Beckham Benched for Bum Knee

David Beckham just isn't getting the breaks he was hoping for on the pitch. He is, however, getting more than his fair share of sprains.

Just two weeks after the British midfielder made his highly anticipated debut for the L.A. Galaxy—and after nursing a bum left ankle for nearly a month—Beckham suffered yet another game-ending injury, this time spraining his right knee just 33 minutes into the match.

Beckham will be out of commission for anywhere between one and two months to recover from the malady, which was officially diagnosed as a sprained medial collateral ligament.

"As soon as I went into the tackle, I knew that I pulled my ligament," Beckham told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show Friday, during a discussion on potential plans for expanding his brood. "It was disappointing, just back from an injury, just starting to feel good again and then being back to square one. It's frustrating at the moment."

The incident occurred in the first half of the game, when both Beckham and Mexico's Pachuca midfielder Fernando Salazar went after a loose ball. While Becks got to the rogue globe before his rival, he unfortunately lost his footing and tripped over the ball, lying face down on the grass for a gasp-inducing—at least for the Galaxy—couple of seconds.

When he picked himself up, he signaled to the bench that he needed to be substituted out and hobbled off the field.

As for how he's currently feeling, Beckham told Seacrest, "Not great."

"It's a strain on my ligaments, it's at least 8 to 10 weeks out, which takes me to the end of the season. Obviously, I'll be working trying to get myself fit, trying to get myself better, and hopefully I can maybe play before the end of the season, but the doctors aren't sure about it."

"It's disappointing and frustrating at the moment."

Ever the team player, after leaving the field following the incident, Beckham retired not to the sidelines but to the locker room for the duration of the second half—however, he reappeared on the pitch to watch the final overtime, sitting on the bench in a gray suit and black tie with his right leg extended. When the team geared up to take their penalty kicks—Beckham's specialty, just not on this night—he took to the field to clap for his teammates.

"I needed to be out there and cheer on the lads," he said after the game.

Unfortunately, the Beckham-less Galaxy wound up losing the match 4-3. As a result of the loss and the win of a rival SuperLiga squad, the team now has the honor of being the last-placed team in Major League Soccer.

"I hate losing," Beckham said...though probably not as much as he hates getting injured.

Beckhem underwent an MRI scan Thursday, which confirmed his bum knee, and revealed his ankle had not yet fully healed, either.

"When I'm injured, I try to get back as soon as possible, that's part of my problem. I rush back too early," he told Seacrest. "My ankle's not completely right, it's maybe 90 percent right, but I always try to play and that's the problem."

Still, Beckham said that despite doctors' estimates, he's hopeful he can get back on the field sooner.

"I'm gonna start rehabilitation straight away. I'm a quick hearler, so I'm looking to four to six weeks, personally. I'll be working hard to get back before the end of the season. It's important to the team, important to myself and important to the club that I'm out there playing."

In addition to putting the kibosh on his plans to play with the Galaxy, Beckham's bum knee also kills his chances of reuniting with the England national team, something he did earlier this month and was hoping to do again on Sunday. He was scheduled to join his compatriots for 10 days next week, as they played Euro 2008 qualifying games against Israel and Russia on Sept. 8 and 12, respectively.

Meanwhile, wife Victoria Beckham is getting in some playing time of her own. ABC has finally confirmed the long swirling rumors that the erstwhile Posh Spice will be appearing as a guest star in an upcoming episode of Ugly Betty.

The fairer Beckham will appear as herself in the episode, where she will serve as a bridesmaid at the wedding of Vanessa Williams' character, Wilhelmina Slater, to Alan Dale's Bradford Meade. There's no air date yet, though given the nature of the guest star, it will likely air during November sweeps.

Another major—and joint—project may be in the works for the couple, who, thanks to Beckham's injury, may have plenty of time to work out the kinks of the production.

Beckham also told Seacrest Friday that he and Victoria were talking about expanding their brood.

"At some point we will," he said. "We were speaking about it the other day, funnily enough. When we first met, we never even spoke about how many kids we wanted, it was just lucky we both wanted around the same number."

That number, he said, was four or five.

"We're a big family unit. I always love working with kids, spending time with kids. We're very family orientated."

Beckham said that with three boys already in the Beckham clan, he would be doing everything he could to ensure a Victoria Jr.

"That's one thing I'll be trying," he said. "Changing my diet and wearing tight pants."