luni, 6 august 2007

Beckham misses match in Toronto

David Beckham failed to make his Major League Soccer debut for Los Angeles Galaxy in their 0-0 draw with Toronto.

The 32-year-old ex-England captain had resumed training but was restricted in his running following an ankle injury.Beckham has been limited to 13 minutes of action in a friendly against Chelsea since moving to the United States."I'd love to be out there on the field, especially with the number of fans here but I have to be careful with my injury," he said."It's not just about me playing exhibition games or being out there for one or two games."I'm here for five years and maybe more so that's where people maybe have to be slightly patient and not think I'm just here for the glitz and glamour."I'm here to play soccer, not for anything else."
A record crowd in Toronto of 20,522 watched the match as Beckham took a seat on the bench before kick-off, although he was dressed in a suit and tie.
MLS commissioner Don Garber travelled to Toronto, only to watch Beckham remain anchored to the bench.
"There's a lot of anticipation, we look forward to him getting on the field and satisfying a lot of fans waiting for him to put on the boots and play some soccer," said Garber.
"This is a long five-year deal and, while we're all frustrated, I know David is the most frustrated but people will forget about these handful of games that he misses when he hits the field."
However, on Saturday Beckham also threw into doubt his participation in the Galaxy's next game - against DC United on Thursday.
"It would be nice to play some part of the game in Washington but I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed," he said.
"A week to 10 days is what I'm looking at."

US international Landon Donovan said the condition of Beckham's ankle is improving.

"When he got here, it was like a balloon," he said. "You kind of looked at it and said 'you're going to play on that?'

"When he played in the Chelsea game, it was almost a miracle at that point. He shouldn't have been playing probably but he's getting a lot better."

Beckham said he would need to get several games under his belt before being available for England, who play Germany in a friendly at Wembley on 22 August ahead of crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia on 8 and 12 September.

"All that's on my mind at the moment is getting myself fit," stated Beckham.

"If I'm fit, obviously I have to play a few games before I even think about going home to England to play for the country.

"But my main priority at the moment is getting myself fit and getting myself playing for the Galaxy."

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