David Beckham’s much-hyped debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team drew an average of 1.5 million viewers to ESPN, the largest audience for an ESPN telecast involving a Major League Soccer team , according to data issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

Beckham, struggling with an ankle injury, played for only 16 minutes during Saturday’s game against English club Chelsea, but ESPN’s telecast was the night’s most-watched program among men 18-49 and men 25-54.