When it comes to logistics, the Los Angeles Galaxy just can't catch a break right now.
Four of Major League Soccer's 12 stadiums are grounded with artificial turf. And the Galaxy happen to be playing on three of them in the coming days.
Three of the Los Angeles' next four matches happen to be at one of the venues with fake grass. Following this weekend's stop in Toronto, Los Angeles plays on the grass of RFK Stadium, then plays its next MLS matches on artificial turf at New England and at New York.
Galaxy president and general manager Alexi Lalas said nobody at his club is worried about additional chances of further injury on the artificial turf. The material used in FieldTurf and other, similar, modern brands is far superior to earlier versions. Besides, he said, studies have concluded that the frequency of injury is no different from real grass.
Lalas does know, however, that general recovery takes longer for players after performance on artificial turf. And to that end, he knows the games at BMO Field, Gillette Stadium and Giants Stadium will do no favors for Beckham's troubled ankle, especially given the Galaxy's packed schedule.
Having said that, Lalas maintains that if Beckham is healthy, he'll play, regardless of the surface. Material under foot won't affect anybody's decision on whether the world's most recognized athlete will play, Lalas promised.
"And it's not just an appearance thing," Lalas said. "We need him on the field. We need him to help us win games. We need him to help the team."
Lalas says Beckham will continue to be assessed on a game-by-game basis, just like any other member of the Galaxy.
"If he's fit and ready to play, he'll play," Lalas said.
Whenever he does get back on the field, Beckham will get plenty of opportunities from there. The Galaxy, having just added to their brutal schedule with a SuperLiga semifinal, now have matches on Aug. 5, Aug. 9, Aug. 12, Aug. 15, Aug. 18, Aug. 23 and Aug. 26. That's seven contests in 22 days in six cities.
The Dynamo rotation plan: The Houston Dynamo schedule isn't exactly Galaxy-esque. But it's pretty full for the short term. Starting on Aug. 11, Dynamo could have midweek matches sandwiched between weekend matches for two consecutive weeks. That would mean five matches over 15 days if Dominic Kinnear's team moves past the Aug. 14 semifinal against Pachuca.
But the Houston manager said there might be just enough time in there for rest, and that he hopes not to alter the lineup too much.
Going forward he's mindful of fatigue, but not overly concerned as of yet. Assuming Houston gets into the MLS Cup Playoffs, a high likelihood, the club will land at somewhere between 40-45 competitive matches by the time it's all over.
"I'm not a big fan of resting guys," Kinnear said, "but we've done it some this year."
Kinnear feels good about the cover he has at most positions. Midfielder Richard Mulrooney can play at right back (and has already this year.) Patrick Ianni can fill in reliably for one of Kinnear's trusty center backs. And there's ample cover in midfield and at forward, with Mulrooney, Nate Jaqua and others.
The only spot on the field where Kinnear might not have completely adequate cover is left back. But Wade Barrett is perhaps better than any other Dynamo player at doing all the little things to take care of his body. So Kinnear isn't overly concerned about Barrett breaking down physical.
One player who won't get back on the field any time soon is Brad Davis, who remains on crutches due to a knee injury.
L.A.'s "other" injured midfielder: There was a time when a Cobi Jones injury would have constituted big MLS news. Now it's somewhat washed out by the David Beckham clamor. But the soon-to-retire Jones is dealing with a hip issue, according to Galaxy officials, and won't play this weekend in Toronto.
And it's unfortunate, since Jones would be making his last stop in several MLS markets. Jones, of course, is the last original MLS player still with his original team.
"He really wants to go to all those markets that helped build this league, and that helped make him the legend that he is," Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas said.
Midfielder Kyle Martino is also injured and questionable, leaving the Galaxy a little thin in the midfield. (Beckham, of course, is the other notable midfield injury.)
The Galaxy will get absolutely no sympathy from Toronto, where the trainer's table remains quite busy. Seven starters are probably unavailable for Sunday's match, including goalkeeper Greg Sutton (concussion), forward Danny Dichio (back), forward Jeff Cunningham (hip), midfielder Ronnie O'Brien (knee), defender Jim Brennan (ribs), defender Andrew Boyens (concussion) and defender Marvell Wynne (hamstring).
Donovan says "game over": Galaxy attacker Landon Donovan said he didn't mean anything dark or malicious with the throat-slashing gesture that earned him a yellow card Tuesday at Dallas. Donovan scored the team's fifth goal in the the SuperLiga group match at Pizza Hut Park, when his breakaway strike gave the Galaxy what looked like a safe 5-3 lead in the 84th minute. (The Galaxy went on to win the unforgettable, outlandish match, 6-5.)
After the game's fourth official called referee Kevin Stott over to inform him of Donovan's actions near the sideline, Stott showed the U.S. international the yellow card.
"People who know me know I didn't mean anything by it," Donovan said after the match. "It just meant 'game over.'"
Donovan said that in the same situation he would probably do the same thing once again. But after thinking about it a bit, upon his return to Los Angeles he said that maybe that particular weapon in celebratory arsenal is better left in the bag.
SuperLiga field for 2008: As the MLS regular season moves into the backstretch, and with the ongoing SuperLiga surge as a backdrop, teams hoping for inclusion in the next SuperLiga field would do well to mash the accelerator now.
While the MLS foursome was hand-picked to generate maximum interest this year, the 2008 field will all be determined by the ongoing league competition. The top four finishers in regular season points, regardless of conference, will play in next year's SuperLiga.
The only caveat is an outside possibility that MLS and Mexican officials might decide to expand next year's field to 16 teams (eight from Mexico, eight from MLS). That idea has been floated but has yet to be seriously pursued.
So, assuming no changes, if the SuperLiga 2008 field were set today, Houston, New England, Kansas City and FC Dallas would participate. Plus, the MLS Cup winner and the top points earners (the Supporters' Shield winner) will gain entry into the 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
Deal for Denilson adrift: FC Dallas officials say their pursuit of Brazilian striker Denilson isn't totally dead, but admit it has been seriously dented. Representatives on both sides appeared close on agreeing to terms, and the visa acquisition was well under way when last-minute snags held up the arrangements. Officials at Pizza Hut Park say they'll keep trying, but can't say now if the 2002 World Cup winner will wind up in MLS.
