Sep 28, 2014; Carson, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy forward Robbie Keane (7) passes the ball in front of New York Red Bulls defender Chris Duvall (25) in the first half of the game at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Galaxy forward Robbie Keane is making a strong case for MLS MVP, with 17 goals and 14 assists to his credit. However, Keane is downplaying all this MVP talk heading into this Saturday’s match with Toronto FC (kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m,. ET, MLS LIVE, TSN2, RDS).
“We say this every year,” Keane told LAGalaxy.com’s Adam Serrano. “We say MVP every year and I don’t win it, so I’d prefer not to even speak about it. In football, the most important thing is consistency. If you’re consistent then every year you continue to strive to do better than you did the year before, and every year since I’ve been here, I’ve done that. That’s all you can ask for.”
Keane says that it’s the team’s performance that matters, not the individual.
“That’s all you can ask for. 16 goals and 11 assists last year and now more goals this year, more assists this year,” Keane said. “As a player, that’s all you can ask for. I challenge myself every season to do that. As long as you have a challenge in your own mind then I’m satisfied with what I’ve done this season. My aim every year is to do better than I have the year before.
“Listen, you can always be better, but if you always think that then you can easily be kicked in the face the next game. It’s important that we don’t get too carried away. We had a great performance , but as soon as we leave the stadium it’s finished.”
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“He’s comfortable, he’s confident, he’s aggressive, and he’s moving well. I would absolutely hate to play against him if I was a defender,” said Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, who is one assist away from setting the MLS assists record. “He’s as good as I’ve seen him and it’s truly an honor to play with him. It really is.”
“Robbie has over the last three and a half years been consistently among the best players in the league. This year without being disrespectful to any of the players that would be considered, I think that it is Robbie in a landslide to be honest with you,” Galaxy manager Bruce Arena told Serrano. “His numbers show that, his team’s performance shows that and since Robbie has been here, we’ve been consistently a winner and won a Supporters’ Shield and two MLS Cups. It’s no accident that Robbie has been here for all that and the value that he has for our team.
“Anyone with a brain in a game, it’s hard to say that Robbie wouldn’t be your first choice. He’s having a remarkable season and a remarkable career in this league.”
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jaime Penedo is full of confidence after winning the Golden Glove at the Copa Centroamerica Tigo this year. Paname finished third place at the event and qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup next year. As for Penedo, his six saves against the New York Red Bulls are a sign that he is finding his stride.
“As we’ve said often, there’s a transition period for players,” Arena told LAGalaxy.com’s Larry Morgan. “Some come sooner than others, and I think Jaime’s really needed a full year to really get acclimated to this club, this league, this environment. And he has.
“He understands the game and the league better now; he understands his responsibilities. I think Matt Reis has done a great job with him working on things he needed to work on, quite simple. Some technical and tactical issues needed to be resolved. They’ve worked real hard at getting better and he’s improving. I think we’ve seen over the last couple of months he’s an improved goalkeeper.”
“I’ve just been focusing on the only objective I have left this year, which is to win MLS Cup,” Penedo said. “All my focus is going toward that.”
If Penedo can find his stride and continue to make timely stops on a routine basis, the Galaxy could be on their way to more history in what has already been a historic season for the club.
Is Robbie Keane worthy of the MLS MVP award? Sound off in the comments below!