Beckham coming to islands

Soccer superstar and the Los Angeles Galaxy are scheduled to compete in the first Pan-Pacific Championship in February

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Hawaii fans will get a chance to see global soccer star David Beckham up close and personal.

Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy are one of four teams scheduled to compete in the first Pan-Pacific Championship on Feb. 20 and 23 at Aloha Stadium.

The tournament will feature teams from Major League Soccer, the Japanese A-League and the Hyundai A-League in Australia.

Hawaii hasn't hosted a professional soccer match since the Galaxy took on D.C. United in an MLS exhibition match two years ago.

Tickets are scheduled to go on sale next month.

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David Beckham's journey to the United States now includes a trip to Hawaii.

Beckham will join his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates as one of four teams to compete in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship Feb. 20 and 23 at Aloha Stadium.

The two-day, four-team tournament will also feature the reigning MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo, the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup champion Gamba Osaka and a team from the Hyundai A-League Final Series.

"This tournament will unite four terrific clubs from across the region to crown a true Pan-Pacific champion," said Soccer United Marketing president Doug Quinn in a press release.

The two MLS teams will play in each of the two semifinals on Feb. 20. The winners and losers will play the three days later for the championship and third place.

Haleiwa's Brian Ching is a forward for the Dynamo and excited to bring high quality soccer to his home state.

"As a native Hawaiian to bring MLS to Hawaii is a tremendous opportunity for the kids growing up," Ching said in the release. "When I was younger, I didn't have the chance to see the best soccer, and for kids to come out and see top-level soccer gives them something to shoot for and aspire to reach."

There will be festivities the week leading up to the tournament organized by Major League Soccer for the Hawaii youth soccer community.

The big name in the tournament is Beckham, who left Real Madrid in January of this year to sign a five-year contract with the Galaxy.

An ankle injury forced him to play in only five games this season.

The Galaxy played their first exhibition game outside of the United States in Australia on Tuesday in front of 80,000 fans.

Beckham showed no ill effects from the injury as he scored a goal in the 5-3 victory.

The February trip to Hawaii will be his first visit to the islands.

"It's great we are going to travel to Hawaii. I have never been there before," he said in the release. "It's going to be a great place for me personally to visit and it's good for the team to start off our preseason playing against quality opposition."

Their 2008 regular season is tentatively scheduled to begin in April.

The Galaxy was also involved in the last professional soccer match in Hawaii, when they played D.C. United in a preseason contest in '05 in front of more than 14,000 fans at Aloha Stadium.

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale next month. Fans can visit www.PPChampionship.net for more information.