Beckham to probably sit out
There is $1 million on the line, but that probably will not be enough to tempt David Beckham to risk his injured left ankle tonight when the Galaxy plays Pachuca of Mexico in the first round of the monthlong SuperLiga tournament.
Beckham, who made his Major League Soccer debut in the Galaxy’s 1-0 loss to England’s Chelsea on Saturday, will probably stay on the bench for the 8 p.m. game at the Home Depot Center. It’s possible that he might not be on the game roster at all.
“Tuesday could be tough for him because we don’t want to make it worse,” Coach Frank Yallop said of Beckham’s ankle. “It’s still a little bit sore.”
Yallop’s comments were made Monday at a Hollywood news conference designed to bring attention to the new SuperLiga tournament, which features four MLS clubs and four from Mexico. Instead, even though he was allowed to skip the event after originally being listed as a participant, Beckham was the focus of frequent questions.
The debate continues on whether Beckham will play.
“We’re forever hopeful he’ll be back in uniform and running out for us as soon as he can, whether it’s this weekend or the following Tuesday,” Yallop said.
The Galaxy plays Chivas de Guadalajara on Saturday night at the Coliseum and FC Dallas at Frisco, Texas, Tuesday night. Both are SuperLiga games.
The tournament carries a $1-million prize for the winner, and officials from MLS and the Mexican soccer federation were at pains Monday to emphasize that the 15 games, which also are being played in Chicago, Denver, Houston and Washington, will be competitive affairs, not simply friendly games.
In addition to the Galaxy, FC Dallas, Pachuca and Chivas de Guadalajara, which make up one group, other teams taking part are D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo from MLS and Club America and Morelia from Mexico.
After round-robin play in the first round, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals Aug. 14 and 15, with the final set for Aug. 29, at sites to be determined.
Having restored their reputation with a combative performance against Chelsea, the Galaxy players will face an equally tough challenge tonight.
Pachuca might not be known worldwide, but it is currently the most successful club in this hemisphere outside of Argentina and Brazil. Coach Enrique Meza’s squad is the reigning Mexican league champion and the reigning North and Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) champion. It also won the Copa Sudamericana in 2006, giving it all kinds of credence in South America too.
But the Galaxy catches Pachuca in preseason mode and without three of its Mexico national team players -- defender Fausto Pinto, midfielder Jaime Correa and forward Juan Carlos Cacho -- who are still on vacation after Mexico’s Gold Cup and Copa America tournaments.
In other words, if Pachuca can be defeated, this would be the opportunity. Meza said he regarded MLS and the Mexican league as being on “different levels” but said the SuperLiga games would determine whether that is true.
“The reality is that it starts tomorrow when the games begin,” he said. “Winning games before and after off the field is easy. They need to be won on the field.”
Meanwhile, Beckham, playing or not, remained the focus of attention.
“He was uncomfortable on Saturday, you could tell,” Yallop said, adding that the 16 minutes Beckham played against Chelsea “didn’t make [his ankle] any worse, and that was important.”
Tonight, though, remains unlikely.
“We’ll have another look at it in the morning and, if it looks really good, then you never know,” Yallop said. “He might come on toward the end. But realistically, we’ll probably wait until the weekend.”
jaime.cardenas@latimes.com
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GALAXY TONIGHT
vs. Pachuca, 8, Telefutura
SuperLiga tournament
Site -- Home Depot Center.
Records -- Galaxy 0-0-0, Pachuca 0-0-0.
Record vs. Pachuca -- First meeting.
Update -- Galaxy forward Carlos Pavon has rebounded from an injury that caused him to leave the field during the club’s loss to Chelsea on Saturday. “He’s OK,” Coach Frank Yallop said Monday. “He just kicked the bottom of Landon [Donovan’s] foot when he went to shoot” as Donovan flicked the ball out wide to Kyle Martino. “He’s fine.” Pachuca, of Mexico’s Primera Division, defeated Colo Colo of Chile to win the 2006 Copa Sudamericana title. Pachuca’s main rival in the Primera Division is Tigres UANL, which defeated the Galaxy, 3-0, in a friendly last week.
Other SuperLiga games -- FC Dallas vs. Chivas de Guadalajara at Frisco, Texas (6 p.m., Telefutura)
--Grahame L. Jones and Ken Fowler
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SuperLiga
Facts and figures on the SuperLiga, which opens tonight:
* What: An annual competition for soccer club teams from MLS and the Mexican football federation. Teams in this year’s inaugural event were chosen by invitation; future participation may be based on the previous year’s standings in each league.
* When: The first round begins tonight with two games and continues through Aug. 1. The semifinals will be played Aug. 14-15, with the championship game Aug. 29.
* Where: All first-round games will be played at MLS stadiums, with the exception of Saturday’s game between the Galaxy and Chivas of Guadalajara, which will be played at the Coliseum.
* Format: Eight teams have been split into two groups for the first round, each of which will feature round-robin play. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals.
* Group A: Galaxy, FC Dallas, Chivas of Guadalajara, Pachuca.
* Group B: D.C. United, Houston Dynamo, Club America, Monarcas Morelia.
