CARSON, Calif. -- Landon Donovan is closing in on Steve Ralston's assist record as he enters the final two months of his Major League Soccer career, and if he can keep up his current pace, the mark will be his by the end of October.
He picked up two more in the LA Galaxy's 3-0 SuperClasico triumph Sunday evening over Chivas USA, setting up Gyasi Zardes' goals in the 41st and 71st minutes, to give him 129 in MLS regular-season action, just six behind Ralston's 14-year total of 135.
Actually, it isn't so much that Donovan is taking aim, it's his teammates who want to push him atop the list.
“You want the players that you play with to get as many as they can,” said Galaxy captain Robbie Keane, who also tallied Sunday. “I'm sure with the amount of games, hopefully, he can certainly get close to that, if not beat it.
“Since I've come back, that's what he's been doing. Together we have been creating a lot of chances for each other, so as a team, we just have to continue to play the way that we have been playing.”
Donovan had five assists to go with three goals as LA fashioned a four-game winning streak over 11 days. He's got 12 this season, hitting double-digits for the seventh time in his 14-year MLS career, and has at times aggravated his coaches with his pass-first, shoot-second approach.
The Galaxy “absolutely” believe that Donovan, MLS's all-time goals leader with 141, sometimes isn't selfish enough.
“We talk to him a lot about that,” associate head coach Dave Sarachan said last month. “I think there's times he's got to be more selfish and pick those moments to be aggressive going forward.”
Donovan, the US national team's career goals (57) and assists (58) leader, agrees. He considers himself more playmaker than scorer.
“I'm often at fault,” he said after passing up an open shot to give Keane a chance in the victory over Vancouver nine days ago, “for being a little too unselfish.”
It's part of why the Galaxy (13-5-7) are playing so well. Donovan is playing his best soccer in years as he heads into his final nine games -- plus a national team sendoff match in October and whatever the MLS playoffs have in store -- and foes are struggling to defuse LA's dynamic attack, which has 28 goals in the past 10 games.
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He had four assists in the last week's games, helping Omar Gonzalez's and Baggio Husidic's strikes in Wednesday's 4-1 rout of Eastern Conference leader D.C. United. He was asked about the record after that game.
“If these guys would score more goals, I'd be there already,” he kidded, then said: “That'd be cool. But as long as we keep winning, I'll be happy.”
He was asked again after the Chivas game. This time he sighed and, as if he were addressing children, made it clear he didn't think it was all that important.
“Just trying to win games, guys,” he said. “If we get there, we get there.”
It's certainly doable, and, as Bruce Arena noted in his postgame comments, the path to 136 is pretty simple.
“He has to pass to ball to someone,” the Galaxy's coach said, “and they have to score.”
