Beckham makes MLS debut

David Beckham drew one of the biggest-ever crowds to a Major League Soccer match as he made his competitive debut for LA Galaxy.

Almost 47,000 fans were at the RFK Stadium in Washington to see the former England captain come on as a substitute for the last 18 minutes against DC United, but he could not prevent the team slumping to a 1-0 defeat.

Beckham's ankle injury has kept him on the sidelines for a month but admitted he would have preferred to make a winning start.

He said: "It was a good night, but it was also a bad night. Obviously, there's been a certain amount of pressure because everyone is talking about how I've come to MLS and not played yet. But I don't feel pressure in that sense. I feel pressure in myself to get fit and to get back playing again.

"It's not nice to disappoint people who have paid a lot of money to come and see you, so it was good to get on the pitch."

England boss Steve McLaren was in Washington to watch the match, but he saw Beckham play in the centre of midfield, rather than the right-wing position he usually fills at international level.

Beckham may not be ready to start a game for a while as he has not completely recovered from the ankle problem.

He added: "It was tender. I haven't played on it for eight weeks, I haven't trained on it for eight weeks and it was going to be tender because it was the first time I really got into anything competitive.

"But I was happy to be out there. I'm sure there will be tenderness for a while because it's not an injury that just heals up and is perfect right away. There will be some reaction tomorrow, but this was a big, important step for me."

The crowd of 46,686 was the fourth-largest in the history of the MLS.

Beckham said: "It's been a successful night. A full stadium, that's what the sport needs."

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