By DEREK VAN DIEST
LOS ANGELES -- All things being equal, it's unusual for a team to schedule an exhibition game during their regular season.
But the Los Angeles Galaxy are not your typical soccer team.
They haven't been since David Beckham arrived on the scene, making the club a sought-after commodity and turning them into a travelling road show.
And when that road show hits Edmonton on May 13th for an exhibition game against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Commonwealth Stadium, the Galaxy will be six games into their MLS season.
"I think our players and our coaching staff realize that this is part and parcel of being with the Galaxy," said team president and GM Alexi Lalas.
"We do tour, whether it's pre-season, post-season and, when it's correct, in-season.
"These are games we can use to our advantage to try different things. But ultimately, it's about spreading the brand."
Beckham will play in the game against the Whitecaps. He's contracted to do so for at least 45 minutes, barring an injury during the contest.
So far this season the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star has played every minute of every regular-season game for the Galaxy.
"We're looking forward to the game," Beckham said. "I think it's always good when we get to travel to different places and get to play a different standard of team.
"We witnessed in the game that we played them before, it was a tough game and unfortunately there were no goals scored, but hopefully we can change that this time around."
Last year, the two teams met in a scoreless draw in front of 48,000 at B.C. Place in Vancouver.
If Saturday's 5-2 win over Chivas is any indication, the Galaxy are capable of filling the net in bunches.
"You want to see an open game, but you don't want to go out there with just open hands," said Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit.
"You want to see certain things that you would see in the regular league competition. We're going to do whatever we have to do to win the game and hopefully we will score some goals."
© Edmonton Sun 2008
