The Los Angeles Galaxy have shown patience through the entire Coming to America saga of David Beckham. For the club to see Beckham in top form, more patience will be required.
Beckham didn't come out for training on Monday and coach Frank Yallop listed Beckham as doubtful for Tuesday's SuperLiga game against Pachuca at The Home Depot Center. Beckham, who has been nursing a swollen left ankle, felt an obligation to make an appearance in his Saturday debut against Chelsea FC. But now that the first-game hoopla is behind him, the plan is for Beckham to take as long as he needs before playing in his next Galaxy game.
"There was a tremendous amount of focus and ultimately some pressure to see him in the first game," Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas said. "There was the excitement that ESPN built around it and there was excitement in the community. We got that over with and now we need to make sure he's good for the long term.
"In a perfect situation, we probably would have held him out Saturday. But he wanted to play and we felt confident we weren't going to do any further damage. Given the circumstances, we felt it was appropriate for an appearance-type situation."
The pressure now shifts from the short-term issue of having Beckham make his introductory appearance to the long-term issue of improved team performance. That starts with doing whatever it takes to get Beckham completely healthy. The Galaxy will play again on Saturday, taking on Chivas de Guadalajara, after meeting Pachuca on Tuesday.
"We'll see how it goes for Saturday, but (Tuesday) night I don't think we're going to see David," Lalas said. "There's nobody on the team that can come out and play at 80 percent and have that be adequate, regardless of how big a star you are. We need David at 100 percent and we need to give him the time in order to be 100 percent. So, when he does come on the field, he can do the things we ask of him and he can play a much bigger role."
Because the 32-year-old Beckham has always kept himself in superb shape, the Galaxy aren't overly concerned about the conditioning factor as Beckham misses practice time.
"When you look at his body fat and cardio fitness, he's going to be up there with even the young bucks," Lalas said. "Game fitness is a different story. The only way you get that is playing. When he comes back and he's starting and playing from the beginning, we're going to see how he progresses through a game. There may be times when he isn't able to finish the game. We'll take him out and replace him with somebody in order to maximize the time that he's out there."
Beckham continues to receive ice and massage treatment in an effort to take all the swelling from the left ankle. Tests have shown that the ligaments have healed and it's simply a matter of dealing with the scar tissue and swelling.
Although he hasn't been able to play on a regular basis since arriving in Los Angeles, Beckham has thrived in other ways. He has smoothly handled all the challenges involved with his heavy public relations responsibilities for the club and MLS. In addition, Yallop gives Beckham high marks for the way the British superstar has fit in with his new teammates and dealt with the media from around the world.
"The worldwide interest was overwhelming," Yallop said. "So many people really think a lot of not just David, but Victoria and the whole move over here."
Yallop and the Galaxy players have been impressed with how humble Beckham is, despite his status as an international celebrity.
"He does a great job of handling all the pressure," Yallop said. "He has a ton of pressure, not only on the field but off it. He has shown his teammates he's a player who just wants to get on the field and win some games for us."
It might require some patience as Beckham heals, but Yallop and the Galaxy are confident that time is coming.
Robert Falkoff is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
