Landon Donovan Signs with Galaxy Ahead of Orlando City’s Visit

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A little extra drama has been added to Orlando City SC’s bout against the Los Angeles Galaxy scheduled for Sunday. According to a report by ESPNFC.com’s Jeff Carlisle, former Galaxy player Landon Donovan has come out of retirement and has signed with Los Angeles.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Donovan confirmed the news.

Per Carlisle’s report, Donovan cited Los Angeles’ recent host of injuries for being one of the primary reasons for his return. Despite Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes, midfielder Steven Gerrard and defender Jelle Van Damme all being sidelined, Los Angeles is still No. 3 in the Western Conference.

“Since my retirement, I have remained in close contact with many of the staff and players on the Galaxy,” Donovan wrote on Facebook. “I spoke with some of them that week, and they jokingly asked if I was ready to make a return to the field to help fill some of the void left by the injuries and departures… Over the ensuing days, I began to think about their inquiries, and it struck me that perhaps this is something I could consider.”

In addition to being one of Major League Soccer’s most decorated players, Donovan is also the United States men’s national team’s all-time scoring leader with 57 goals. He is MLS’s only six-time MLS Cup winner and is also the leading scorer with 169 total goals.

Following a dominating 4-1 blasting of Eastern Conference opponent Montreal Impact, the Lions finish their two-game road trip when they travel to face the Galaxy on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. City’s win on Wednesday propelled them into the top six in the Eastern Conference, putting them in playoff contention, for now.

There are still seven games remaining in the regular season, and three more away points would certainly help solidify a spot in the playoffs for the second-year MLS team.

(Featured photo by Ed Zurga / Getty Images)