'll monitor it when he's here."

McClaren has already had to contend with several withdrawals, including midfielders Steven Gerrard and Owen Hargreaves, while Everton striker Andy Johnson pulled out on Tuesday with a knee injury.

Wayne Rooney is missing with a broken foot while Peter Crouch is suspended for the match against Israel and so would be unlikely to start.

NO LIMITS

Michael Owen, who came on as a substitute for Newcastle United on Saturday, will feature, with Jermain Defoe and Alan Smith also likely to play at some stage.

"It's an ideal game for him to get some minutes under his belt," said McClaren, who confirmed that no Premier League managers had set any limits on the amount of time their players should spend on the pitch.

"I've got no qualms about picking the team," he said.

Defeat in Croatia last year and draws against Israel and Macedonia have left England fourth in Group E, three points behind Croatia and Israel and one behind Russia.

They play Israel on Sept. 8 and host Russia four days later.

"We've cleared the (players') heads, told them we're in a great position to qualify," McClaren said. "This is an important game in preparation for Israel and Russia."

England have only met a unified Germany nine times in international football, the last occasion being in 2001 when England won a World Cup qualifier 5-1 in Munich.

They played West Germany on 16 occasions, the most famous meeting being the 1966 World Cup final and the rivalry makes any meeting, even a friendly, a eagerly-anticipated prospect.

The Germans beat England 1-0 in the last match played at the old Wembley Stadium in October 2000 before it was demolished.

After Brazil were England's first opponents at the new stadium in June, the Germans are the first Europeans to face England there.

Germany have beaten England four times at Wembley -- more than any other foreign country.

With 90,000 at the stadium and millions more watching on TV, skipper John Terry confirmed the players felt no match against Germany was "just" a friendly.

"We can't class it as a friendly game and we are looking forward to putting on a show. Once we're out there we want to get amongst them," Terry told reporters. "I know what facing Germany means to England fans."

On David Beckham's jet-setting schedule, Terry added: "I've spoken to him and he's fine ... he's a great professional. He's getting his sleep in and he will deal with it in his own way."

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David Beckham's sore left ankle held up enough for him to play the entire game in the middle leg of his trans-Atlantic odyssey.

Beckham made his 97th international appearance, but his presence wasn't enough to keep England from losing 2-1 to Germany in an exhibition game on Wednesday night.

Frank Lampard scored in the ninth minute, but Kevin Kuranyi equalized in the 25th following a blunder by goalkeeper Paul Robinson, and Christian Pander put the Germans ahead in the 40th. Germany, which beat England 1-0 in the final international game at the old Wembley Stadium in October 2000, became the first team to beat England in the new Wembley.

"We are a very young team and you can imagine they are dancing happily in the locker room," Germany coach Joachim Loew said.

Beckham made his first appearance with England since joining Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy last month. After playing his first full game for the Galaxy at Giants Stadium in a 5-4 loss Saturday night, he played an energetic 90 minutes without showing too much discomfort from his injured left ankle.


Beckham plans to return to the Galaxy in time to play Thursday night against Chivas USA in Carson, Calif.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel sat side by side in Wembley's VIP box for the first meeting of the traditional rivals since England won 5-1 at Munich in a World Cup qualifier in 2001.

"There's only one team at Wembley" the German fans shouted in English to taunt the home side's followers in a crowd of 86,133.

While both teams had several top players missing because of injury, the result was a blow to England coach Steve McClaren, who hoped for a confidence-boosting performance ahead of two vital European Championship qualifiers against Israel and Russia next month.

"I was delighted with the majority of it and the chances we created," McClaren said. "But disappointed with the goals we conceded. Of course, it's very disappointing for the fans, but there are so many positives."

The latest chapter of one of international soccer's great rivalries was spoiled by the absence of so many injured stars. More than 11 regular squad members from each side were missing including England's Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Owen Hargreaves, and Germany's Michael Ballack, Bastian Schweinsteiger and strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski.

England had the start it wanted.

Micah Richards beat Christian Pander and Philip Lahm on the right and pushed the ball forward for Lampard for the first goal. The Chelsea midfielder, subjected to jeers from England fans in recent games for poor performances, drove it powerfully past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

"For 15, 20 minutes, we showed too much respect for our opponent and withdrew further almost to our own penalty box," Loew said. "The equalizer was a great help, and we showed much more courage and even at the end we were dominating the game."


AP - Aug 22, 5:03 pm EDT
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The goal stung the Germans into life. After Christoph Metzelder's header and Thomas Hitzlsperger's long range shot had both gone close, they tied the score.

Thomas Hitzlsperger's right-footed shot was fisted away by Robinson, but the ball was crossed in from the right by Bernd Schneider. Robinson palmed the ball down in front of his goal, and an unmarked Kuranyi prodded it into an empty net.

