CARSON, Calif. – Alan Gordon returned home a few months ago to help the LA Galaxy win their third MLS Cup championship in four seasons. He hopes to stick around until he's done kicking.
The veteran forward re-upped with the Galaxy, the club announced Tuesday, then told MLSsoccer.com that it’s where he wants to be until the end.
“I grew up here and my family is here, so this is home for me,” said Gordon, who grew up in Southern California and spent his first 6½ years in MLS, through mid-2010, with the Galaxy. “As far as my home club, yeah I would say [it's the Galaxy]. I've spent a large amount of my career here, and I always wanted to retire here.
“I'm not saying that's how it's going to end up, but I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen. That would make me happy.”
Gordon, who scored five goals, four of them equalizers or game-winners, after arriving in an August trade with the San Jose Earthquakes, has no plans to quit anytime soon. He said his new deal is for one year with a further option year, and he's not yet looking beyond that point.
“I'm 33, and every year is a one-year deal for me,” he said. “I want to try to accomplish my goals and hopefully take that to another year. So that will be my goal, is to make it to another year.”
Gordon gave the Galaxy a true target man up front, primarily as a substitute, and he made an immediate impact, scoring five times with an assist in his first 11 matches with the team. He made five starts in 14 regular-season appearances. He came off the bench in all of the Galaxy’s playoff games, seeing a full half-hour in the MLS Cup title game win over the New England Revolution.
It was everything he wanted after his playing time diminished with the Earthquakes.
“That was everything for me,” he said, “for my family to see that. Back in 2005, when I won my first championship [with the Galaxy], I was not with my wife and I didn't have any kids, and this time around it was a lot different. I have a family that was able to go through the process and be excited and watch daddy win a trophy, and it was really special for me.”
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Gordon says he's set a few goals for 2015 -- “a certain amount of goals, a certain amount of games, I want to stay healthy, and some other goals I just keep to myself" -- but will get to work on those when camp begins. The offseason is family time.
"I'm a fulltime dad and husband in the offseason, and that's my focus," he said.
“I kind of stay away from the field. I do a lot of damage to my body, banging around and stuff, so there's plenty of time in preseason to [prepare].”
