Landon Donovan Retires a Champion as MLS Must Begin New Chapter Without Its Face

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: December 8, 2014

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Landon Donovan is taking his ball, and his trophy, and going home. Forever.

In the 111th minute of a sloppy, grind-it-out MLS Cup final, MLS MVP Robbie Keane slotted home the cup-winning goal for the LA Galaxy, who defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time, earning the Los Angeles franchise its record fifth league title.

A jubilant home crowd unfurled its banners and tributes, celebrating another title with the class franchise in MLS, with the class player of a generation.

"Party at Donovan's," one banner read. I have a feeling the Galaxy will bring the cups.

Keane's extra-time goal did more than just win another cup for the Galaxy and send Donovan off into the sunset a six-time champion. The goal—and the win, the cup and all the celebration that comes with winning another title—signified the end of an MLS era.

"This is incredible. When you look around and you see this it's amazing," Donovan told Monica Gonzalez of ESPN. "There is lots of excitement around this league. I'm glad to have been a part of it. This is just the end of the playing part. I'll still be around."



The timing seems more than coincidental that MLS will begin its 20th season—the first without Donovan in a decade and a half—by rebranding itself with a new logo, by expanding into Orlando and New York City, with more expansion plans two years down the line, and by signing a new television deal. The league hopes the TV deal will bring a renewed interest in American professional soccer to those who have been waiting two decades for MLS to become more than a stepping-stone league for young American talent and a retirement league for aging Europeans.

For anyone who has taken the time to watch the development of play in MLS over the last 19 years, it's probably a bit of an unfair characterization to still think of it as a retirement and/or developmental league. There is ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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