Posted at 12:28 p.m., Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Soccer: Beckham 'looks great' training with Galaxy
Associated Press
CARSON, Calif. — David Beckham trained with the Los Angeles Galaxy for the fourth time in two weeks today, but his status for this week's game against New York is uncertain.The midfielder performed drills, participated in a scrimmage and stayed afterward with eight teammates to practice shooting.
"He looks great," forward Landon Donovan said. "He gets into tackles, he's sprinting, he's cutting so he looks good to me. Last week, he was still a little more ginger, I think. He's getting closer but it takes time to build the fitness back and get back into the flow of it again."
Beckham, who injured his knee in the SuperLiga final Aug. 29, returned to practice Oct. 2. Before injuring his knee, Beckham had been playing on a sprained left ankle since June.
"Last week was a good week for him," coach Frank Yallop said. "We didn't push him and he didn't push himself, so that didn't put him back. I think that was important to him."
Yallop said he hopes Beckham will be available for Thursday night's game against the Red Bulls but will not force the issue. The Galaxy has won five consecutive games to emerge as a playoff contender in Major League Soccer.
"I've got to talk to him to make sure he's feeling good," Yallop said. "He'd be a pretty valuable substitute if he was available.
"But at this point, it's about winning. Whatever combination of players I put out there has to win a game. It's not about one person; he knows that."
Los Angeles is within four points of Chicago and Kansas City, which are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot, with two games remaining.
