CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy’s Alan Gordon said he’s working diligently to win back the fans’ favor after his previous stint with the club featured so much disappointment.
Suffice to say he’s on the right track.
The veteran striker, re-acquired from the San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 11, scored his second goal in three games in Wednesday’s decisive 4-1 victory over Eastern Conference-leading D.C. United in front of 16,044 at StubHub Center.
It’s been close to a new lease on life for Gordon, who had been languishing in San Jose and had not scored this season before returning to Southern California. The 32-year-old scored just a minute into Wednesday’s highly anticipated match between the conference powers and got the Galaxy (12-5-7, 43 points) rolling toward one of their most impressive performances of the season.
Gordon admitted it has been a fresh start since he rejoined his old club.
“It’s a new chapter,” he said. “It’s exciting. I have something to prove. I have fans to make up for that have hard feelings against me. I’m working my hardest to win them back.
“I’m working hard to earn respect from my teammates and those things are powerful tools. Every time you get a fresh start you go out with a clean slate and this has been a good start.”
Gordon had a sudden impact just eight days ago, when he came on as a second-half substitute for Stefan Ishizaki and scored the tying goal in an eventual 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rapids. He was at it again Wednesday when he was on the receiving end of a fortuitous deflection deep in United’s penalty area and beat goalkeeper Bill Hamid just over a minute into the match for a 1-0 lead.
“You guys know more than I do. It just kind of ricocheted off and fell right to me,” Gordon said about the goal, only his second of the season. He had neither a goal nor an assist in 15 appearances with the Earthquakes before the trade.
The Galaxy’s Landon Donovan, who was superb Wednesday with a goal and two assists, continues to be impressed with his new/old teammate.
“I’m trying to figure out how he couldn’t play in San Jose,” Donovan said. “It’s pretty obvious how good he’s been and what an impact he makes. I think he should be a starter on a lot of teams in this league, including San Jose.
“It’s interesting to see they would let him go. We’re happy to have him, he’s been excellent … his work rate, his attitude. The guys love him and he’s scored important goals for us.”
Gordon said he continues to feed off what has been a positive vibe since his return.
“I maintained my relationships with guys on the team, and coming in here was seamless,” he said. “I feel at home; it’s like I’ve been here all year. It’s only been two weeks.”
