LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan has been named the MLS Player of the Month after scoring a league-best eight goals in the month of April. The 26-year old U.S. international recorded three multi-goal games in the month, including the first hat trick in MLS this season in the Galaxy's 5-2 win over Chivas USA on April 26.
"I want to thank the North American Soccer Reporters for naming me the Player of the Month," Donovan said. "This is a tremendous personal honor but I could not have achieved it without the help of my teammates. It has been a total team effort and I hope to keep it going."
The California native opened the month with a goal and an assist in the Galaxy's 2-0 win over rival San Jose Earthquakes on April 3. Just over a week later, Donovan turned in his first multi-goal performance of the season, scoring twice in the 3-2 loss to Toronto FC on April 13. He would go on to score twice more in the 2-2 draw with Houston on April 19, the first of which was voted the Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Week, before capping off the month by recording his first-ever hat trick in Galaxy colors and adding an assist in the 5-2 demolition of Chivas USA on April 26, giving him eight goals and two assists in four games on the month.
Donovan is the seventh different Galaxy player to be named Player of the Month and the first since Alejandro Moreno won the award in May 2004. This is the third such honor for Donovan, who was also selected as the Player of the Month in April 2003 and September 2003 as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes.
His eight goals in the month of April are one shy of Stern John's record of nine goals in one month, a record that he set in August 1998 while his eight goals over the first five games of the season set a new MLS record for goals over the first five games of the year, breaking the former mark of six.
Donovan and the LA Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, May 3 when they take on Real Salt Lake at 6 p.m. in a game which will be shown live on FSN West. The Galaxy return home on May 10 when they host the New York Red Bulls at The Home Depot Center. This match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are still available. For more information about this game or to purchase tickets, please visit
