Turbulence ahead in LA?

When David Beckham takes his first road trip with the Los Angeles Galaxy, the team will be traveling on commercial aircraft, and Beckham will be waiting to board with teammates in the departure area along with hundreds of other travelers. Or will he?

Celebrities and athletes earning mega salaries simply do not mix with the public in transportation centers in the US these days, and Beckham will not be an exception. Beckham can be expected to be in executive lounges and first - class section s on flights, though Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas said yesterday: "I can't comment on travel arrangements for the Galaxy this year, for security reasons."

If Beckham does go first class while teammates are in coach, it will be less a case of setting a double standard than of being practical.

In 1977, I happened to cover Pelé's arrival in Las Vegas for the New York Cosmos' first game of his final playing season. A couple of people at the airport recognized Pelé and asked for autographs, and I had a 10-minute interview with him just outside the arrival gate.

But times have changed, and such a scenario could not occur today. Pelé traveled with a bodyguard in the '70s, and Beckham will be surrounded by even more security measures when he arrives for games against Toronto FC (Aug. 5), D.C. United (Aug. 9), and the Revolution (Aug. 12).

Beckham also will be paid like a celebrity and the salary discrepancy between Beckham ($5.5 million annually), Landon Donovan ($900,000), and other Galaxy players earning in the tens of thousands also could create resentment.

"Dynamics exist within every team and every locker room and I am not naive to this fact," Lalas said. "This is a very unique situation we are going into, and I think how our players react to it and how David faces it will go a long way to how successful we are on the field. There are realities to the situation and every player wants to make as much money as possible, regardless of where they are playing or how old they are.

"I've challenged the players and told them this is a great opportunity to be in this spotlight that is shining on David Beckham and on the Galaxy. And if they honestly believe they can be as good as the best players in the world, here's the opportunity to show it. I would love to be challenged and have the spotlight on me on a consistent basis. I'd want to be the player that scores three goals, the player that heads home Beckham's first corner kick, the player who gets taken down for his first free kick, to be a part of the team that wins its first game with Beckham."

Beckham sustained a knee strain Saturday while playing for Real Madrid in a 1-1 tie against Getafe but is expected to return within six weeks.

"We are happy that he will get back and help Real Madrid as they challenge for the championship of La Liga," Lalas said. "This injury is not going to change the arrival of David Beckham with the Galaxy. I do not anticipate him coming any sooner than [August]."

Most of the North American investments in British clubs have been high profile -- Aston Villa (Randy Lerner), Liverpool (George Gillet and Tom Hicks), and Manchester United (Malcolm Glazer). But John G. Berylson of Chestnut Hill Ventures of Wellesley Hills has gone for a lower-key approach, buying into Millwall FC, a League One (third division) club based in London. Berylson has invested about $9.7 million for the club "to develop and prosper whilst supporting and assisting with the urban regeneration project in the locality" of Bermondsey, according to the Millwall website. The deal was apparently completed earlier this year but not announced until Friday. Berylson will take over as non-executive director of Millwall Holdings and Berylson and Demos Kouvaris will be on the boards of both the club and the holding company. Millwall, coached by Willie Donachie, a former North American Soccer League player, has rallied with five wins in six matches and is tied for 11th place in the 24-team division.

The Revolution have been lining up in a 4-4-2 formation during the preseason but coach Steve Nicol expects to return to the three-back system. The Revolution won twice in Bermuda by 3-1 scores over the Bermuda national team and the Galaxy but will not play another game until next week in Cancun. "It's all right to get games against fresh opponents," Nicol said yesterday. "But at the moment we are working fitness and getting our touch. All the other stuff comes after that. We'll get two games in Mexico and two in New Orleans [likely March 25 and 28]. We'll get into the 3-5-2 by New Orleans." The Revolution season begins in Chicago April 7.

Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.