Davila will headline Macarthur FC's A-League squad when they head to Macedonia Park to face Illawarra Premier League side Wollongong United in a trial.

The Mexican star is familiar with the Illawarra, having spent the 2020/21 season based in the area with the Wellington Phoenix.

The impact of COVID forced Wellington to remain away from New Zealand, instead setting up their players and staff at the University of Wollongong campus and playing "home" games at WIN Stadium.

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Davila's time in Wollongong seemed to bring the best out of him, with the midfielder jointly winning the Johnny Warren Medal (alongside Milos Ninkovic) as the competition's best player that season.

The following season, Davila joined Macarthur FC on a three-year deal, and soon after became their captain.

Now, fast forward to August 2022 and Davila told the Mercury he was excited to be coming back to the Illawarra.

"I'll have my first minutes with the team this pre-season, so it will obviously be nice to go back to Wollongong. I enjoyed my time there a lot, and my family enjoyed it too," Davila said.

"To be honest, we loved the place and that season was very good in terms of the support and help that we received from the people in Wollongong. It was a very special place for everyone.

"But we will be the enemy this time, I expect the worst," he added with a laugh. "No, I enjoy every time I go back to Wollongong. Hopefully we can have a beautiful game for the people."

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Macarthur finished sixth in Davila's first campaign with the Bulls, before being knocked out by Adelaide in the first week of finals.

He is now gearing up for his second campaign in Campbelltown. With the next A-League season kicking off in early October, the 31-year-old said Wednesday night's trial would be important in their preparation.

"Everyone is trying to have their best performance and be in the best shape, so it's important to have a good game and get good minutes in the legs," Davila said.

"This is my second week [of pre-season], but the team is looking pretty good and they're working hard. There's been a lot of intensity in training and intensity in what the boss is asking. There's been a couple of good changes to make us more aggressive and more attacking, and everyone is fighting for a place. The team is looking to have a good pre-season, and obviously a good season.

"I don't much about Wollongong United, but they did very well in the Australia Cup. I believe they have a good team and good players, so we're expecting to have a tough game."

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