Landon Donovan, long considered one of the country’s most dominant soccer players, confirmed Thursday he is coming out of retirement and will rejoin his old team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, for the remainder of the Major League Soccer season.
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Donovan cited burnout when he retired from soccer six months after being cut from the US national team ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
Donovan, who is still the best scorer of the team of the United States (57 goals), has passages inconclusive in Europe, especially in Germany Bayer Leverkusen (2004), Bayern Munich (2009) and England, Everton (2010, 2012).
Landon Donovan: “Nothing would make me happier than standing on the field with [his son] Talon and the rest of my family celebrating the Galaxys sixth championship on December 10”.
“I care so deeply about the Galaxy organization”, Donovan wrote, “and I believe I could help in a small way to aid the team in its quest for a 6th MLS championship”.
Landon Donovan’s comeback from retirement isn’t the first and definitely won’t be the last instance of a pro athlete calling it quits, only to be lured back to the competitive arena.
It is not known how De Jong’s release – and the money the Galaxy saved by letting him go – factored in Donovan’s signing.
An American soccer icon has returned to the game, and will spend the rest of the 2016 season playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Donovan wrote that he was persuaded to return after watching several key Galaxy players pick up injuries in recent weeks. So he’s returning to the Galaxy. MLS named its MVP trophy after him a year ago. He can not confirm any details of the comeback and has not spoken to him since the news of Donovan’s return. Michael Jordan retired from the National Basketball Association twice before playing his last game for the Washington Wizards at age 40.
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The Galaxy are now in third place in the Western Conference with 44 points.
