To see Sydney train in Hawaii...

Most of the packed press room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort in Waikiki were there to see David Beckham.

But Kosmina has also been the Sydney drawcard for US commentators who have described him as a 'powderkeg on the sidelines'.

They are still intrigued by his bust-up with Kevin Muscat while at Adelaide...and quietly hoping to see some fireworks from him at the PanPacs opener on Wednesday night (late Thursday afternoon, Australia time).

One columnist on goal.com wrote: "The only reason I’m looking forward to the Pan-Pacific Championship? Sydney FC manager John Kosmina.

"The former Australian international is a powder keg on the sidelines. Sure, it’s a glorified friendly, but Kosmina could go wild at any moment."

Nevertheless, Kosmina was upbeat about the tournament.

“This isn't a consolation prize. We want our name on the trophy. And we in Australia only have a short league, so we need more games," he added when asked by a reporter about fixture congestion.

Skipper Tony Popovic added: “It's an honour to be here. We'd like to win and showcase the A-League for the rest of the world.”

Sydney FC play in Wednesday night's second game – dubbed the “nitecap” fixture by organisers – following the Gamba Osaka versus Galaxy game.

Houston coach Dominic Kinnear also commented about the ticket prices at the tournament.

“I had a pina colada yesterday and it cost me $10," he said. "It's $10 to get in to see this tournament – so I'd ask you all [the fans] to give up a pina colada and come see us play.”

To see Sydney train in Hawaii...