Pity professional soccer. At least here in the United States.

The arrival of the great David Beckham from England was supposed to give Major League Soccer a huge shot in the arm and to lift U.S. soccer into the foreground.

So far, at least on the field, it hasn't happened.

Beckham sprained his left ankle playing for England in a European Championship qualifier on June 6 and, two months later, it still has not responded well to treatment.

After signing a five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January, that pesky ankle kept Beckham out of his first MLS game Sunday in Toronto.

He found time to play June 17 with Real Madrid, the team he left to join the Galaxy, and reinjured the ankle. He also played 16 minutes in an exhibition between L.A. and Chelsea three weeks ago.

Beckham, 32, will be playing for England and in European Championships. as well as games for the Galaxy, but at what point will the ankle allow him to do so?

The one thing I've noticed about Beckham is while his ankle is still bothering him, he doesn't seem to mind the incredible attention he and his wife Victoria — a.k.a. Posh Spice — have enjoyed.

A huge Welcome to America party with actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith two weeks ago, plus other on-air appearances, have kept Becks on the go when he should be resting.

When I sprained my left ankle in 1992 while visiting my sister and her family for a few months in Virginia, the emergency room doctors told me to stay off of it for a couple of weeks and I'd be good to go.

Well, I couldn't get used to using crutches and I would spend the days with my niece and nephews. Six weeks later, I finally was able to go running on it, although there was still a little swelling.

The point is, Beckham has an obligation to the L.A. Galaxy, as well as to his other squads, to get ready and give that ankle a breather.

Sales of Galaxy merchandise and Beckham jerseys have gone through the roof, which is what the team and MLS had expected. But, if professional soccer is going to make that next big step in America, Beckham needs to kick back and relax.

A sellout crowd of 22,522 showed up Sunday inToronto, most likely to see Beckham play. He did not.

That's not what people are paying to see. If I watch a professional game in any sport, I want to see the stars. If I want inactivity, I'll buy a poster.

The United States has had several flirtations with soccer greatness: an aging Pele joining the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in 1975, the U.S. women's World Cup championship run — remember Brandi Chastain and Mia Hamm? — and 13-year-old up-and-coming superstar Freddie Adu, now 18, who just left the United States to sign a five-year deal with a team in Portugal.

While soccer in the States enjoys tremendous appeal for youth leagues, high school and colleges, it's still looking to move up to that next level.

David Beckham sitting on the bench in expensive suits won't make that happen.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.