Beckham won't play in Toronto: Mo Johnston
But Galaxy haven't announced English star's status for Sunday's MLS game
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 1, 2007 | 3:06 PM ET
CBC Sports
English star David Beckham won't make his Major League Soccer regular season debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, according to Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston.
The Galaxy are slated to play Toronto FC at BMO Field (CBC, 7 p.m. ET), but Johnston says Beckham, hobbled by a left ankle injury, won't be healthy enough to play.
David Beckham, right, is questionable for Sunday's MLS game in Toronto.
(Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)
"No, David will not be playing on Sunday," Johnston is quoted in Wednesday's edition of the Toronto Sun, without going into details.
However, Beckham's team hasn't made a statement about his status.
If Beckham doesn't play Sunday, there is a chance he will still fly to Toronto with his teammates and take part in a news conference scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre.
The ankle injury prevented Beckham from travelling to Texas to play in Tuesday's SuperLiga game against FC Dallas, a 6-5 win for Los Angeles.
The English soccer star also watched from the sidelines last Saturday in Los Angeles as Mexican side Chivas defeated the Galaxy 2-1 in the SuperLiga, an eight-team exhibition tournament involving clubs from Mexico and MLS. He also missed the Galaxy's 2-1 victory over Pachuca in its SuperLiga opener a week ago.
"The swelling's not bad," Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said Monday about Beckham's ankle.
"It's just the soreness from the scar tissue, to be honest, that's in there right now, and they're just working it out. And it's just there's a lot to work out, and they're just getting through and getting the ankle more stable."
Beckham first injured the ankle while playing for England in a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Estonia on June 6. He aggravated the injury in his final game for Spanish club Real Madrid 11 days later.
Since joining the Galaxy on July 13, Beckham has played just 16 minutes in one exhibition game, against English team Chelsea on July 21.
On Tuesday, Toronto FC issued a press release warning fans there would be no refunds on tickets should Beckham not play.
"Consistent with all sporting events, we are not in a position to guarantee that any player will appear in a match," said the release. "As with any other player under contract with either club participating in the game, should Mr. Beckham be unable to play in the game, no refunds will be issued for tickets purchased.
"Fans should be aware that Mr. Beckham has been rehabilitating an injury. His status for Sunday's game has not been determined by the Galaxy at this time."
The 32-year-old midfielder, who spent the previous four seasons in Spain with Real Madrid, signed a five-year contract with the Galaxy in January that will pay him $32.5 million US a season.