Lampard had an angled shot blocked by Lehmann before Per Mertesacker headed over the top of the England goal with Robinson caught way off his line. Then the Germans moved ahead with a top quality strike five minutes before halftime.

Pander, Hitzlsperger and Phillip Lahm swapped passes 30 yards out before the left back fired a rising shot from 25 into the top corner.

Kieron Dyer should have tied the score in the in the 65th when he met a low cross from Beckham but fired wide from six yards. When a corner from Beckham was met firmly by John Terry, Lahm headed off the line and England's last chance of an equalizer was gone.

"I would have been more disappointed if we had not created the chances," McClaren said. "For the first 20, 25 minutes, until we let them in, we were excellent. It was the ideal game for us, a hard, physically tough game. That's four games in 10 days for some of them."

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David Beckham lived up to his jet-setting reputation, literally, but his trans-Atlantic trek ultimately proved futile in footballing terms.

After playing 90 minutes in England's 2-1 friendly loss to Germany at Wembley on Wednesday, the former England captain arrived in Los Angeles with just hours to spare and was put in the starting lineup in the Galaxy's Major League Soccer SuperClasico Los Angeles derby with Chivas USA.

Chivas, who share the Galaxy's Home Depot Center ground, won 3-0, thanks to two goals from Cuban striker Maykel Galindo and another from Mexican midfielder Francisco Mendoza

"It wasn't our intention to play him at all, but he came in and said that he was OK," said Galaxy manager Frank Yallop.

"Given our position in the league, we need points. Even when we were down 2-0 it would only have taken a single bit of magic from David to get us back into the game."

Beckham couldn't summon that magic however, and by the end of the match was visibly tired, walking slowly and with a slight limp that was even more pronounced in the post-game locker room.

It was hardly surprising.

The player had just completed a 10,884-mile (17,516km) return trip and will face the same arduous journey again in September when he will be needed back in London for England's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia.

Galaxy general manager Alexei Lalas, who has been supportive of Beckham's desire to represent England, admitted the travel could be a problem.

"I'm not going to deny there comes a point when your body can't do it any more," Lalas said. "If at any point we felt it was detrimental to his health or ability to help our team, we would take action.

"We would never stand in the way of a player representing their country," Lalas added. "David's love of England and the honor that it is for him to represent his country is evident from the first time you talk to him."

Beckham, who swigged water and sports drinks at the touchline in the first half, returned for the start of the second to the delight of the sell-out crowd at the 27,000-seat stadium.

"He's a trouper," said Yallop. "He didn't want to come off."

A minute before halftime, a s***mish broke out after Chivas central defender Jesse Marsch caught Beckham with a waist high tackle, and the Galaxy captain - whose entrance into the MLS has been hampered by an ankle injury - angrily confronted him.

As players from both teams rushed in, Galaxy midfielder Kevin Harmes threw a punch and was head-butted by Chivas defender Alex Zotinca. Both players were red carded by referee Terry Vaughn, and Marsch received a yellow card.

"He had kind of gotten a piece of me quite before that," Marsch said of Beckham. "So it was somewhat a retaliation, somewhat a tactical foul because he was on a break. I said it was harder than I would have liked it to have been, and I apologized to him. I told him I respect what he's about. He was kind of done with me though."

Marsch said he didn't see much of the ensuing fracas, but he didn't think it had anything to do with multi-millionaire Beckham's reputation, just as his original tackle hadn't.

"It was two teams standing up for guys on their team," he said. "I think every one respects him over there, and I hope guys respect what I'm all about here. I appreciate all my teammates sticking together and that's what a team's about."

After Galindo opened the scoring in the 58th, Beckham was joined on the pitch by Landon Donovan, also returning from a Wednesday match in Europe - the USA's 1-0 loss in Sweden.

Still the Galaxy could make no headway, and Galindo scored a second goal in the 69th before Mendoza made it 3-0 with two minutes left.

Chivas chose to rest their returning international, Jonathan Bornstein, who played with Donovan in Sweden on Wednesday and was on the bench Thursday.

"I told him before the game he was not playing," said Chivas manager Preki. "Unless something incredible happens that we have to use him for 15 minutes. But I didn't feel he could play under those conditions."

Lalas said the Galaxy would be keeping an eye on their prize player.

"There will certainly be moments when we need to sit down with him and do what's best for our organization and him," Lalas said.

"There are FIFA dates that we have to abide by and will continue to do so. But if it is a friendly game that doesn't fall on a FIFA date that is obviously something we will have to discuss with the player."

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David Beckham, fatigued after playing three games in six days, has been ruled out of Los Angeles Galaxy's Major League Soccer (MLS) match against Colorado Rapids on Sunday.

