Timing is everything, as the saying goes, and David Beckham has already proved the point in his first two weeks with Los Angeles Galaxy.

Although his playing time has been restricted to just 16 minutes because of a lingering ankle injury, his mere presence in Los Angeles has lifted his new teams fortunes on and off the pitch.

Before Beckham touched down with his family at LAX airport on July 12, the Galaxy were struggling to overturn a dismal start to the season, winning only three of their 12 Major League Soccer games to languish second bottom in the Western standings.

They plumbed further depths when they failed to reach the U.S. Open Cup quarter-finals after losing 1-0 at lowly Richmond Kickers two days before Beckhams much-hyped arrival.

After watching helplessly from the sidelines when the Galaxy were thumped 3-0 by Mexican club Tigres UANL in a friendly, one day after his first scheduled training session, Beckham has seen his new team mates emerge in a very different light.

They produced commitment and passion against English giants Chelsea in one of their best performances of the season, losing only 1-0 in a friendly highlighted by Beckham’s long-awaited debut.

Barely four minutes after Beckham began warming up in front of a capacity crowd of 27,000, U.S. international Landon Donovan came close to equalising for the Galaxy when heading over the bar after latching on to a cross from Quavas Kirk. Impeccable timing, or what?

Beckhams appearance on the bench unquestionably lifted his team mates who, just three days later, upset Mexican side and CONCACAF Champions’ Cup winners Pachuca 2-1.

Slowly but perceptibly, the Beckham factor is impacting on the Galaxy. And off the pitch, the England midfielder has made an even bigger impact with his number 23 Galaxy shirt becoming the biggest seller in the game after his first week in Los Angeles.

Although his long-term goal of taking U.S. soccer to a new level can only be judged with the passage of time, Beckham appears to be ideally equipped to make that happen.

To make Americans fall in love with the game, hes the one to do that,” Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho said. “That is what everybody is waiting for.

“Football is about motivation and intensity and for these players of not a high level to play with David Beckham on their side in sold-out stadiums with a red carpet in the ground must be a big motivation for them.

Mark Lamport-Stokes is a Reuters sports correspondent based in California