Beckham a no-show for Dallas game

DALLAS, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- David Beckham, the injury-plagued superstar who was supposed to revive North American soccer, is proving to be more of an embarrassment so far.

Beckham remained in Los Angeles when his team, the Galaxy, played FC Dallas on Tuesday. Galaxy officials said that Beckham was following doctor's orders, The Dallas Morning News reported.

"It leaves Major League Soccer extremely vulnerable, and it leaves the individual franchises really scrambling," said David Carter of the Sports Business Group, a Los Angeles consulting firm. "Even though it's not their fault, they really can't afford the appearance of this being a bait and switch."

FC Dallas plans to offer a special ticket deal to soothe fans that paid premium prices for Tuesday night's game, thinking they were going to see a soccer legend. The Galaxy won the match 6-5 without Beckham.