The England midfielder has been hampered by a left ankle injury for the last two months and limped off the pitch after the Galaxy's 3-0 MLS defeat by Chivas USA on Thursday.

"While it's regrettable that he will not get the opportunity to play in Colorado this season, we have to focus on healing David's injury," Galaxy president and general manager Alexi Lalas said in a statement on Friday.

"He will rest this weekend in LA while preparing for our SuperLiga final match on Wednesday."

The Galaxy, while struggling for form in the MLS, will host Mexican league champions Pachuca at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Wednesday in the inaugural SuperLiga final.

"I'd love to be on the pitch with my team this Sunday but our training staff has advised me that it would be detrimental to not only my health for this game but for the rest of the season," Beckham, 32, said.

"I look forward to making it out to Colorado for our next scheduled match there."

SUCCESSIVE DAYS

The globe-trotting Beckham, signed by the Galaxy from Real Madrid on a $32.5 million five-year deal, competed in two matches in two continents on successive days this week.

A day after playing the full 90 minutes for England in a 2-1 friendly defeat by Germany in London, Beckham was on the pitch throughout as the Galaxy slipped to their ninth defeat in 17 MLS games against Chivas on Thursday.

Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said he had erred in leaving Beckham on for the entire match.

"It wasn't the intention to play him at all but he came in and said that he felt okay," Yallop told reporters. "And obviously with our situation in the league we need points.

"I didn't want to leave him on but in the end, at 2-0, he tried and all it needed was maybe one set piece or one bit of magic by David.

"Right at the end he looked hobbled. I used him tonight and I shouldn't have done that. You can still tell now that he is sore, he's still not 100 percent."

Beckham twisted his ankle playing for his country against Estonia in a Euro 2008 qualifying match in June and aggravated it in his final appearance for Real 11 days later when his former team clinched the Spanish league title.

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David Beckham kept his promise, but his heroic effort in returning from England duty couldn't prevent his Galaxy club falling 3-0 to Chivas USA in Major League Soccer's SuperClasico Los Angeles derby.

Beckham had played 90 minutes in England's 2-1 loss to Germany at Wembley on Wednesday, and arrived in Los Angeles with just hours to spare before starting Thursday's match.

In the wake of an 11-hour flight, Beckham took advantage of breaks in play to run to the touchline to swig water and sports drinks.

A minute before halftime, a brief brawl broke out after Chivas central defender Jesse Marsch caught Beckham with a waist high tackle, and the Galaxy captain - whose entrance into the MLS has been hampered by an ankle injury - angrily confronted him.

As players from both teams rushed in, Galaxy midfielder Kevin Harmes threw a punch and was head-butted by Chivas defender Alex Zotinca. Both players were red carded by referee Terry Vaughn, and Marsch received a yellow card.

Beckham returned for the start of the second half, to the delight of the sell-out crowd at the 27,000-seat Home Depot Center, which is also Chivas' home ground.

The Galaxy fell behind in the 58th minute, when defender Kyle Veris and goalkeeper Joe Cannon failed to communicate on a long ball delivered from midfield and Cuban striker Maykel Galindo burst between the two and scored from the top of the penalty area.

In the 59th minute, Beckham was joined on the pitch by Landon Donovan, also returning from a Wednesday match in Europe - the USA's 1-0 loss in Sweden.

Still the Galaxy could make no headway, and Galindo scored a second goal in the 69th minute, breaking down the center of the field unmarked before slipping the ball underneath Cannon.

Francisco Mendoza made it 3-0 on a counterattack with two minutes left as Chivas took advantage of the Galaxy pushing up in an attempt to score.

Beckham was visibly tired even before the match was over, walking slowly with a slight limp. The result was a serious blow to the Galaxy, who remain in fifth place in the MLS Western Conference, 12 points out of the final playoff spot.

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David Beckham and Landon Donovan are among a glut of players whose injuries have decimated the Los Angeles Galaxy's roster heading into Wednesday's SuperLiga final.

The team did not practice Monday and offered no updates on Beckham's nagging left ankle injury or Donovan. Also injured are Chris Albright, Abel Xavier, Ty Harden, Ante Jazic and Kelly Gray.

Those seven didn't travel to Colorado for Sunday's game, which the Galaxy lost 3-0. Also missing the trip was Kevin Harmse, who threw a punch and was red-carded in Thursday night's 3-0 loss to Chivas USA.

The injured players were expected to return to practice Tuesday, although it was not known how much they would participate, team spokesman Patrick Donnelly said.

The Galaxy play two home games this week, including Wednesday night's SuperLiga championship against Mexican club Pachuca.

