CARSON, Calif.– The LA Galaxy announced today that Edson Buddle has left the club on a free transfer, electing to sign with FC Ingolstadt of the German 2. Bundesliga. The Galaxy’s MVP in 2010 when he scored a career-high 17 goals and was named to the United States World Cup team, Buddle scored 42 goals in 87 regular season games since joining the club in June 2007.
“While I have decided to leave the Galaxy, I do so with fond memories of my four years with the club,” Buddle said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Los Angeles and will miss my teammates, coaches, staff and everyone who works for the club as they helped make me the player that I am today. I also want to thank all of the great Galaxy fans who have supported me ever since I arrived at the club and I am hopeful that one day I will be able to return to the Galaxy and help lead them to an MLS Cup championship.”
Buddle had his best season as a professional in 2010, scoring 17 goals and helping the Galaxy win their first Supporters’ Shield since 2002. The New York-native scored nine of the Galaxy’s first 10 goals of the season, recording four multi-goal games in the first six weeks of the season, and led the league in scoring all season long until being surpassed on the final weekend of the year. He continued his fine form into the postseason, scoring in both legs of the Galaxy’s Western Conference Semifinal Series win over the Seattle Sounders FC.
The Galaxy lost just once in 2010 when Buddle scored a goal, recording a 13-1-1 record in all competitions. The fourth leading scorer in club history and the only player in MLS history with 40 or more goals for two different clubs, Buddle factored in 21 of the club’s 47 regular season and postseason goals, scoring 19 and assisting on two others. Additionally, Buddle joins Carlos Ruiz as the only two players in Galaxy history to record multiple seasons with 15 or more goals and became the seventh player in MLS history to score 90 or more goals in his MLS career.
One of the top goal scorers in the history of MLS with 90 goals in 231 regular season games in his 10-year MLS career, Buddle was acquired by the Galaxy from Toronto FC in June 2007 in exchange for defender Tyrone Marshall. After finishing second on the team with five goals in his first season with the club, three of which came against his former clubs, Buddle played a starring role in 2008, scoring a then-career-high with 15 goals to earn his first berth in the MLS All-Star Game. His 15 goals were the third most in MLS that season, with 10 of them coming in a seven game span between May 18 and June 29 during which he recorded a pair of hat tricks.
Injuries limited Buddle to just 19 games, his fewest since 2001, in 2009, but he still managed to finish second on the team with five goals, two of which were game-winning goals.
The 29-year-old Buddle began his MLS career in 2001 with the Columbus Crew and tallied 42 goals in his five years with the club. A member of the Crew’s 2002 U.S. Open Cup winning team, Buddle scored a career-high of four goals in a single game on September 18, 2004, helping the Crew defeat the MetroStars 4-2. Prior to the start of the 2006 season, he was traded to the New York Red Bulls, scoring six goals in 28 games for the club before joining Toronto FC in November 2006, prior to the start of their inaugural season. He played in 10 games for the club, tallying two assists before being traded to the Galaxy.
The Galaxy will open the 2011 MLS season on Tuesday, March 15 when they head to Seattle to take on the Seattle Sounders FC at Qwest Field in MLS First Kick 2011, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. That game, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m., will be shown live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, as well as online at ESPN3.com. The Galaxy will then host the New England Revolution in their home opener at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 at The Home Depot Center. Tickets are available for that match through the Galaxy Kickoff Pack, which includes four tickets and two Galaxy blankets, starting at $96. BUY NOW
