John joins Beckham's LA soccer rivals

1:24pm Thursday 25th January 2007

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A former Preston College student could soon be in action against David Beckham after securing a contract at a Los Angeles soccer club.

John Cunliffe has joined Club Deportivo Chivas USA which shares the Home Depot Center stadium with Beckham's new club LA Galaxy.

Both teams play in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top league in the USA.

He was the only player from the USA's second division to be invited to pre-season trials to join an MLS club and attracted attention from a number of scouts.

While the LA Galaxy boasts a huge list of A-list celebrity fans, the relatively new UD Chivas USA, which only joined the MLS in 2004, is mainly followed by the city's large Mexican community.

John's salary will be nowhere near the £25million per year Becks is pocketing, but the 22 year old says the former England captain's move will be a massive boost to soccer in America.

He told the Citizen's sister paper, the USA Today: "Beckham coming here to promote the sport is going to be gigantic.

"The potential is there. The promoters just need the right progress, and Beckham will definitely help."

Bolton-born John is a former England under-18 international. His talent was first spotted in the States while playing for Preston College at a tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2003.

He spent the last four years studying at Fort Lewis College in Colorado and played for the college team. where coach Jeremy Gunn described him as the most special player' he had ever worked with.

John's new boss is the former Everton player Predrag Radosavljevic, better known as Precki.

He said: "He plays good soccer. He is very smart and has a good soccer brain."

Club Deportivo Chivas USA already has one Preston connection in the form of goalkeeper, one Preston Burpo.