Landon Donovan’s LA Galaxy teammates were full of praise and admiration for the club’s longtime No. 10 as he bowed out of professional soccer with a record sixth MLS Cup winfollowing a 2-1 win against the New England Revolution in overtime on Sunday.
“It’s amazing, I used to look up to him as a kid and I still do,” forward Gyasi Zardes, who scored theGalaxy’s first goal on Sunday, said. “It’s amazing he gets to retire as a champion. He’s always been a mentor and I can truly say I really love Landon.”
Added left back RobbieRogers: “We all wanted to give him that little extra thing to end with. We all respect him so much and I’m so happy he can leave the Galaxy with his head held extremely high and with that extralittle bit of silverware.”
Right back Dan Gargan: “I’ve been playing against Landon for years and we all know he’s a supreme competitor and that he battles all the time. But what I’mmost impressed with is his preparation, everything he does from Monday at 8 a.m. until Sunday at 10 at night. His focus is to be a champion. A lot of people don’t understand the nuances of being aprofessional athlete and he really epitomizes it. To see him live that life for as long as he has and to be witness to that for the last year, I feel like a lucky guy.”