Major League Soccer (MLS) made the grand announcement on Dec. 9, 2020, of the 25 Greatest players in the history of the league. Celebrating its 25th anniversary of being in play, paid homage to those 25 players.
Incredibly, six of the 25 players happen to be stars-at one time or another-for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Those six players are Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Robin Fraser, Kevin Heartman, Cobi Jones, and Robie Keane.
The ceremonial gesture by the league was presented by AT&T and pretty much covered all of the positions on the field. Of those named as part of the Greatest 25 of MLS players, three were goalkeepers, five were defenders, nine more that were called were midfielders, and eight were forwards.
The 25 best MLS players that were picked played for a variety of MLS clubs over the stretch of their careers.
When it comes to this list, Donovan stands out over the other Galaxy greats. His accomplishments speak for themselves. He’s a 14-time MLS All-Star selection. During his career, Donovan won six MLS Cups (two with San Jose; four titles with the Galaxy), is the league’s all-time leader in assists and is No. 2 in goals scored.
That’s just a short synopsis of what Donovan’s career looked like on the playing field. Taking to Twitter, Donovan said he was honored to be part of the 25 Greatest in MLS soccer history.
“I am honored to be part of such an amazing group of players,” Donovan said. “You don’t win six MLS championships without incredible teammates and coaches. I was fortunate to play with/be coached by some of the best. I’m grateful for every one of you.”
When it comes to the top 25 players ever in the history of MLS soccer, there’s no doubt that Donovan’s name would be at the top of the list. After all, Donovan is widely considered the best player the Galaxy has had. The Galaxy’s all-time scorer, Donovan’s professional career began with him playing with Germany in the Bundesliga signing with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 1999.
When Donovan was with Bayer 04 Leverkusen, he played for one just season. After leaving Leverkusen for appearing one season, Donovan went to the MLS and was loaned to the San Jose Earthquakes in March 2001.
Two years after joining the Earthquakes, Donovan won his first MLS Cup in his first year with the team. He would win his second MLS cup two years later. Donovan spent four seasons playing for the Earthquakes. He would spend another 11 years playing for the Galaxy.
In 2005, Donavan joined the Galaxy and promptly won the MLS championship with the team in his first year. This was Donovan’s third title in five years. Donovan won three more titles, including winning the MLS Cup with the Galaxy in 2012 and 2014.
Following a brief hiatus from the sport, Donovan decided to come back and play, unretiring and then calling it a career for good in 2018. Donovan is a legend in MLS soccer history as well as the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Donovan helped the U. S. Men’s National Team win four Gold Cup championships in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2013. Donovan is a proven winner, but he had this to say about the U.S. and the country’s lack of development of young players.
“[The] U.S. needs to do a better job of developing players,” Donovan said.
The featured image of Landon Donovan appears as a courtesy photo via Creative Commons
My favorite sport to write about is soccer. I am very passionate about soccer. I also write stories and cover college football. I cover and write about college or professional sports in and around Los Angeles. I enjoy watching soccer, basketball, baseball, and football.