LA Galaxy beats Orlando City in Landon Donovan's return to MLS
CARSON, Calif. -- Landon Donovan returned to the LA Galaxy as a
second-half substitute Sunday night, ending his 21-month MLS retirement
in their 4-2 victory over Orlando City.
Donovan, the top scorer in the history of MLS and the U.S. men's national team, announced his comeback with the Galaxy three days earlier.
Wearing
a No. 26 jersey instead of his usual No. 10, the 34-year-old got a
lengthy standing ovation from the StubHub Center crowd before entering
in the 83rd minute of his first game since the 2014 MLS Cup final.
Giovani
Dos Santos scored two goals and Alan Gordon added another during a
first-half barrage for the Galaxy (11-4-14), who took sole possessions
second place in the Western Conference with their second straight win.
Captain Robbie Keane also scored as a second-half substitute as LA extended its unbeaten streak to five matches.
Kevin
Molino scored on a rebound in the 20th minute for Orlando City
(7-8-13), which struggled defensively when the Galaxy's high-powered
lineup got rolling.
Dos
Santos, the Mexican star now wearing Donovan's No. 10, scored in the
35th minute on a sweet setup from Emmanuel Boateng. He banged in a
penalty in the 44th minute after his incredible pass set up Gordon to be
taken down in the box.
Gordon scored his 50th career goal in the
39th minute on a pass by Jelle Van Damme, who was chest-bumped to the
ground by Gordon in the celebration.
Keane then scored in the 70th minute off another setup from Dos Santos, who played an inspired game.
The
Galaxy supporters began to sing for Donovan in the 70th minute after
Keane's goal. When he took off his warmup shirt to don the No. 26
jersey, Donovan got another ovation that continued when he checked in.
Donovan
waved to his wife and young son after stepping on the field. He hadn't
been training extensively before deciding to return, but his fitness was
enough for a late-game run along the left side of the Galaxy's
formation. Donovan has committed to return for at least the rest of this
season, which he hopes will end with his record seventh MLS Cup
championship.
Brek Shea added a goal for Orlando City on the final kick of second-half injury time.
Keane
replaced Gordon as a second-half substitute in his first appearance in
three weeks for the Galaxy, who hope to get their full roster healthy
before the postseason. The Galaxy's run of injuries was among the main
reasons cited by Donovan for his comeback.
Van Damme returned to
the Galaxy's defense after a two-game absence with a sprained knee
ligament, but Steven Gerrard and Gyasi Zardes remained sidelined with
injuries.
LAG
ORL
LAG
ORL
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