Julian de Guzman has made over 40 appearances for Canada's national team. Julian de Guzman has made over 40 appearances for Canada's national team. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Testing yourself against David Beckham is a pretty big deal for most players in Major League Soccer.

For Julian de Guzman, it's a case of "been there, done that."

De Guzman, the league's newest designated player, will likely make his debut for Toronto when it visits Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday in a crucial road game for the third-year club.

But it won't be the first time the Canadian midfielder and English star have faced off against each other.

The Designated Player

Major League Soccer's Designated Player Rule, also known as the David Beckham Rule, grants teams one designated player roster spot that they can use to sign a marquee star, with only $415,000 US of his contract counting against the $2.3 million salary cap.

The Los Angeles Galaxy famously made use of the DP rule to sign English midfielder David Beckham in January 2007.

Other designated players currently in MLS include Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders), Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls) and Mexican playmkaer Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire).

De Guzman, a 28-year-old native of Scarborough, Ont., spent the last four seasons with Deportivo la Coruna in Spain's first division and had the opportunity to go up against Beckham when he was a member of Real Madrid.

"My first and only goal for Deportivo came against him and Real Madrid," de Guzman told reporters after practice on Tuesday.

"It's always great to play against guys like Beckham and any kind of star that plays for Real Madrid or another big team in the world."

Still, the prospect of facing Beckham, who became the first designated player in MLS history in 2007 and paved the way for de Guzman to sign a lucrative contract with Toronto last week, doesn't make Saturday's game any more special for the Canadian midfielder.

"No, this isn't an individual sport. It's a team sport, and that's how I've always looked at it," de Guzman said. "I'm not concerned about one or two players, it's the team itself that I worry about."

Although used in a holding role as a defensive midfielder for Deportivo, de Guzman has assumed a more attacking and creative role for his country, having scored four goals in 40 appearances since making his debut for the Canadian national team at the 2002 Gold Cup.

"I'm used to doing it with the national team, and if that's the role that's given to me with this team, I'm ready to give it my best," de Guzman said.

Toronto FC coach Chris Cummins hinted at deploying de Guzman in a more attacking role, and hopes he can develop chemistry in the centre of midfield with Honduran playmaker Amado Guevara.

"He's got that little bit of quality where he can open up defences, very similar to Amado," said Cummins. "The two of them together, if we can get them in the right areas [on the field], they're going to create things for you."

De Guzman hasn't played in a competitive match since July, when he turned out for the Canadian national team at the Gold Cup. Since arriving in Toronto last week, he's worked with Paul Winsper, the team's strength and conditioning coach, to get his fitness level back to normal.

"This week has been good so far. I've done a lot of intense work with the guys and I'm feeling better and better as each day goes by, so if I stick to the program, I don't see why I shouldn't get a chance to play," de Guzman said.

Cummins didn't say for sure whether or not de Guzman would play in L.A., but Toronto captain Jim Brennan is hoping the former Deportivo star will make his debut on Saturday.

"If he plays, that would be great because Julian's a fantastic player … He's got a big future with this club so the sooner he can get involved the better," Brennan said.