David Beckham’s chances of making his much-anticipated Major League Soccer (MLS) debut for Los Angeles at Toronto on Sunday are ”slim”, Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said.
The 32-year-old former Real Madrid and Manchester United star lacks training time with his new teammates because of a left ankle injury, making Yallop doubt that Beckham could take the field even as a substitute.
”It will be tough to put him in the lineup with what he’s been doing,” Yallop said. ”The chances are probably slim, I would think.”
Beckham, who suffered the injury in June playing in a Euro 2008 qualifier for England, will travel with the Galaxy to Canada but if he misses the game, his next chance for his MLS debut would be on Thursday in Washington.
The former England captain, who came on as a 78th-minute substitute in the 1-0 friendly defeat to Chelsea on July 21, has missed the Galaxy’s last three games, all in the inaugural Superliga tournament among US and Mexican clubs.
Toronto sold out its 20 000-capacity, artificial-pitch stadium for the match on Beckham’s expected appearance, with other MLS clubs having made similar sales based upon ”Beckham-mania”. – Sapa-AFP