In-form Beckham ready for Hammers

West Ham United will come face to face with David Beckham later this month after the England man was included in the MLS All-Stars side which will take on the Hammers in Toronto.

Beckham, who has already revealed his desire to be part of Fabio Capello’s England plans in World Cup qualifying, has started the MLS season with a bang. The 33-year-old has netted five times in 15 games as the Galaxy have climbed into second place in the Western Standings, just a point behind Real Salt Lake.

Beckham’s starring role for the Galaxy has seen him picked by fans, coaches and the media for the clash with Premier League outfit at BMO Field on Thursday, July 24.

Beckham will be joined by Los Angeles team-mate Landon Donovan, while Mexican legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco will also be included a strong line-up to take on Alan Curbishley’s charges in front of a sell-out 20,000 capacity crowd.

Beckham and Blanco, of the Chicago Fire, have a combined 197 international caps and five World Cup appearances.

It might be planned as a pre-season stroll for the Hammers but the MLS All-Stars will be determined to show the English side what they can do and with Beckham leading the MLS charge it will be a good work-out for West Ham – who are Premier League odds of 8.6 to break into the top six this season.

The Hammers’ showing in Toronto might be a good indicator of their prospects in the coming season, but with no new recruits at Upton Park the Premiership odds of 10.0 for relegation might be too tempting to resist.

“I’ve played against a few of the players before in the Premiership and it’s always going to be a tough game,” Beckham said.
“They’re preparing for the season, it’s their pre-season, so they’ll be working hard to get their fitness and it will be an interesting game.”
MLS All-Stars: Matt Reis (New England), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Frankie Hedjuk (Columbus), Michael Parkhurst (New England), David Beckham (Los Angeles), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago), Shalrie Joseph (New England), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), Kenny Cooper (Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles).