LOS ANGELES—Keane is king.
To no one’s surprise, LA Galaxy captain Robbie Keane was named the 2014 Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player on Tuesday at a first-rate ceremony in Downtown Los Angeles.
Keane has stood head and shoulders above the rest this season with 19 goals (third best in MLS) and 14 assists (tied for second) for a Galaxy team that sits on the brink of a fifth MLS Cup title. Since Bruce Arena acquired the intrepid Irish forward in August 2011, he has proven to be the missing piece that a talented Galaxy team needed to win back-to-back MLS Cup titles.
Because of what he’s in accomplished in his three-and-a-half years with the Galaxy, it is this reporter’s opinion that Keane has solidified himself as the best international player in Major League Soccer in this century.
While Keane has had an immense impact in his time at StubHub Center, his career numbers pale in comparison to the league’s finest international import who was also picked up by Bruce Arena: D.C. United legend Jaime Moreno. During the early years of the league, the Bolivian playmaker was the class of MLS as he ead United to four MLS titles—two of which featured Arena at the helm.
But as Arena himself notes, comparing Moreno and Keane is like comparing apples and oranges.
“Those are different eras. Robbie has been an important part of this team and our success, but how it compares to the Marco Etcheverrys and the Morenos of the world, I don’t know,” said Arena. “He’s had an impact here, but Robbie came into a much more established club than the one that started the league. Those are different eras and it’s hard to compare specific players.”
Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way, what about this era’s internationals?
Keane’s arrival in 2011 was part of a wave of foreign players who rushed to join an MLS that had grown in short time from a league on the brink of extinction to the vibrant and prosperous organization that it is today.
The Designated Player wave began in 2007 with the Galaxy’s acquisition of David Beckham, who endured a rollercoaster six-year stint in MLS that included all the trappings of a Hollywood movie— fanfare, distain even redemption as LA won back-to-back MLS Cup titles.
During his time in MLS, there was no finer passer of the ball than Beckham as the Galaxy built their counter-attacking style around his ability to spring attackers by spraying long balls with pinpoint accuracy. But for all his success, Beckham tallied only 40 assists in his time in MLS, a mark that is only five in front of Keane’s all-time regular season mark of 35 assists which was accrued in two fewer seasons. Also while Beckham’s presence rose the profile of the league and his club, his teams occasionally fell short of the ultimate prize and it was not until the acquisition of Keane in 2011 that the Englishman won his first MLS Cup title.
So cross that name off the list.
Maybe Mexican superstar Cuauhtémoc Blanco who shined with the Chicago Fire from 2007 to 2009 measures up to Keane’s success in a Galaxy shirt? Like the Irishman, Blanco earned consecutive MLS MVP finalist nods, but unlike Keane, he failed to rack up considerable offensive numbers during his time with Chicago.
During his time with the Fire, Blanco led Chicago to three straight playoff appearances but could only register 16 goals and 25 assists in 62 games. Keane’s totals of 53 goals and 35 assists are far and away superior to that of the Mexican national team legend.
Next.
In this writer’s opinion, the only player who stacks up to the Irishman is departing New York Red Bulls star Thierry Henry. No, Henry never won any titles with the Red Bulls or even finished as a finalist for the league’s Most Valuable Player award but he did rack up plenty of statistical success. Upon joining the Red Bulls from FC Barcelona, France’s greatest striker ever hit the ground running in MLS wowing audiences from Harrison to Carson with his magisterial skills on the ball.
In his five seasons in New York, Henry tallied 51 goals and 42 assists in a total of 122 games and while his numbers stack up favorably and even surpass the Irishman’s assist total, Keane has the edge due to playing just 84 regular season games.
With only 84 games under his belt, Keane holds a remarkable goals-per-game ratio—Keane’s mark is 0.63 compared to Henry’s .42–and assist-per-game ratio—Keane’s mark is 0.41 while Henry’s 0.34— that clearly solidify him as the finest international player in MLS since 2000.
Now where does Keane go from here?
On Sunday, he’ll play for his third MLS Cup title when the Galaxy host the New England Revolution, but the Irishman has noted throughout the year that he has no plans to hang up his boots any time soon.
Rather, he’ll simply keep on scoring and continue to lead a talented Galaxy side as they challenge for many more MLS Cup titles in the years to come.
Get yourself ready for even more cartwheels.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
