CARSON, Calif. - The Los Angeles Galaxy today acquired midfielder Ian Russell off waivers. A two-time MLS Cup winner, Russell has played in more than 130 career MLS games during a six-year MLS career. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
Russell was a member of the San Jose Earthquakes from 2000-2005, winning two MLS Cup championships while helping to establish San Jose as a perennial contender in the MLS Western Conference. The 31-year old played in 131 career regular season games for San Jose, scoring five goals and adding 20 assists while setting career-high with three goals and nine assists in 2001. A native of Seattle, Russell started 90 of the 131 games in which he played for the Earthquakes and logged more than 8,000 minutes of play before retiring prior to the start of the 2006 campaign.
"Ian is a player that I know very well from our time in San Jose and that I have tremendous respect for," Galaxy Head Coach Frank Yallop said. "He is a true professional and a proven winner who will play an important role in this club's success in 2007."
In addition to his regular season success, Russell appeared in 14 career postseason games for the Earthquakes, scoring one goal and adding three assists. Two of those assists came in heartbreaking loses for the Galaxy. Russell assisted on Landon Donovan's game-tying goal late in the first half of MLS Cup 2001 while also assisting on Rodrigo Faria's series-clinching golden goal in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals, helping his team to win the MLS Cup in each of those seasons.
A former star at the University of Washington and with the Seattle Sounders of the A-League, Russell came to MLS after being selected by San Jose in the fifth round of the 2000 MLS SuperDraft.
