CARSON, Calif. – Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane received all the plaudits for their stellar showings in the LA Galaxy’s 3-0 victory over Toronto FC, but it was forward Alan Gordon who may have put to rest a specter that has long haunted Galaxy fans.
With his impressive 30-yard blast in stoppage time, Gordon notched his fifth tally of the season and is now the all-time leading goal scorer to don the Galaxy’s No. 9 kit bypassing former LA striker Jovan Kirovski’s mark of four goals during the 2010 campaign.
The struggles of players such as Christian Wilhelmsson, Samuel and Alex Pineda Chacon has long tormented LA fans but Gordon’s success since joining the team in August from the San Jose Earthquakes may prove that at long last, the club’s dreaded “No. 9 curse” has been broken.
After learning of his new distinction, Gordon admitted that setting a scoring record with a scant five goals was a “little sad” but the veteran striker was quick to cite his tenaciousness as the reason for his success during his second stint with the Galaxy.
“I’m just trying to do little things,” said Gordon. “It’s not like I broke a record, but with the team playing so well and the amount of talent around, the chances don’t stop. With Landon [Donovan] and Robbie [Keane] playing, I think anybody would have chances.”
While Gordon is quick to deflect the attention to his more renowned teammates, the striker has been a welcome addition to the Galaxy due his ability to come off the bench and provide a different dimension for the LA offense.
Whether it’s providing a bruising presence that allows LA to play a direct style or taking shots from distance like his goal against Toronto, Gordon’s presence has yielded goals, four of which have come with the striker entering in the late stages of matches.
“We keep saying it every time he comes on – when he comes on he scores. It just seems normal for him to come in and score a goal. It’s always good to have someone like that on your team,” said Keane.
“He works hard in training every day. He’s a big part of this team. He’s a big part of we are doing. If things aren’t going well for us, he’s a player that can come on and change things. His energy – the way he runs around. He’s a big man who is very, very good in the air. As you saw [Saturday], he’s really good with his feet also.”
Added Donovan, “I can’t imagine that it’s a welcome sight for teams to defend Robbie and Gyasi for [extended] minutes and then look up to see Alan come into the game. I think that’d be pretty difficult.”
The Galaxy will need Gordon on Sunday evening when LA head to Texas to take on FC Dallas. For the match in the Lone Star State, they’ll be without Keane due to international duty, opening up a likely starting spot for the veteran target striker.
If Gordon does in fact slide into Arena’s starting lineup on Sunday, he’ll have the full support of the Galaxy captain.
Said Keane, “The good thing about having a squad is that when people are injured or leave for their national teams – it’s an opportunity for someone to step up and help this team maintain the performance that we’ve shown the last few months or so.
“I’m sure [Alan] Gordon will come in and do well.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
