Beckham, 35, has not played since tearing his Achilles tendon in March while on loan to AC Milan. The injury cost him a spot on England's World Cup team (but not on the bench) and the vast majority of his fourth season with the Galaxy.
"The doctors' original date was Oct. 1, but I always kind of said I want to be ready before then. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hopefully will play in part of the game here against Columbus. I'll be on the bench, and hopefully I'll get on the field for 15-20 minutes. That's what I'm looking at," Beckham told the Galaxy's Web site.
The midfielder trained with L.A. for the first time on Aug. 11 and has gradually been increasing his workload. "You have good days and you have bad days," he said. "It's a bit difficult because when you don't play in games. That's where you get the real fitness from. But I'm doing what I can in the gym and what I can on the field, just trying to get strength back in my leg."
The road back has been a long one. In addition to the disappointment of missing out on what would have been his fourth World Cup, Beckham said he has been "kick(ed) up the backside" by the difficulty of overcoming such a damaging injury. He was on crutches for six weeks, and then it was another month before he could put any weight on his left leg. He couldn't jog without a limp until early August, and lately has had to endure additional intrigue surrounding his relationship with England coach Fabio Capello and his future with the national team
"The rehab has been tough. Being motivated to do the same thing over and over again, twice a day for the last four months has been difficult, but I'm getting there," he said. "I always set a target of when I first did it I was trying to get back before the six months was up. Hopefully I can do that."
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"I don't think it's a huge problem," Beckham said of the slide. "We had such a great start to the season, and in the middle of the season there's always going to be a point where you have a dip in form. We're going through that at the moment. We have to realize as individuals and as a team that to win the MLS Cup you have to go through the difficult moments. We enjoyed the first part of the season, and we have to find a way of getting ourselves out of this. It's not going to be hard because we've got the ability, we've got the players and we've definitely got the unity within the team."
Beckham has played in just 45 games in his MLS career, which began in the summer of 2007, tallying seven goals and 16 assists. The numbers certainly don't match his $6.5 million annual salary. Not even close. But if he can return and help the Galaxy capture their third MLS Cup, the infuriating fits and starts over the past three years certainly will be largely forgotten.
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