When David Beckham's England career began nearly 12 years ago, he probably did not expect one of its pivotal moments to come at a stadium named Pizza Hut Park. Nevertheless, at that ground in Dallas tonight, the former national team captain will move a step closer to becoming the fifth Englishman to represent his country 100 times if he can prove his match fitness.

Fabio Capello, the England manager, is expected to have Franco Baldini, his assistant, in the stands as Los Angeles Galaxy visit FC Dallas for a pre-season friendly in front of an expected sell-out crowd of 20,500.

After the disappointments of his injury-ravaged debut season in Major League Soccer, Beckham-mania is gaining momentum again in North America, although it is the presence of Baldini in the stand and the possibility of the iconic Beckham being included in the England squad for the friendly against France on March 26 that will have the greatest relevance for the English game tonight.

Given that Beckham was left out of Capello's first squad for the friendly victory over Switzerland, ostensibly because of a globetrotting close-season schedule, there is a tinge of irony about the player's pre-season itinerary to date. Beckham has played five matches - in Hawaii, South Korea and Hong Kong - milking every media opportunity along the way, before tonight's game in Dallas for a fixture arranged to compensate those supporters angry that the Englishman missed his scheduled appearance here last season because of injury.

Despite the gruelling schedule, however, Ruud Gullit, the Galaxy head coach, has no doubt that Beckham is not only physically able but also deserving of a 100th cap.

“David is looking good and has been playing some great football,” Gullit said. “He is fit. He played almost 90 minutes every game and I only took him out as a little precaution for one game. He wanted to continue, but I said, 'Come on, what is the point of playing an extra ten or 15 minutes?' Then everyone made a big deal of it, but it shouldn't be. The man has played 90 minutes every game and he is in really good shape. Therefore I am very happy with how he played and how he looks in games.

“He is very motivated. He is a professional and he loves football, he loves this game. I would be very happy to see him get his 100th cap. It is only a few days before the start of the season, but it would be very good for him and I think he deserves it.”

As has been the case with Beckham since his departure for the United States at the end of the 2006-07 European season, Capello will have to weigh up his form against the quality of the opposition. Outings against Osaka, Sydney FC, FC Seoul, Shanghai Hong Kong United, Hong Kong Union and now Dallas will not be easy to place into context.

“It was actually a pretty good standard that we played on the tour,” Gullit said, “and David created more chances than anyone else. When he is in a position to deliver the ball, he is so good and it shows his quality.”

Beckham is keen to continue his work as a football missionary and atone for his absences of last year. On his website yesterday, he launched a charm offensive on the city where he is to make his first US appearance of 2008. “Dallas has such a rich sporting history with the Cowboys of the NFL and the Mavericks in the NBA,” Beckham wrote. “So it'll be great to go there and play their soccer team.”

Landon Donovan, Beckham's Galaxy team-mate, agrees with Gullit's assessment of the Englishman's form. “He makes things happen for us, so when he is open we want a lot of our game to flow through him as that is one of our big strengths,” the US striker said. “He looks great, fit and motivated. He looks really strong and he wants to show everybody what he can do this season.”

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