Donovan's four goals and four assists are the most of any player in the inaugural SuperLiga tournament. Beckham scored his first goal with the Galaxy on a free kick in the SuperLiga semifinals against D.C. United.

The title match is a sellout. Attendance was capped at 12,500 in the 27,000-seat stadium to limit traffic and ease parking problems for students in their first week of fall classes at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The school shares its campus with Home Depot Center.

The SuperLiga winner receives $1 million.

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David Beckham and Landon Donovan are likely to be in the Los Angeles Galaxy lineup against Mexican champion Pachuca in Wednesday night's SuperLiga final.

"We'll see how they get through today but I expect both to play," Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said after Tuesday's practice. "David's still got that ankle problem, but Landon feels a lot better. His calf and his thigh are OK now, so that's good."

Beckham has been bothered by a sprained left ankle since June and was limping after playing full matches on consecutive nights for England in London and the Galaxy in Carson last week. Donovan strained his right calf in a game against the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 18.

Beckham said his ankle is not completely well, but that it's a lot better than what it was four or five days earlier.

"I trained today and I'm still uncomfortable but, hopefully, I'll be ready to play tomorrow," he said. "It's definitely feeling stronger, but it's taking time. I've had quite a few matches in a short space of time. It's not really given the necessary time to recover. If I had six weeks rest, then it would clear up completely but that's not possible."

Beckham scrimmaged with the team but rested toward the end of training while his teammates practiced attacks on goal.

"His basic conditioning is a problem, too," Yallop said. "He's not really trained or done much with the team other than play the games. We're hoping he can play tomorrow and, hopefully, he'll be OK for the weekend, too."

The Galaxy face Real Salt Lake in a Major League Soccer game on Saturday night.

Donovan was limping at the end of practice and did not speak with reporters afterward.

Beckham and Donovan were among eight Galaxy players who missed Sunday's 3-0 MLS loss at the Colorado Rapids due to injuries or suspensions. Donovan also had a two-continent week, playing 64 minutes for the United States at Sweden on Wednesday, then 31 minutes as a reserve the following night against Chivas USA.

Beckham, asked if he aggravated his ankle injury, said, "Possibly. But at the moment I aggravate it every time I play. It's one of those injuries where you can either be out and rest for a month or six weeks, or you just play through it."

Galaxy midfielder Kevin Harmes will be able to play against Pachuca. Harmes served a one-game suspension Sunday for punching Chivas USA's Jesse Marsch after Marsch fouled Beckham from behind Aug. 23.

The SuperLiga is an eight-team tournament involving clubs from MLS and Mexico's first division.

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More pain for David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Beckham left the field in the 30th minute of Wednesday night's SuperLiga final against Pachuca after spraining his right knee when he fell.

"It's just gone from one thing to another thing," said Beckham, whose nagging left ankle injury had already limited his playing time.

"Maybe it's time for me to just say, `I need the rest,' and get it right and don't come back until it's right."

That wasn't the team's only loss.

The Galaxy were beaten 4-3 on penalty kicks after playing to a 1-1 tie after 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime. Beckham, who rejoined his team on the bench for overtime and the penalty kicks, limped off the field in a suit and tie.

After the second-place medal was placed around his neck, Beckham immediately took it off.

"I hate losing," he said.

Carlos Rodriguez's kick into the right corner of the net past goalkeeper Joe Cannon gave Pachuca a 4-3 lead in the shootout. Abel Xavier then missed wide right for Los Angeles, ending the marathon match.

"I felt real proud of every single one of our players. They kept going until the end," Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said. "With all the crap we've had to put up with in the last 3-to-4 weeks, it was outstanding."

The SuperLiga championship was the only title match the Galaxy will likely play in this season. Its Major League Soccer record is 3-10-5 and its chances of making the playoffs are slim.

Injuries have decimated the Galaxy, including ones to Beckham and Landon Donovan.

"It's been difficult to (expletive) deal with," Yallop said. "I'm sorry to swear, but it's been hard."

Pachuca won the trophy and the $1 million prize in the inaugural tournament that involved four MLS teams and four teams from Mexico's first division.

The SuperLiga title is the fourth championship won by Pachuca in the last year. "Los Tuzos" also won the Mexican title, the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the Copa Sudamericana title.

Pachuca led 1-0 when when Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas put the ball in his own net in the 28th minute. He collapsed in despair against the back of the net as the pro-Pachuca crowd roared.

Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero made several spectacular saves in the second half, when the Galaxy attacked aggressively.

In the 86th minute, Donovan's deflection was stopped by Calero, then the ball fell out of his clutches and narrowly missed rolling into the net. Donovan slapped his hands to his head in frustration.

After a string of agonizing misses, Chris Klein tied it at 1 on a brilliant bicycle kick in second-half stoppage time.

