Michael Enfield was freed by MLS club LA Galaxy late in 2006 after two seasons with the club. Shortly after, the earth-shattering news hit that that David Beckham had signed for Galaxy.

On Tuesday, six members of the media watched Branko Culina put Sydney FC through its paces at Aussie stadium. Had the American trialist been retained by LA, a whole lot more than six media would’ve been watching him train with the English superstar.

In football, timing can be crucial.

Enfield, though, has had a taste of the Beckham circus. In July 2005, Real Madrid beat Galaxy 2-0 in a friendly in LA. On the park that day in California were Luis Figo, Michael Owen, Roberto Carlos, Michel Salgado, Iker Casillas, Becks and others.

“Mikey” played the final seven minutes of the game after coming on as a substitute. Mixing it with the Galacticos was something he’ll never forget. “David Beckham? Oh it’s a big deal,” Enfield tells www.au.fourfourtwo.com in an accent straight out of The OC.

“It’s great for the club and great for the MLS. In terms of the media attention and buzz he’ll have a great impact as he will on the pitch. He’s an iconic figure in the game. The guys at LA Galaxy are keeping a good professional attitude though… they’re not going to get too starstruck.”

After the disappointment of being released, “through a friend of a friend” Enfield was able to snag a trial with FC (paying his own fare, too). The UCLA geography major arrived in the harbour city on March 10.

The diminutive attacking midfielder made an immediate impact, scoring in a trial match in Wollongong (an hour south of Sydney) ahead of the Urawa Red Diamonds Asian champions league clash in Sydney on March 21.

FC coach Branko Culina said later of the 23-year-old, "It was a good start for him. He showed a lot of nippiness, he had a good touch, he showed qualities in reading the game. There's a lot to like about him."

And judging by his performance at training on Tuesday this week, he might not look out of place in the A-League (fuelling debate about whether MLS is stronger than A-League).

“I just have to come out and work hard every day and try make an impact at the same time link up with the players… you want to impress the coach and the players at the same time.

“It’s up in the air. It’s not up to me… I’m not sure what will happen. Well hopefully, given the opportunity I can make an impact out here,” says Enfield.

He was the leading scorer for the US national U/18s, notching six goals in 13 appearances in 1999/2000. The midfielder went on to play college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 2001-04 where he appeared in 78 games for the Bruins, scoring 39 goals with 15 assists.

LA Galaxy signed him as a pro in 2005. Over the next two seasons, he started in five games appearing a total of 16 times in the yellow of Galaxy.

“The standard is comparable,” Enfield reveals. “The MLS roster is 28 players so the training sessions are a bit different. Here with a few guys injured the numbers are pretty small, but the training sessions are pretty comparable.

“I saw the last game in the Asian Champions League [against Urawa] and as a player I have a lot of respect for the guys out here and the way they work.

"The [Sydney FC] guys have been real inviting and open and personable which is more than I can ask for. This has been my first time as a trialist and it’s been a great experience.”

And if Sydney FC played LA Galaxy? “I think on any given day anyone can beat anyone. It’s hard to say, but it would be a good competitive match. Perhaps some US players have more of a Latin influence than here? But it’s pretty similar.”

Enfield has been staying in an apartment in North Sydney. He doesn’t have a car or a mobile phone. However, hailing from Ventura – a scenic area about an hour out of LA – he feels right at home in the sun and surf. “Sydney’s a great city,” he says.

“There’s a bit of traffic but the beaches are great. I’m a surfer so I’ve been down to Bondi a few times. I don’t know where to find the best beaches. I was going to go to Cronulla on the train on my next day off to try it out.”

Ironically, Sydney’s first ever signing was an American player. Alex Salazar, a 20-year-old from the University of Portland arrived in February 2005. He struggled to see regular game time under season one coach Pierre Littbarski (assistant coach Ian Crook signed Salazar, not Littbarski who arrived later).

The son of legendary distance runner Alberto Salazar, the youngster slipped out of Sydney nine months later with the words “released from Sydney FC” next to his name.

Enfield is hoping he can make more of an impact than his countryman. He should know shortly before Sydney’s ACL clash with Indonesia’s Persik Kediri on April 11 whether he’ll get his chance to shine in the harbour city.