Landon Donovan Appears To Be Coming Out of Retirement
By Ty Duffy
Hearing from multiple sources that @landondonovan is close to coming out of retirement to rejoin @lagalaxy for remainder of season
— Blake Thomsen (@blakecthomsen) September 8, 2016
Can confirm @blakecthomsen report on Donovan being in talks to come out of retirement. Story to follow soon. #usmnt #lagalaxy
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) September 8, 2016
Yes @landondonovan is returning to the #LAGalaxy announcement could come as early as today. And Nigel de Jong's move was central to the deal
— Kevin Baxter (@kbaxter11) September 8, 2016
Multiple reporters confirmed Blake Thomsen’s initial report that Landon Donovan is in talks to rejoin the L.A. Galaxy this season.
Donovan, 34, retired from MLS after the 2014 season. While he had faded from peak from at international level, he was still among the better players in MLS. 2014 was also Donovan’s last appearance for the USMNT.
Nigel de Jong’s departure for Galtasaray in August freed up some salary space, though that may not have any correlation to the deal.
Now hearing that correlation between Landon Donovan's signing and Nigel de Jong's leaving is a bit squishy
— Kevin Baxter (@kbaxter11) September 8, 2016
Donovan is probably the greatest player in MLS history. He has scored 144 league goals in 334 appearances for the Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes. Returning, Donovan would be eligible to win the league’s MVP award, named after himself.