Beckham was restricted to running because of his sore left ankle. Asked if his star midfielder would play, Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said, "Probably not."

The 32-year-old former England captain has played only 16 minutes for the Galaxy because of the tender ankle. He was a substitute in a July 21 exhibition against Chelsea.

Yallop didn't sound optimistic about Beckham playing against Toronto FC tomorrow as a substitute.

"We'll see," he said. "He's still pretty sore. At least he's running."

Yallop said Beckham must show he's capable of making cuts on the run before playing a game.

Beckham was hardly seen at the Galaxy practice open to the media at BMO Field. A few fans saw Beckham stretching in the northwest corner of the stadium.

"I think he's more frustrated than anyone," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon. "You can tell, he wants to play."

Galaxy players spoke fondly about their celebrity teammate.

"You know what, he's an absolute normal guy," said defender Ante Jazic. "When you see all the media attention he has, in the locker-room he's quiet, he keeps to himself, polite, talks to the guys. He's just a normal guy."

Landon Donovan, the Galaxy's other star, played up to the hype.

"What's David Like? He's pretty handsome," said Donovan, mischievously. "He's actually very handsome. Really unassuming for someone of his fame and stature but he's been good. He's been enjoyable."

Beckham signed a five-year contract with the Galaxy in January that will pay him $32.5 million in salary.

Asked if he was worth the money, Donovan said: "He's worth every penny. You guys are here talking to us. There's people following us. Fans are filling up the stadiums, jerseys are selling, media exposure's better. So for me it's worth every penny."

Donovan said 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?'