Months of anticipation for the Los Angeles Galaxy seemed to have ended when David Beckham joined the club on July 13. But when a lingering ankle injury grew more worrisome than had apparently been expected, the anticipation commenced yet again.
Now, it will have to start over a third time. Never 100 percent fit in his spell with the Galaxy, Beckham sprained his knee in Wednesday's SuperLiga final against Pachuca. He has been ruled out for six weeks and could miss the remainder of the 2007 Major League Soccer campaign.
"It was the anticipation of him getting to full form is what everyone was excited about because he is such an amazing player when he's at full fitness," Galaxy midfielder Kyle Martino said. "But that's the game. That's what happens. That's soccer."
Since his July 13 arrival, Beckham had played in four of the Galaxy's 12 games since. He started the SuperLiga final on Wednesday, though, and appeared strong for the first half-hour. Then, disaster struck when he went into a challenge with Pachuca's Fernando Salazar. Beckham strained ligaments in his right knee and now the club must deal with his absence.
Now, the club must push forward with little hope that Beckham will recover before October.
"From the start, we said that this is not an exact science and this is sports. Injuries are a part of sports. There is a risk always when you're signing players that they could get injured," said Galaxy President and General Manager Alexi Lalas.
Beckham's arrival was supposed to have provided an off-field boost for both the Galaxy and MLS as well as add a vital cog to the Galaxy's quest for a third MLS Cup. While the first part of the equation has been met, the club must deal with the cold, hard fact that Beckham will not be part of the team in the near future.
"We're disappointed. I know that the fans are disappointed but right now we have to concentrate not only on getting him better but also making sure that our team is successful," Lalas said. "That starts this weekend. Reality is that David Beckham is not going to be on the field with us. We have to go on, we have to play and we have to play much better."
Unlike his ankle injury, the Galaxy have the advantage of starting the rehabilitation process with Beckham from the start. Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said the most important thing for Beckham is to start the process off correctly.
Seemingly minor setbacks now may become major roadblocks down the road.
"The next five days are just dropping everything down. If you start moving on that, it just gets worse and worse," Yallop said. "We've got to make sure that he's doing the right thing from Day One and I think that's important and he's doing that. Then is rehab will start and away he goes on both knee and ankle."
The Galaxy play Real Salt Lake on Saturday and then will have a week to catch their breath before playing seven games in the final 23 days of September.
While the Galaxy hope to keep their fading playoff hopes alive, it is now back to what has become business as usual this season. Beckham's injury is the latest the club will have to deal with.
"We didn't know the whole time when he was going to be healthy or whether he's going to be healthy so we just get on to it," Galaxy forward Landon Donovan said. "It would be different if things were different in the standings but now it doesn't matter who is playing. We're getting used to this."
The most disheartening thing is that Beckham appeared to have been close to regaining full fitness on his ankle. Beckham played 90 minutes with the Galaxy for the first time on Aug. 18, and the Galaxy responded with a four-goal effort in a 5-4 loss at the New York Red Bulls.
But a two-day stretch that saw him play 180 minutes on two continents set him back again.
"I thought he played well (against New York) and that he was turning the corner with his injury," Yallop said. "England and then the game here (against Chivas) sets you back but as we know the points situation you want to try and get our best players on the field in whatever capacity. I learned from that and it won't happen again."
Lalas, though, held out hope that Beckham would overcome his knee injury before season's end and did not rule out the possibility of the former England captain suiting up for the Galaxy this season.
"The recovery from an injury is dependent on the player recovering in many ways: their commitment to the rehab, their physical abilities, their recovery history. If you look at that, he's been able to come back from injuries very quickly," Lalas said. "I know he challenges himself constantly to come back as quickly as possible."
Unlike the first go-around, though, Lalas said the club would make sure Beckham is fully fit before he plays for the Galaxy again.
"Certainly in this instance and in this moment, we need to make sure that when he steps on the field for the Galaxy that he is 100 percent, that his knee is good, that his ankle is good and even more important he mentally feels that he's 100 percent," Lalas said.
Luis Buenois a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