Donovan later missed a chance to win it when his penalty kick was saved by a diving Calero.

During a scoreless first half, Beckham and Pachuca midfielder Fernando Salazar each went after the ball just outside the Mexican club's penalty area. Beckham tripped over the ball and fell. He lay face down on the grass for a few seconds before getting up and hobbling off the field, signaling to the bench he needed to come out.

"I'm devastated to have been taken out of the game when I was because I was looking forward to this game," he said. "I've been given the rest to try and get my ankle feeling better and it felt better."

Initially, Beckham's injury was announced as a strain. But after he was examined at halftime, the team said he had a sprain.

"I'm going to have a scan tomorrow and we'll see the full extent of what it is and how long I'll be out, but at the moment, it doesn't feel great," he said.

Salazar left because of a sprained right knee, which, like Beckham's injury, was initially announced as a strain. Alan Gordon replaced Beckham in the 33rd minute, triggering massive booing from the crowd of 12,500.

Beckham made his way to a wall on the sideline, bent over and held on to it before a Galaxy staff member arrived to help him to the bench. He sat down and had his right leg taped, then buried his head in his hands. At halftime, Beckham gingerly walked across the field to the tunnel.

He did not return for the second half.

But Beckham came out to watch overtime dressed in a gray suit, white shirt and black tie. He sat on the bench with his right leg extended.

At the end of the second overtime, Beckham limped onto the field to join his teammates as they regrouped for penalty kicks, clapping his hands in encouragement.

"I needed to be out there and cheer on the lads," he said.

Beckham's ankle injury occurred before he joined the Galaxy on July 13.

The Galaxy's next MLS game is at home Saturday against Real Salt Lake. Beckham was expected to leave Sunday to join England for 10 days to play in two Euro 2008 qualifying matches, but it was not immediately known how his injury might affect those plans.

"At this stage, it's hard to tell, but it doesn't feel good," Beckham said. "With a ligament strain, it's 4-to-6 weeks. We'll have to wait and see."

Attendance was capped at 12,500 in the 27,000-seat stadium to limit traffic and ease parking problems for students in their first week of fall classes at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The school shares its campus with the Home Depot Center. As a result, the upper deck and north end zone were closed.

The Galaxy wore black armbands to honor 22-year-old Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta, who died Tuesday after collapsing on the field in Spain.

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So much for David Beckham's debut season in America. It's all but over now that the 32-year-old English midfielder is out six weeks with a sprained right knee, to go along with his famously injured left ankle.

His absence not only dampens U.S. enthusiasm for soccer -- already on life support -- but leaves England's national team without its former captain for a crucial stretch and threatens to deflate the Hollywood hype that elevated Becks and his Spice Girl wife to A-list celebrities.

"I'm incredibly disappointed to be injured again so soon after returning to play for the Galaxy," Beckham said on his Web site Friday. "It's been a year of amazing highs and frustrating lows, but I'm hopeful that I can still play a part this season."

The 32-year-old midfielder sprained his medial collateral ligament in a tackle during the Galaxy's loss to Mexican team Pachuca on Wednesday night. He was expected to be out about six weeks while he rehabilitates behind the scenes.

Beckham's right knee was in a brace Friday and he was ordered to rest for the next five days, Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said.

"We got to make sure he's doing the right thing from day one," he said. "Then his rehab will start and away he goes on both knee and ankle."

If he stays out for six weeks, Beckham could return in mid-October, when the Galaxy would have three likely meaningless regular-season games remaining. He joined the team July 13 -- well into the season.

For his time -- 310 minutes in six of 12 possible games -- Beckham earned $20,967 a minute from a yearly salary of $6.5 million. His minutes in three MLS games totaled 198, worth $32,828 a minute.

Beckham has been worth every penny, Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas insisted.

"Regardless of what we did with David, we were going to be second-guessed. We did what we felt was right for the organization, we did what we felt was right for the player," Lalas said. "Some of it worked out and some of it didn't. These are just moments that you go through. We'll get through this and he will, too."

Beckham's inability to play will impact everyone around him, according to marketing consultant Ryan Schinman, president of Platinum Rye Entertainment.

"The Galaxy, the stadium, the city, the concession stands, the merchandising will all be affected. And the networks showing the games," said Schinman, who works with music and sports celebrities. "You want the guy out there, where he's visible, every week."

But Brand Beckham -- which includes his endorsements for fragrance and apparel -- will hold up despite his setbacks.

"It's still too early to tell, but these injuries do add drama to his story line. People love soap operas and fairy tales and comeback stories," veteran Hollywood publicist Michael Levine said. "Very few sports heroes make it off the sports page. There's Muhammad Ali ... and David Beckham."

