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TORONTO — Toronto FC head coach John Carver understands if there are any fans who are actually disappointed at the possibility that celebrity midfielder David Beckham will not be playing because of international commitments when the Los Angeles Galaxy visit BMO Field on May 31.
But he will not share in their disappointment.
"It would be great for the fans to see him but great for us if he's not going to play against us," Carver said Monday after TFC's workout at BMO Field, "because when we played down there [TFC won 3-2 in Carson, Calif.], he was their best player by far along with (Landon) Donovan. So it will be a disappointment for the fans but it won't be a disappointment for me if he's not playing."
Beckham has been named to the England team that will play in friendlies against the United States on May 28 and Trinidad and Tobago on June 1. Donovan is a starter for the U.S. team.
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As a coach, Carver is more concerned with his own team and the players it could lost to international fixtures this season.
With a heavy year of international competition that includes World Cup qualifying and the Olympic Games, TFC stands to lose several players at various stages of the year.
Major League Soccer plays in the summer when most other leagues are off so it often runs against international competitions, like the European championships this year, that do not interfere with those leagues. MLS does not schedule around dates set for international competition friendlies, either.
"It hurts everybody, it's going to hurt us, we know that for a fact," Carver said. "That's why we've tried to bring in players that can deal with it when players are gone. Everybody is going to be in the same boat.
"I'm not one to dictate how the rules and regulations of the MLS go but they might want to have a look at it. If they want the best players to be playing all the time they might need to look at the schedules."
TFC is in a stretch of 16 days without playing a match.
"We could have arranged a game within that period so we wouldn't miss out when the international games came up," Carver said.
There is a feeling that MLS also seems to feel that on a one-game basis, having a player like Beckham play for England that one game actually helps it from a promotion aspect more than if he plays for the Galaxy for that one game.
