CARSON, Calif. – If Edson Buddle wants to continue to see minutes for the LA Galaxy, the 34-year-old striker knows that he’s going to have to start finding the back of the net.
The 34-year-old forward has not scored since Aug. 20, 2014 when he scored on the Galaxy for the Colorado Rapids. Since rejoining the club in preseason, Buddle has been limited to just six appearances due to injury.
Buddle looked incredibly sharp during training on Friday but the veteran goal scorer knows that it’s time for him to find the back of the net in an actual game.
“I want to get going. When you’re not scoring, you’re reminded of how great it feels to score and find the back of the net,” said Buddle. It’s always felt great to score a goal, but especially to score a goal for this club because it means a lot more to score for the Galaxy than anywhere else.”
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena agreed that he expects plenty more from the veteran striker—especially with the club hurting for numbers with injuries to Alan Gordon and Jose Villarreal.
“[He has to] play well,” Arena said when asked about what he needs to see from the forward. “Edson is one of the few players who have scored 100 goals in this league so we want to see him be a dangerous forward and be a threat to goal.”
And Buddle, ever the professional, understands exactly what his coach wants.
“When it comes from Bruce, that’s what it means. Score goals. That’s what I have to do. It’s a 90 minutes, there are other little things that you can do to help the team but at the end of the day, what is most important is scoring goals.”