While Beckham is idled, his wife Victoria is moving ahead with her entertainment career. She will play herself on an episode of the ABC comedy "Ugly Betty" this fall, and she will be part of the Spice Girls reunion tour this winter. She also oversees her own line of fashion, fragrance and sunglasses.

"By his side, she props his star up," Schinman said.

Other than a star-studded welcome-to-Los Angeles bash thrown for the Beckhams in July by actors Tom Cruise and Will Smith, the couple has kept a low-profile on the Hollywood party circuit.

But they will always be targets of paparazzi, said Paris Hilton's publicist Elliot Mintz.

"Beckham's injuries have not altered the fact that he's an incredibly handsome and attractive man," he said. "These injuries don't impair how he looks when he's photographed."

Beckham's biggest success has been in moving merchandise and attracting fans.

Initial sales of his No. 23 jersey topped 250,000 and have skyrocketed from there. He gets an undisclosed percentage of every jersey sold, with MLS also sharing in the profits. The Galaxy only makes money if jerseys are bought at its team store at Home Depot Center.

He attracted 66,237 to New Jersey's Giants Stadium for his first MLS start, and the Galaxy enjoyed a few home sellouts in its 27,000-seat stadium.

"It's everything they could have hoped for," Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan said. "It stinks that he's hurt now, but in the games he's played, they've been fun to watch."

Beckham's extended absence deals a serious blow to the already slim chance the Galaxy had of making the playoffs. Its Major League Soccer record is 3-10-5 -- last in the Western Conference.

But losing the world's most famous soccer player impacts more than just the Galaxy, though.

Beckham will miss England's two Euro 2008 qualifying matches against Israel and Russia in London in early September, and possibly two more in October.

Other games in the United States and overseas are in jeopardy, too.

The Minnesota Thunder of the United Soccer League were set to host the Galaxy against an unnamed international opponent on Oct. 10 in the Metrodome.

Beckham's injury "is obviously an important issue for us in doing this game," said Manny Lagos, Thunder director of operations.

The Galaxy has MLS games at Chivas USA (which shares Home Depot Center with the Galaxy), Real Salt Lake, Kansas City and Columbus in September.

Real Salt Lake heavily promoted Beckham's presence for its Sept. 19 game and had 1,000 seats remaining Friday in its 25,562-capacity stadium. The team said it will not offer refunds.

Kansas City advertised Beckham's Sept. 27 visit as the "Midwest Sporting Event of the Year." As of Friday, 28,000 tickets had been sold. No decisions on possible refunds had yet been made, the team said.

The Galaxy has scheduled an exhibition match in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 27. As part of the deal, the Galaxy promised to reschedule if Beckham was injured or unavailable.

Beckham's knee injury is the same one he had in February while playing for Real Madrid. He returned in time to help the team win the Spanish League championship and regain his spot on England's national team.

"I'm staying very optimistic," he said on his Web site.

[abadani69]

Footballer David Beckham hit out at claims that his Los Angeles Galaxy side was "a pub team" and that the Major League Soccer was "a Mickey Mouse league," in an interview published Sunday.

Beckham also dismissed suggestions that the burden of travelling between the United States and England's international games would be too much for him.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star said he had felt when around LA Galaxy's bosses, manager and coach "how much it hurt them when people who don't know anything were turning round and calling the Galaxy a pub team and calling the MLS a Mickey Mouse league."

Many sportswriters in Britain have criticised the former England captain's decision to join the club and criticised the standard of the game in the US.

"I don't know whether it's ignorance or snobbery or whether it's that the people saying these things have never played the game or watched it being played here, but they should be sitting here now, watching us beat a team that's won the Mexican league two years running," he added.

"The standard is nowhere near as low as people have been saying it is.

"For a start, you have to be incredibly fit and physically strong to play here: America's a country, after all, that produces some of the best athletes in the world."

Beckham joined LA Galaxy at the start of this season in a deal reportedly worth 250 million dollars (183 million euros).

The interview in the Observer newspaper was apparently conducted before he suffered a knee sprain last week which will sideline him for six weeks, meaning he will miss England's two September Euro 2008 qualifying matches.

He admitted that the workload in recent weeks had been "starting to wear me out, to be honest".

But Beckham insisted playing for his country was still important to him, regardless of how much travelling it would entail.

"The Galaxy have made it clear that they'll do anything they can to help me play for my country. They know how passionate I am about it.

"Everyone's working together."

He also spoke of how happy his family, including his wife Victoria, a member of pop group the Spice Girls, was in Los Angeles.

"I can't think of many better places: for me, for the kids, for Victoria. I haven't seen Victoria happier than this in the 10 years we've been together," he said.

"That on its own makes having come here worthwhile.

