THE INTRUSION of appalling verbal Americanisms into the vocabulary of association football - the use of the adjective "winningest" in relation to a team or coach, for example - is easily and correctly lampooned, but just occasionally the difference in terminology betrays an important cultural difference.

In US sport, for instance, there is no such thing as a "friendly" match, just "exhibition" games. In a country where the requirement to participate in All-Star matches is seemingly enshrined in the constitution somewhere not far behind the right to bear arms, Thursday night's meeting between Celtic and an MLS All-Star XI most certainly falls into the latter category. Days after the beginning of the David Beckham era, Major League Soccer will be out to put on a show.

The game would have gravitas enough even without the revelations that Celtic are involved in discussions to sign Real Salt Lake's much-hyped youngster Freddie Adu or the fact that Gordon Strachan's side must come up against a Scot in the opposing technical area.

Steve Nicol, the long-serving and successful coach of the New England Revolution, will grace the dug-out for the occasion as a reward for his side's excellent early-season form, and Celtic must be wary if they are not to go the way of Chelsea, who lost in an equivalent All-Star fixture at the same stage last season, or even repeat their own mistakes from last season, when they could only manage a 1-1 draw with Nicol's New England side during a US Tour which began with a heavy defeat to an Adu-inspired DC United. Nicol, a fellow World Cup '86 squad member and briefly a roommate of Strachan's, believes Celtic will require no warnings about the standard of opposition this time around.

"Celtic are coming here knowing exactly what they are facing," Nicol told the Sunday Herald. "They played DC United in their first game last year, having arrived two days previously, and I think they got a shock, it was a humid night all through the DC area, there wasn't much air, I think they got a bit of a surprise with the quality of the DC players and they lost the game.

"It is one step up from a friendly for MLS players, because it is obviously a chance for them to impress and get a bit of experience at this level, which a lot of these players haven't had. In terms of standard, I would liken our teams to teams that would play in the Championship in England. I think we would struggle against the real top ones that you come across, but we would certainly be okay in the Championship."

It will not just be the quality of MLS football which is under the microscope, however. The near-annual status of such games also gives Nicol a chance to pass judgement on Celtic themselves, and the former Liverpool defender has been monitoring pre- season developments at Parkhead on the internet enough to expect further improvement from last season.

"Obviously that good run they have had in the Champions League means that they have got more money this season, which means they can go and buy better players," he said. "The idea is to keep upping the ante every time you sign somebody, if you can keep signing a better standard of players than the ones you have got, then eventually you are going to reach a good standard of player, and hopefully a good standard of results."

At the start of last season, MLS organisers tinkered with the league's rules to permit the introduction of franchise players - who can be paid outwith the salary cap - and with Beckham due to make $250 million over the next five years at LA Galaxy, former Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel, currently the league's joint top scorer, and Mexcian maestro Cuauhtemoc Blanco set to get the Hispanic vote at Chicago Fire, the scheme has paid dividends.

But the real heroes are proficient US internationals such as Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson or even last year's rookie of the year Jonathan Bornstein, who have served their apprenticeships in the league and are now ready to shine on a bigger stage.

Nicol believes that due to the league's commitment to professionalism and youth development, any comparisons with the heyday of the North American Soccer League in the late-1970s, featuring Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best, are misplaced.

"That comparison has been blown out of the water," Nicol said, "but unfortunately that is the first thing that comes into people's heads. That thing was a circus. The MLS is not like that at all. It is a professional league."

Indeed some teams, such as New England themselves, have still to find a suitable franchise player to recruit at all, preferring to dispense their salary cap among the likes of current internationals Taylor Twellman and Michael Parkhurst.

"You need to bring the right type of person in," said Nicol, part of a Scottish contingent in the MLS which includes Toronto coach Mo Johnston and Paul Dalglish at MLS Cup-holders the Houston Dynamos.

"There is no point in bringing someone in who is a big-time Charlie and is not going to make a big difference on the field or off the field. We have tried, we have some money to spend, but we're not in the same bracket as what LA, Chicago and the Red Bulls have been doing. The club have said they will put extra money in if it is a guy who is going to put extra people in the stadium, but these people are very difficult to find."

Beckham may have sold 250,000 LA Galaxy strips already, and appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated, but his arrival might be too late for his teammates. The Galaxy are currently second bottom of the Western conference ("they're struggling a wee bit, and it won't change overnight with Beckham coming in," Nicol says) but the Scot for one believes the former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar can be a success stateside as long as he maintains his work ethic.

"There have been big-name players who have come here before and thought they were coming for a holiday, but they didn't really help the league in any way, shape or form," Nicol said. "It comes down to being professional and working hard and from what I know of Beckham that is exactly what he is like. He is a good pro, works hard, and he likes playing. And if he comes here and does that then he will be fine - as long as he gets his head down and is patient, because he's not playing with Raul and Roberto Carlos. He will be great for the game, he will get fans into the stadium. And the more players we have like that the more players there are for younger kids to emulate. And the more homegrown players that get to that standard, the better the league will become."

A pre-Beckham Galaxy side went down 1-0 to Rangers immediately after the end of the season, but with each passing year Old Firm visitors are likely to find more and more stars in the MLS firmament.