East Londoner Sam a rising soccer star in the States

The 21-year-old Millwall fan is on a sport and business management scolarship at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina and he hopes to emulate Beckham by earning a professional contract with an American club.

He said: "It's my dream to play professionally and I'd like to stay in the States. The game has really taken off there. But ultimately I'd love to come back to England and play for Millwall. I'm a huge Lions fan and to run out at The Den would be amazing.

"If I model myself on anyone it's Tim Cahill, who is a Millwall legend. I used to watch him and he was great at getting forward and scoring goals, so to emulate him would be fantastic."

Midfielder Sam believes Beckham's stint in Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy has had a positive effect on the sport in the US.

He said: "It's got a lot bigger since he went over there. People are taking more notice of the sport. And now the USA have qualified for the World Cup it's going to grow even more."

College soccer benefits from plenty of financial investment, which means the standard is a lot higher than its English equivalent. Sam, a former Academy player at West Ham where he played alongside Mark Noble, had a roundabout route to the States.

He said: "I left West Ham and had a year at Chelsea but broke my leg. That ended it in England for me and I went to play in New Zealand. My brother was in America and he sent a video of me playing to a college coach in New York. They liked what they saw and invited me over. I was there for a couple of years before joining Lees-McRae in 2008.

"People in England don't know much about American college soccer but it's huge, with the finals shown on TV and big crowds turning up to watch. There's a lot of money put into it and I'd recommend it to anyone keen to try it."

Since then Sam has helped his college to two National Conference finals, winning in 2008 and narrowly losing last year. The four team play-off tournament, the culmination of a season played between August and November, is very prestigious.

Sam said: "The first season was amazing. I scored 13 goals in 10 games from midfield and won the best freshman in the country award. We beat Triton from Illinois 2-1 in the final and that was superb. Last season was a bit more disappointing, as we lost 1-0 in the final to Fort Lewis from Colorado.

Sam has something else to look forward to this summer - England's World Cup clash with the United States in Rustenburg on June 12.

He said: "I can't wait for that game. I'll be playing in the pre-development league - which is two leagues down from the MLS when the World Cup is on but I won't miss that game.

"There are a few English lads over there and we'll be cheering England on. I expect we'll get a bit of stick if England lose but I'm confident we've got the players to win."