"The house is lovely, the schools are sorted, the boys are excited."

[abadani69]

Nearing the end of a season filled with frustration and disappointment, the Los Angeles Galaxy have decided it is time to get tough.

On the pitch, there are small signs of a harder edge, with the team looking more like the Galaxy of old in a 2-1 victory over FC Dallas on Sunday. But it is away from the glare of the spotlight that a significant shakeup will take place over the next few months.

Even David Beckham could find himself caught in the crosshairs as Galaxy president Alexi Lalas prepares to usher in a tough new era that he hopes will avoid a repeat of this fractured and uneasy campaign.

The first step will be closer scrutiny of Beckham's physical condition as he recovers from knee and ankle injuries. No longer will the England midfielder's self-evaluations of his progress be taken at face value after playing only three league games.

Beckham is the Galaxy's marquee name and their most experienced player, but with a contract that pays him $6.5 million a year, he will not be allowed to have the final say on his own medical matters.

"Just because David says he is healthy, that does not mean he is healthy," Lalas told Yahoo! Sports. "When we see he is able to train for an extended period of time and are confident he is 100 percent physically and mentally – at that time we will see him on the field and not before.

"We are certainly going to make sure that for his benefit and for the team's benefit we take this one as slowly as possible. We will want to see for certain. We will take every precaution to make sure we are being fair, but also being stringent in terms of our testing and our assessment of where he is at.

"We have been through this over the past couple of months and I would like to think we have grown a little wiser over the process."

Beckham is working out at the Home Depot Center daily and is pushing himself hard in an attempt to return before the end of the season.

While the Galaxy are likely to have been eliminated from the playoff hunt by then, the 32-year-old has a personal incentive of playing a part in the closing stages of England's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign to motivate him.

However, as Lalas' comments bear out, the Galaxy will be reluctant to release Beckham for international duty unless they are persuaded his health is up to scratch. And that diagnosis will come from extensive testing carried out by club doctor Ronald Kvitne, not from Beckham.

Lalas has admiration for the way Beckham tried to soldier on through his ailments in the early days of his new career in California. Yet there is a sense within the club that Beckham must sometimes be saved from his own desire to be on the field – for his own good.

His long-standing ankle injury was not allowed to heal properly after joining the Galaxy, in part due to his own wish to perform earlier than was advisable. He injured his knee in the SuperLiga final just days after playing two matches in 48 hours for England and the Galaxy, respectively, on opposite sides of the world.

The next step of the new Galaxy master plan is to weed out the squad members who responded to the extra attention brought by the Beckham factor with fear and paralysis instead of using it as an incentive, and replace them with characters of steelier nerve.

On that basis, Carlos Pavon is almost certain to leave, having failed to live up to either his salary or reputation while delivering countless dreadful performances. Several other players will be playing for their places in the season's final games.

In terms of merchandising and other revenues, the signing of Beckham has been a huge success despite the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star having been hampered by injury. However, Lalas knows that to maintain credibility, those gains must be backed up by positive performances from the team, not a record of 5-13-6.

"From a competitive side, we need to make sure we are backing it up with a consistently successful and quality product and we (have) yet to get that right," Lalas said. "We have a good core of players who all now have an unprecedented experience behind them that they will benefit individually and collectively from having been through. Those players will be back.

"Other ones – it has become very apparent that they do not survive or thrive in this environment. So we will go and we will get those players that recognize the opportunity, rise to the occasion and can be successful in Los Angeles."

Even though the Galaxy have the most recognizable face in Major League Soccer, that would not prevent them from trying to secure another superstar if the fit was right.

Owners Anschutz Entertainment Group are not afraid of saddling themselves with another big contract in exchange for a front-line performer.

"If there is an opportunity for us to get another high-profile player, it would be wonderful from a business and a competitive perspective," Lalas admitted. "We would not shy away from it. If we felt there was an opportunity to utilise the mechanisms in place in order to get more exciting and more international class into our squad, we will do it."

[abadani69]

David Beckham arrived in Britain on Thursday to visit his father, who has been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack.

The English soccer star, who hasn't played a game since Aug. 30 because of a right knee injury, took the first flight from Los Angeles to London after hearing the news and arrived at Heathrow airport at about noon.

"His father had a heart attack," Beckham's publicist, Simon Oliveira said. "David was made aware of it late last night. He caught the first available flight and he'll be arriving in London around lunchtime."

Beckham, wearing dark glasses and a brown jacket and jeans, sat in first class on the 12-hour flight and was the first person to leave the British Airways plane. He was met by two airline officials who had a car waiting on the tarmac.

The Los Angeles Galaxy player arrived at the hospital at about 1:40 p.m. but declined to answer questions on his way in.

