LOS ANGELES— Robbie Keane has been the class of Major League Soccer since he arrived on American shores in 2011.
Since his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur, he’s led the Galaxy to two MLS Cups and has the team on the cusp of a third. He’s tallied an incredible 53 goals and 35 assists in less than 100 matches, and long solidified himself as the most dangerous attacking weapon in MLS.
Now at last, he’s finally getting a little recognition.
Keane was named as the Volkswagen MLS MVP on Wednesday at press conference at WP24 in downtown Los Angeles surrounded by posters trumpeting: “Keane is King” or the “King of LA.”
That Keane was crowned on the upper floors of one of Los Angeles’ highest buildings was no mistake considering that he’s long since been at the top of his craft. As for how he’s achieved that consistency, Keane believes that it is because he’s not changed his game since joining the Galaxy.
“I’m still the same since I walked in the door for that first game,” Keane said. “The most important thing to me is to be consistent and to consistently perform well for the team and consistently scoring goals and assisting people. Every year, I’ve just gotten better and better.”
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena agreed, noting that Keane has continued to grow as a playmaker and a natural goal scorer, but praised his captain for his ability to adapt to MLS in a way that many other high-profile international players had not.
“What makes Robbie different was that he bought into our league right away. It wasn’t a fight that he played at Tottenham or Liverpool or Italy and [thought that] this is the way that things are supposed to be done,” said Arena. “He fully accepted what our league is about and the challenges that go along with that and the challenges with our team. He’s fully bought in since day one and been a great leader and player for us.”
This year, Keane saw a noticeable spike in production as he notched 19 goals and 14 assists, both career-highs. His tally of 19 goals was not only his best mark in MLS, but also the highest total of Keane’s career with one club eclipsing his 16-goal output with Tottenham in the 2005/06 season.
One of the reasons behind his success was an offseason surgery that saw Keane undergo a pair of procedures to repair damage to his Achilles that had accrued over the years.
“The last couple of years, I’ve been struggling with the Achilles problems and after the operation, I was rehabbing every day for six weeks before preseason. It’s been a long year, but it’s been worth it. I had been waking up in the mornings and I could hardly walk and it took me ages to get going in training. But since operation, I feel great.
“Personally though I feel great and I know that I have always played with a lot of enthusiasm. The most important thing is that you always feel great when you’re performing well. If you’re scoring goals and helping the team play well then you’ll feel like that, but if you don’t, you’ll feel [expletive].”
The Irishman, who said that he expects to continue playing for at least “another four years,” has no desire to hang up his boots any time soon. Rather than view his career as winding down, the 34-year-old still maintains the same type of youthful exuberance that he displayed when he burst onto the English soccer scene at just 17.
“It is very simple for me because I love what I do. When you love something, you look forward to waking up,” Keane said. “When you hate something, you’re not looking forward to going into work regardless of whether that’s football or a nine-to-five job. If you don’t love what you do then the battle is gone.
“For me, I wake up every morning and look forward to going to practice. I wake up on the weekend, desperate to play a game,” he added. “I know that I will keep that up as long as I can. For me, it’s not about the money, I’d play for free. When I’m done playing and I go back to Ireland as a manager or whatever, I’ll keep playing in a Sunday league with my mates. That’s just the way I am.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
