"It's just like the first day of school," Beckham said of meeting his new colleagues.

"You are taken out of your comfort zone and into another changing room with players you never met before.

"I have been through it before. It was a different time when I signed with Manchester United and a different time when I signed with Real Madrid. This is a new experience, and I am really looking forward to it."

The former England captain was given a red carpet reception at his first news conference as a Galaxy player less than 24 hours after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport with his pop star wife Victoria and their three children.

Galaxy coach Frank Yallop helped break the ice for Beckham, who seemed to blend in just fine.

"I just want to be part of the team," Beckham said. "I always try to handle things the right way.

"I just came from the changing room. Frank gave a speech and said it was going to be 'madness for a couple of weeks'. Everyone laughed and then Frank said 'well, maybe for a couple of months.'"

About 5,000 season ticket holders, and an estimated 700 journalists from around the world, were on hand at the Home Depot Center for the lavish outdoor ceremony, which was held in the southwest corner of the stadium.

Beckham's odyssey has taken him from Manchester United to Real Madrid and now Los Angeles, where he will earn more than 50 times the average wage in the North America's premier football league.

He signed for 6.5 million dollars a year with the Galaxy but the package is potentially worth 250 million dollars over five years depending on sponsors, marketing and merchandise sales.

Raising the profile of Major League Soccer is the long-term goal, but the immediate challenge will be to turn the struggling Galaxy from chumps to champs.

That's a tall order for Beckham because, as the second worst team in the league, Los Angeles have won just three of 12 games this season.

Beckham said he has been preparing for the season by watching tapes of the Galaxy games.

"We are doing all right," he said. "The players are coming together and they are playing a lot better in the last three or four games."

The Galaxy have sold 11,000 season tickets for their 27,000 seat stadium.

Beckham is expected to play in central midfield for the Galaxy, rather than wide on the right where has spent most of his career with Manchester United, Real Madrid and England.

Beckham said he wants to inspire a lasting interest in the sport for Americans and not have his contribution be a passing fad.

"This is the honeymoon period at the moment," he said. "I hope that continues. My job is as an ambassador, and I plan on keeping that going."

He hinted he could try and play past the five years.

"My contract here is five years and that will take me to 37," he said. "Some players play until they turn 40, but that is mostly goalkeepers."