The 59-year-old Ted Beckham was taken to a hospital near his home in east London on Wednesday night, and then transferred to another hospital.

"We can confirm that he is a patient," Barts and The London NHS Trust spokeswoman Michelle Alexander said. "He's in stable condition at the London Chest Hospital."

Oliveira said Ted Beckham had surgery and is in intensive care.

Ted Beckham is divorced from the player's mother, Sandra. The pair also have two daughters, Joanne and Lynne.

In 2005, Ted Beckham published a book called "David Beckham: My Son." It was reported that the book led to a falling out between the two Beckhams because Ted did not get David's permission before writing it, but the pair have since reconciled.

David Beckham is one of the biggest sports personalities in the world. The England midfielder and former captain joined Manchester United in 1989 at the age of 14, debuted in 1992, and won six Premier League titles and a Champions League medal before transferring in 2003 to Real Madrid. He joined the Los Angeles Galaxy this summer on a five-year, $32.5 million contract.

Beckham's wife, former Spice Girls singer Victoria, was flying back to Britain from Japan, publicist Jo Milloy said.

[abadani69]

David Beckham and wife Victoria visited a hospital where the England midfielder's father was in stable condition after a heart attack.

A day after arriving back in Britain from the United States, Beckham and his wife spent nearly three hours with Ted Beckham at the London Chest Hospital. Victoria Beckham flew in Friday from Japan where she was promoting a cosmetics firm.

The 59-year-old Beckham had a heart attack Wednesday night. He is in stable condition, according to the hospital.

"He is conscious and talking, and that's a positive step," Beckham's publicist Simon Oliviera said.

Beckham, a former England captain, joined the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS in July. He hasn't played a game since Aug. 30 because of a right knee injury.

[abadani69]

After spending most of the last two months on life support, suddenly the Los Angeles Galaxy's season has burst back into life.

When David Beckham went down with a knee injury in the SuperLiga final on August 29, it appeared to be the last chapter in a fractured, frustrating and unfulfilled campaign for the club.

Yet five weeks later, and with his teammates having finally shaken free of the brain-freeze which condemned them to six straight league defeats and jibes that they were no better than a pub team, Beckham's impending return adds weight to the feeling in the Galaxy organization that the season need not be given up for dead just yet.

It's a miracle that such an outcome is even a remote possibility. During one miserable week in the middle of September, Frank Yallop's team were taken apart by Chivas USA and the Houston Dynamo and managed to throw away a late lead in a draw with equally lowly Real Salt Lake. L.A. seemed to be destined for the bottom of the MLS pile.

Instead, consecutive wins over FC Dallas, Kansas City Wizards and Columbus Crew have the Galaxy back in the playoff hunt and have placed pressure on the Chicago Fire, who are currently sitting in the eighth and final postseason spot. Colorado and Columbus are also in contention.

So a year that has gone from being dismissed as little more than a learning experience and a valuable unearthing of which Galaxy players could or couldn't handle the spotlight, suddenly has fresh legs. L.A.'s primary target must be to get close enough to Chicago to be within a chance of overtaking the Fire with a victory in the final game of the season on October 21. The two teams meet that day in the Windy City.

This weekend promises to be crucial, with the Galaxy visiting Houston on Sunday, a day after Chicago plays host to the in-form New England Revolution, winners of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this week. Beckham will not be playing in Texas; his return is pencilled in for a home game against Toronto FC on October 13, but the prospect of his inclusion will be a further boost.

And that is where the Galaxy hierarchy have been clever and have offset some of the damaging over-enthusiasm they were guilty of when Beckham first showed up in the United States.

Back then, their (and Beckham's own) desire to please the waiting public led to diagnoses of a sprained ankle that were too optimistic. That built up false hope and eventually led to disappointment.

However, following Beckham's knee injury in the SuperLiga final against Pachuca, the opposite approach, one of caution, was sensibly employed. While the Galaxy never suggested publicly that Beckham would not play again this season, they did nothing to counteract that commonly-held assumption.

So now the idea of the England midfielder coming back will be treated as an unexpected bonus and a chance to further propel L.A.'s playoff drive rather than an overwhelming and long-anticipated sideshow. If the Galaxy can avoid defeat in Houston, Beckham will have a chance to contribute something meaningful on the pitch for the first time since he joined MLS.

After all the publicity, the press conferences, the autographs and the rehab, that is all Beckham really wants to do.

"I don't think I've ever had so many injuries in such a short space of time," Beckham told the Los Angeles Times. "It has been tough because I hate being injured and I hate not being able to play football. It's come at the worst time.

"I think I'll play before the end of the season. Even if we lose a game and are not able to make the playoffs, I'll still try to get one or two games in. I need to get back to playing."