Landon Donovan Having Yet Another Career Year

The other day we showed that Landon Donovan has had the most offensive impact for the LA Galaxy in their resurgence since May. If Juninho is the player that remains underrated no matter how much press he gets, Donovan is the player who has been so good for so long that his contributions are often taken for granted.

Landon Donovan leads the Galaxy in points this year (19 pts: 7 goals, 12 assists) as he has every year of his Galaxy contract except 2011 when David Beckham's assist barrage led the Galaxy to the MLS Cup. He's made the MLS best XI four years in a row, was MLS MVP in 2009.

That level of consistent production means it's no longer newsworthy when Donovan leads the team in points. It's what he's supposed to do. It's like writing an article about how good David Beckham is at free kicks or how Robbie Keane will occasionally stumble with the ball on his foot into the goal.

Yet, here I am writing about how Landon Donovan is great and should be appreciated. That he's two goals from tying his career high in assists show just how diverse his game is, given that he's also been a Golden Boot and a Silver Boot winner.

So hats off to Landon Donovan for another great year, getting the Galaxy into the playoffs once again. He's under contract for another year, and no matter what Brad Frediel says there's no shame in a Hall of Fame MLS career.