Beckham to lead Galaxy in first Pan-Pacific tournament

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy will take part in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship in Hawaii next year, Major League Soccer (MLS) said on Thursday.

MLS Cup champions Houston Dynamo, Japanese side Gamba Osaka and Australia's A-League winners will complete the lineup for the February 20-23 tournament.

"The Pan-Pacific Championship is a great opportunity for MLS teams to compete against elite clubs from Japan and Australia and we are pleased to be partnering with the J-League and A-League to introduce this new exciting competition," MLS commissioner Don Garber said on the league's Web site.

"The event will provide the participating teams with high level competition, while enhancing each league's exposure throughout the world."

The matches will be played at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu.

The Galaxy, currently in New Zealand following Tuesday's friendly against Sydney FC, play Gamba Osaka and Houston face the A-League side on February 20.

The winners advance to the final on February 23 when the two losers will also meet in a third place playoff.

(Writing by Steve Keating; Editing by Ed Osmond)