Beckham available for Galaxy's Red Bulls clash

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former England captain David Beckham is available to play for the LA Galaxy in their vital Major League Soccer match against New York Red Bulls later on Thursday.

"David has trained with the club all week and he will be available for selection on Thursday night," Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said.

Yallop had said earlier this week that Beckham was not close to being 100 percent fit and at the most would start the game on the bench - possibly appearing as a substitute.

Beckham last played for the Galaxy on August 29 when he suffered a right knee sprain in the first half of the SuperLiga Final against Mexican side Pachuca.

The Galaxy have won five straight matches heading into the clash with the Red Bulls and anything but a defeat would keep their play-off hopes alive.

Yallop's side end the regular season against Chicago on Sunday, needing at least a draw and a win from the two matches to secure a place in the post-season.

Since being introduced as a Galaxy player on July 13, Beckham has appeared in six games, making four starts and scoring one goal. He has managed only 306 minutes of action.