David Beckham's whirlwind spell with the Los Angeles Galaxy took another unexpected twist on Wednesday.
Already nursing a gimpy ankle, Beckham suffered a sprained knee against Pachuca in the SuperLiga final and now might miss some significant time for the Galaxy and England. Beckham went into a challenge with Pachuca's Fernando Salazar at the 30-minute mark and crumpled to the field.
Beckham was diagnosed with a sprained right knee and is scheduled to undergo further tests to determine the extent of the injury today but said after the match that he felt discomfort.
"I would assume so," Beckham said when asked if he would sit out Saturday's league match against Real Salt Lake. "At this stage it's hard to tell but it doesn't feel good. A ligament strain is 4-6 weeks so we'll have to wait and see."
Beckham, though, backtracked a bit and said he wanted to wait for the results to come back before setting a timeframe for his schedule.
"I'll take the 4-6 weeks back because at the end of the day if the scan comes back [Thursday] and it's not as bad as it was then maybe I've got a chance to play but I'll have to wait and see," he said.
Since joining the Galaxy on July 13, Beckham's days have been mostly spent receiving treatment. Wednesday's SuperLiga match was the club's 13th match since then but Beckham has played in just five, including the final, which Pachuca won 4-3 on penalties.
Beckham did not train with the team until days before his first regular-season MLS match, a 1-0 loss at D.C. United on Aug. 9.
The source of the problem was his left ankle, which he injured in early June while playing for England. Beckham's final match with Real Madrid apparently added to the injury. Still, Beckham made his Galaxy debut on July 21 against Chelsea. However, he admitted weeks later that his 12 minutes against the Blues set him back at least one week.
A week ago, Beckham played in an improbable two-day turnaround. He played for England on Aug. 22 in London, then played for the Galaxy some 30 hours after the end of the match, against Chivas USA. Beckham went the distance in both matches.
After his latest ordeal, Beckham said some time away might be the best for his injury.
"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," he said.
Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said after the match that Beckham's presence on the field has been both inspirational and wrong.
"David is playing with an injury. He shouldn't be playing, to be honest and I'm sticking up for him here," Yallop said. "He's hurt but he's playing and that shows the character of him and it shows the character of the team because he lifts the play of the team when he plays."
Yallop expressed regret in playing Beckham against Chivas USA but the physical strain forced him to miss the Galaxy's match on Sunday in Colorado.
"It was wrong what I did, but the other games he makes a difference to us," Yallop said. "That's why we need him on the field. ... It's hard because he's struggling with the injury. He's trying his best."
With his ankle still a concern, Beckham said he went into the tackle against Salazar a bit differently than he would have otherwise.
"I was overcompensating (for the ankle) and went into the tackle a little bit weaker than I would have done fully fit," Beckham said.
If the injury is significant, he could miss a pair of upcoming England national team matches. Beckham, who had not been a part of the England setup when he agreed in January to join the Galaxy, had been welcomed back by manager Steve McClaren with open arms. With a spot seemingly secure, Beckham was likely set to join England ahead of crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel on Sept. 8 and Russia on Sept. 12.
Whether it's his injured ankle or his now-injured knee, Beckham said he'd deal with his situation, no matter how frustrating it is.
"That's life. Sometimes it happens like that in football and it's happened like that tonight," Beckham said. "I'm devastated to have been taken out of the game when I was because I was looking forward to this game. I'd been given the rest to try and get my ankle feeling better tonight and it felt better tonight and it's just gone from one thing to another."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
