"I'll always regret it if I didn't do everything to give myself a chance to be involved" in the 2010 World Cup, which would be Beckham's fourth.
All of which leads to the obvious question: Will the Galaxy allow Beckham to go out on a six-month loan again and miss the first half of the 2010 MLS season?
That was the hot potato that landed in Bruce Arena's lap Wednesday. Twice, the Galaxy's coach and general manager juggled it without answering it.
"I think having David Beckham on our team is just a fabulous asset," Arena said. "It was a little bit awkward, the loan process, but fully within the conditions of his contract. . . . We knew the pros and cons attributed to David leaving on loan. It was well understood. As we planned for the season, we knew David would be back in July, and I'm hopeful that we will prove to everyone that it's been a great opportunity for not only David but it will reap benefits for the Galaxy as well."
So Arena would do it again next year?
"I've had a great 30 years coaching," he said. "This is a high point. It's not a low point. It's fabulous to have a player of this caliber in our squad. I look forward to working with David for the remainder of the season."
The most revealing exchange Wednesday resulted from a question by an Australian television reporter.
"David, in your ideal world, you would now be in preseason with Milan, is that correct?
Said Beckham: "If I was contracted to a European club, yes, I would."
There was more than a hint of wistfulness in his answer.
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grahame.jones@latimes.com
