Alan Gordon has played 10,197 minutes in his MLS career, but as MLS Analyst Matt Doyle explains it's really been a tale of two different eras. His first stint with the Galaxy was just about as bad as a forward could be:
Through 5000 minutes he was, by the numbers, the worst finisher of fwds to play 5000 or more minutes in league history.
— Matthew Doyle (@MLSAnalyst) September 6, 2014
It's no surprise that Gordon then was allowed to leave after a few years with LA, but he wouldn't have been able to have as long of a career as he had if there weren't some instinct and talent there. He's got a nose for getting into the right places, he's just took a long time turning that into something that could help a soccer team.
Newsflash: Alan Gordon could always play the game, always had great vision. Was an afterthought primarily b/c he was an awful finisher.
— Matthew Doyle (@MLSAnalyst) September 6, 2014
The player the LA Galaxy got from San Jose is one who figured things out well enough to earn some national team time, and a reputation for heartbreaking late game goals. Somewhere along the line he learned how to finish.