Robbie Keane scores twice to lead Galaxy to 3-0 victory
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For the Galaxy, at least, there is no debate: Team captain Robbie Keane is the league’s most valuable player this year.
Keane again proved why Saturday night, in a game in which his teammate Landon Donovan made more Major League Soccer history.
Keane, the 34-year-old Irish forward, scored twice in the first half to lead the Galaxy to a 3-0 win over Toronto FC at StubHub Center, extending the first-place Galaxy’s undefeated streak to 10 games.
Donovan had an assist on Keane’s second goal, making Donovan the MLS career leader in assists, with 136. Donovan had entered the game tied for the record with Steve Ralston.
Donovan, who plans to retire after this season, also is the MLS career scoring leader, with 144 goals.
Keane’s second goal started with a long forward pass from Donovan to A.J. DeLaGarza, who then lofted a cross pass to Keane in the 25th minute. Before the ball could touch the ground, Keane, standing 15 yards in front of the goal, drilled the ball with his right foot into the far corner of the net.
The Galaxy’s initial score came three minutes earlier, when Galaxy midfielder Marcelo Sarvas sent a pass to Keane, who knocked it in from 12 yards past Toronto FC goalkeeper Joe Bendik.
Alan Gordon, a late substitute for the Galaxy, added the third goal with a line drive from 30 yards during the three minutes of stoppage time at the end of regulation.
The victory improved the Galaxy’s record to 17-5-9, while Toronto FC dropped to 11-12-7.
Now in his third full season with the Galaxy, Keane has a team-high 19 goals, the third highest in the MLS, in 28 games played this year. He also has 14 assists, tying him for second in the league behind the 19 tallied by Donovan.
Keane is a key reason the Galaxy already has clinched a playoff spot and why his club is adamant that Keane deserves MVP honors.
“Without being disrespectful to any of the players that would be considered, I think that it is Robbie in a landslide” for MVP, Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena said last week.
“We’re very lucky to have him, and there’s no question that he’s the MVP,” Donovan said of Keane. “His ability to create chances and wreak havoc on defenses is unlike any other. I would absolutely hate to play against him if I was a defender.”
Keane, though, took a neutral stance about being MVP.
“They say this every year,” Keane said after he scored twice in the Galaxy’s 4-0 win over the New York Red Bulls last week. “They say MVP every year, and then I don’t win it, so I’d prefer not even to speak about it.
“In football, the most important thing is consistency,” he added. “If you’re consistent, then every year you continue to strive to do better than you did the year before.”
Keane had 16 goals and 11 assists last year, and 16 goals and nine assists in 2012.
The Galaxy has three games left in the regular season: Against Dallas on Oct. 12, and then two against Seattle, at home on Oct. 19 and in Seattle on Oct. 25.
