With David Beckham's ankle woes about to enter a third week, the eyes of the Major League Soccer community are wondering when there will be another Beckham sighting on the soccer field. Initial hopes were that the Galaxy's newest superstar would be ready in time for their league clash this weekend against Toronto FC, but that is seeming less and less likely.
Beckham has yet to participate in a full training session with the team, though he has worked out on the side with the team on a couple of occasions. Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop admitted that starting Beckham is nearly out of the question this week, but he said he would be joining the team on their 10-day road trip and could play some part in Sunday's game against TFC at BMO Field.
"It would be tough to put him in the lineup with what he's been doing. He hasn't been training with the team," said Yallop. "He may play some part in the game. We'll see. The chances are slim."
One factor that could ultimately decide if Beckham sees any time on Sunday is the FieldTurf playing surface at BMO Field, one of four in Major League Soccer. While Beckham is somewhat unused to playing on the surface after his years in Europe, the experience of the recent FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, where nearly half the games were played on FieldTurf (including in Toronto), showed there were fewer injuries.
"Hopefully we'll get a look at (the field) on Saturday and see what (Beckham) thinks," said Yallop.
One thing that isn't keeping Beckham off the field is his fitness. Not far removed from the La Liga season, Beckham has been working out to keep in shape, running on a treadmill. Although Yallop admitted it would take a couple of games for Beckham to get fully game fit, he feels getting the midfielder in sync with the rest of his teammates will take a bit more time.
"He's fit, that's not going to be an issue," said Yallop. "It's getting that game sharpness that will come when he starts playing."
A sign of progress is that Beckham seems to be healing. His daily workouts seem to be progressing at a more rigorous pace with each passing day, with little to no ill effect.
"He's getting better and (the ankle) is loosening up and feeling less painful. He just really wants to get rid of that real sharp pain," said Yallop. "I saw him running and he wasn't limping. He's working out pretty hard."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
