Beckham resumes practice, hopes to play this season
David Beckham returned to a soccer field for the first time in five weeks Wednesday when he participated in a light training session with the Galaxy ahead of Sunday’s match against the defending Major League Soccer champion Houston Dynamo in Texas.
Beckham is not expected to travel with the team for that game, but could return to play in one or both of the Galaxy’s final two home matches of the MLS regular season -- against Toronto FC on Oct. 13 and against the New York Red Bulls on Oct. 18.
“He feels comfortable and it’s great to see him out there,” Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop told the Associated Press, adding that Beckham will not play an actual game before he is ready.
“We’ve got to see how he reacts to what he did today,” Yallop said. “We want to make sure he’s 100%.”
Beckham, already suffering from a left ankle injury, sprained a ligament in his right knee while playing for the Galaxy in the SuperLiga final against Pachuca of Mexico at the Home Depot Center on Aug. 29. He has been undergoing rehabilitation, but has said he wants to play again before the season ends.
The Galaxy is unbeaten in its most recent four matches but is still considered unlikely to reach the playoffs.
Pat Noonan scored New England’s first goal and assisted on the next two at Frisco, Texas, to help the Revolution beat FC Dallas, 3-2, and capture its first U.S. Open Cup.
In a surprise move, FC Dallas Coach Steve Morrow left Brazilian midfielder Denilson off the roster for the match. Denilson joined the team about a month ago in what team officials called the biggest signing in club history. He has scored only one goal -- on a penalty kick -- and has no assists in six MLS games.
AC Milan was upset, 2-1, at Glasgow Celtic in the European Champions League, and Liverpool was beaten at home, 1-0, by Olympique Marseille.
After Scott McDonald’s winning goal for Celtic, a fan ran onto the field and apparently hit Milan goalkeeper Dida in the cheek. The extent of the injury was not known.
Chelsea, in its first European match since Avram Grant replaced Jose Mourinho as manager, rallied for a 2-1 win at Valencia. In Group C, Lazio held nine-time champion Real Madrid to a 2-2 tie in its first Champions League game at home in four years.
TENNIS
Venus Williams easily beats King
Top-seeded Venus Williams overpowered Long Beach’s Vania King, 6-0, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals of the Japan Open in Tokyo.
In the men’s tournament, Michael Russell defeated Marin Cilic, 7-6, 2-6, 6-1.
Sixth-seeded Serena Williams defeated qualifier Julia Vakulenko, 7-5, 6-2, to reach the quarterfinals of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.
Tatiana Golovin, last year’s runner-up, upset fourth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze, 7-6 (3), 6-1. Fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic advanced to the second round by ousting Patty Schnyder, 6-0, 6-2.
Top-seeded Tommy Robredo reached the third round of the Open de Moselle by beating Andreas Seppi, 6-4, 6-2, in Metz, France.
Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka beat Hsien Su-wei, 6-3, 6-4, to reach the second round of the Tashkent Open in Uzbekistan.
AUTO RACING
Nationwide Insurance signs deal with NASCAR
Nationwide Insurance signed a seven-year deal to become the title sponsor of NASCAR’s No. 2 series beginning in 2008.
Nationwide replaces Anheuser-Busch, which has sponsored the second-tier Busch Series for 26 seasons. The series will be called the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Neither NASCAR chairman Bill France nor Nationwide Chief Marketing Officer James Lyski would reveal the financial terms, but the deal is believed to be worth between $10 million and $12 million a year.
Mike Bumgarner, crew chief for the No. 5 Chevrolet driven by Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Busch Series, was fined $10,000 for an unapproved intake manifold after Busch won last weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports said it will appeal.
MISCELLANY
Iverson sued in Omaha over missed appearances
Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson was sued for about $44,000 by HYB Entertainment in Omaha for failing to appear for a weekend of booked appearances in the city in early August, leaving fans at a youth rally and two clubs without their main attraction.
Orlando Magic forward Tony Battie will undergo rotator cuff surgery likely to end his season, the team said. He partially tore a ligament in a pickup game.
America’s Cup organizers are considering postponing the 2009 event in Valencia, Spain because of continued legal wrangling over proposed rules changes.
Golden Gate Yacht Club’s BMW Oracle Racing sued Societe Nautique de Geneve in July over proposed rules changes for the next America’s Cup.
Adam Litteken, a suburban St. Louis high school hockey player, collapsed on the ice during practice and died later at a hospital in Cottleville, Mo.
Litteken, 16, was warming up for practice Tuesday night when he collapsed, school officials said. The cause of death has not been determined.
