Will He, Won't He? Beckham to Make Opener?

The countdown to the Rapids' opener against LA begins in earnest and we still have no idea if the MLS's biggest star will make the trip. David Beckham duly picked up his 100th cap for England in Paris as the national team went down by a goal to nil to the 1998 World Cup champions. Pulled off in the 63rd minute, maybe Ruud had had a few words with Fabio so his star player wouldn't be too exhausted before the game on Saturday. Can't be the best preparation for an opening game even if he didn't play the whole match aganist France. I think he will make the trip given last season's PR disaster for the Galaxy in Colorado but he may not make the starting line-up. Same with Landon Donovan who played in Poland this week for the US team.
What we do know is that the Rapids' line-up will not be what we might expect. There are a lot of injuries, especially in the defense. No Petke or Ihemelu for sure so, according to the Rapids' website predictions (http://www.coloradorapids.com/TheMatch/Matchup.aspx), Kimura and Keel will be in the back four with Burciaga and Erpen. The midfield is also somewhat unfamiliar with DiRaimondo and O'Brien taking their place alongside veterans Cooke and Mastroeni (doubtful). Omar Cummings will be the lone forward up front. The fact we don't have a full squad to choose from takes some of the excitement away from the opening day but true fans will behind the players whoever takes the field for Colorado's finest. Beckham or no Beckham.