Then the dynamic changed in the 36th minute on a back pass from Zach Scott that came off the veterans foot the wrong way. Robbie Keane doggedly intercepted the loose pass and fired a shot by Stefan Frei to make it 1-0 LA.
An era is coming to an end for the LA Galaxy and MLS.
Robbie Keane, one of the most successful Designated Players since the institution of the rule in 2007, will not return to the Galaxy after five and a half seasons in which the Irish international established himself as one of the most feared strikers in the league.
Keane departs the Galaxy having tallied 92 goals and 51 assists and helped the Galaxy win three MLS Cups, three Western Conference titles and the second of back-to-back Supporters Shield in 2011. Overall, Keane scored over 100 goals in all competitions in a Galaxy shirt.
Keane arrived in Los Angeles midway through the 2011 season after a lengthy career across Europe. Keane scored in his first MLS match against the San Jose Earthquakes on August 20. Keane however struggled to adjust to MLS’ rugged style the remainder of the season, though he still played a vital role in the Galaxy’s run to the MLS Cup that year, scoring a key goal in the Western Conference Final against Real Salt Lake in which he juked Jamison Olave before firing a ball that beat Nick Rimando far post to seal LA’s trip to the final.
Keane’s 2012 season didn’t get off to a good start either, as he scored just three goals the first three months prior to departing for national team duty with Ireland for the 2012 Euro’s. Keane’s scoring touch returned once he returned from international duty, as he tallied 13 times the remainder of the season, then scored six more times in the playoffs as the Galaxy overcame a fourth-place finish in the conference, upset the Supporters Shield winning Earthquakes in the conference semifinal, then outlasted Seattle in the conference final before defeating Houston in the Final for a second straight year to win its second straight MLS Cup.
Keane tallied 16 more goals in 2013, but 2014 was his peak year. Keane scored 19 goals but also tallied 14 assists and his efforts earned him MPV honors that year, and Keane capped off his stellar year by scoring the winning goal in the Final against the New England Revolution to win the Galaxy’s fifth MLS Cup.
Keane scored 20 goals in 2015, a career high in league play, but this past season, Keane’s body started to break down. Keane did record a fifth-straight double-digit goal season in 2016, but it was only 10 goals and Keane played in just half of the Galaxy’s matches due to a combination of injuries and international duty.
Keane’s retirement from the Ireland national team might have served as a precursor of things to come. Keane, the face of Irish soccer, broke onto the world stage in the 2002 World Cup in Japan\South Korea, as he scored three goals in four games as Ireland advanced to the round of 16. Keane is Ireland’s all-time leading scorer with 68 goals in 148 matches.
Keane is not the only high profile star departing the Stubhub Center, as Steven Gerrard will also be leaving the club when his contract expires. Gerrard came over last Summer after a celebrated career at Liverpool and the England national team. Gerrard’s time with the Galaxy was less overwhelming however, as he scored just five goals and struggled to find his spot on a star-studded lineup.
