CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Two weeks after his splashy introduction with the Los Angeles Galaxy and a week after playing briefly in his first game, David Beckham remains a bit of an enigma.

Blame it on a nagging left ankle injury that has kept the English star off the practice field and mostly out of sight since joining the team July 13.

Beckham will miss his second straight game tonight, when the Galaxy play 11-time Mexican first division champion Chivas in a SuperLiga tournament game at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

"He won’t be playing tomorrow, but he’s feeling better, the soreness is going," Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop said yesterday. "He gets a lot of work done on it and it gets sore, then the work that he’s had done is obviously helping it, so the soreness keeps getting lighter and lighter. Once he gets out here and puts his boots on, he’ll be close to being ready to go."

Beckham missed another training session yesterday while receiving treatment. The scar tissue in his ankle has caused pain, tightness and restricted his movement, although he is doing cardio work, Yallop said.

"We can’t send him out there if he’s not going to play well," the coach added.

Yallop said the team is targeting Aug. 5 at Toronto for Beckham’s return, which would be the start of a four-game MLS road trip.

That leaves Beckham questionable for Tuesday’s SuperLiga game against FC Dallas in Texas. Yallop said the team would decide Monday whether Beckham would travel if he can’t play.

The 32-year-old midfielder watched Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Pachuca with family members in a private box at Home Depot Center. Yallop said where Beckham will watch tonight’s game was being worked out.

"We’re hoping that he can be on the bench to see the game from close in," he said.

Yallop urged patience for fans who bought tickets expecting to see Beckham.

"They’ll have plenty of opportunity to see him, but we want to make sure they see a good product, too," the coach said. "It’s not about him stepping on for five minutes and waving."

Beckham hasn’t spoken to the media since last Saturday after playing 16 minutes, including four minutes of injury time, in his debut, a 1-0 loss to Chelsea.

Yesterday’s training attracted significantly less media than a week ago, with much of the British media having left town. About 10 fans were on hand seeking autographs.

Galaxy captain Landon Donovan is eager to play alongside Beckham again. Donovan let Beckham handle a corner kick against Chelsea.

"I can’t wait," he said. "It’s not only his ankle, it’s when is he going to be fit? You can’t just throw him out there and expect he’s going to be able to run around for 90 minutes, especially when it’s hot."

Yallop said Beckham wasn’t ready to play against Chelsea last week.

"He knows now to get fit and healthy and be really ready to help the team," the coach said.

Tonight’s game was moved to the Coliseum to accommodate a crowd the Galaxy are estimating at 40,000 to 50,000. Chivas is Mexico’s most popular team and has a huge fan base among Southern California’s Latino population.

The Galaxy lead their four-team group in SuperLiga play. Chivas is coming off a 1-1 tie with FC Dallas in their opening game. Los Angeles is 3-0-1 all-time against Chivas. The teams haven’t played since 2001.

Chivas defender Jonny Magallon said the effect of Beckham joining MLS will go beyond this season.

"He’s going to contribute to the level of play," Magallon said in Spanish. "Farther down the road, he’s going to make people line up to see MLS even more."

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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