Smyth – a one-time player for the Shamrocks in the semi-pro leagues in New York - is naturally interested in the Beckham move to LA. He describes the English midfielder as “one of the nicest guys I've ever interviewed... he was even concerned I was getting sunburnt when I interviewed him in Spain.

“The impact he will have will be colossal the first time around. From a marketing point of view it's already massive. In terms of money spent, MLS have done a fantastic job. Will he turn it into a super league? Not at all. One swallow doesn't make a summer and one player doesn't make the league, but what he will do is bring a lot of attention to it.

“It's a double-edged sword. Players in Europe have looked at Beckham and have contacted the coaches but the money isn't there. The $250 million was there for David Beckham only, everybody else is going to be lower scale. And of course some of that figure is about his image rights. LA have given him a percentage more than Real Madrid.”

Smyth is clearly enjoying his ride with ESPN, who he joined in the early 1990s just before the channel got the rights for the US World Cup in 1994 after he'd lived and worked in New York since the 1960s (“I'd done everything, from being a travel agent to an announcer for Gaelic football”).

“I get to meet and see the best players in the world. Beckham, Shevchenko, Gary Neville you name it,” adds Smyth. “I suppose I love life and I realise I have a job that most people would kill for.” Apparently so.