Robbie Keane made himself known to the footballing world during his first stint with Tottenham Hotspur, in which he scored 80 goals in 197 matches. The Irishman moved to Liverpool temporarily, before turning back to Spurs. Following two short loans to Celtic and West Ham, Keane crossed the Atlantic Ocean. In August 2011, the LA Galaxy acquired the forward. He joined David Beckham and Landon Donovan as the club's Designated Players. Keane played just four games in his first season, but his playoff performances helped the Galaxy win MLS Cup 2011. They also claimed the Supporters' Shield. It was a short, but very successful first part season. Keane went on loan to Aston Villa until the new MLS season began in March.
The 2012 season was Keane's first full season of MLS play, and it came bearing fruit. His 16 goals and 9 assists earned him a spot on the Best XI. In the playoffs, he scored 6 goals in as many games. Before he had played two full seasons with the Galaxy, Keane had already hoisted two MLS Cups. His nearly identical stat line of 16 goals and 11 assists the following year earned him a spot on the 2013 MLS Best XI as well. Coming off two straight MLS Cup victories over the Houston Dynamo, the Galaxy did not have the same luck in 2013. They were eliminated in their first postseason match against Real Salt Lake.
In 2014, Robbie Keane advanced his game to an even higher level in Major League Soccer. He opened his account in the second game of the campaign with a sharp cut and near post finish, against the team that had sent them home months prior. He proceeded to score in a goal in four straight games, finishing the streak with a tally against the Vancouver Whitecaps. After going on a bit of a scoring drought, he returned emphatically with a brace against New England. Within the opening 10 minutes, he stepped into a deep strike that was planted into the top right corner. He followed it up by rounding Bobby Shuttleworth and rolling it into the gaping net in the dying moments. A few matches later, he posted another double on the Portland Timbers, including a diving header followed by his signature celebration. In September, it was a brace against the New York Red Bulls during a 4-0 victory. In the very next match, he scored another two goals against Toronto FC. He scored the first off a creative Marcelo Sarvas pass, as well as a perfect volley inside the box. Keane scored 19 goals, his new highest total in MLS. He also assisted 14 goals, which was by far the most in a single season for him.
The 2014 LA Galaxy finished as the second seed in the Western Conference, only behind the Seattle Sounders. Their first matchup provided a change at revenge. A leg one 0-0 draw with RSL made tensions high, but the Galaxy removed all worries in leg two. Keane turned in a Donovan square ball, while assisting a trio of goals during a 5-0 blowout to advance in the postseason. They just barely edged out the Supporters' Shield winning Seattle Sounders on away goals, after drawing 2-2 on aggregate. This set up an MLS Cup date with the New England Revolution, an opportunity for Keane to win for the third time in such few attempts. After Gyasi Zardes opened the scoring and Chris Tierney tied it up, the game was sent to extra time. In the 111th minute, the magic of Robbie Keane struck with a run in behind and tidy finish, and the goal won Los Angeles the 2014 MLS Cup. He narrowly won the 2014 MLS MVP Award in a very tight race. Additionally, he made his third straight Best XI.
In 2015, Keane was named to his fourth straight Best XI. He topped his goal scoring count from 2014, hitting the 20-goal mark. He added 8 assists. On opening day, he put one past the Chicago Fire. After a fairly slow start to the campaign otherwise, Keane came alive and some in the summer. On Independence Day, he honored America by defeating the Canadian side Toronto FC with a hat trick. After opening the game from the spot, he poked one in right in front. An errant pass saw him practically dribble the ball into the TFC net for the third. In the following MLS match, Keane scored his second hat trick in a row against the San Jose Earthquakes. It once again began with a penalty, followed by a set piece goal. He went back to the spot to score with a hesitation step. In August, he then scored a brace in two consecutive games. The first came against FC Dallas, in which he notched a header. The second included 2 goals and 2 assists in a 5-1 win over NYCFC. He held his run to chip the keeper and tapped the other in at then back post. The end of his season could not have gone much better, scoring 5 goals across the final 4 matches of the year. This run included a brace in a loss to Portland, with an incredible blindly flicked header. The Galaxy went on the road for a knockout match in Seattle, where they were unable to get the job done on the day, losing 3-2. Keane played in his first MLS All-Star game in 2015, after making it in both 2013 and 2014 but not appearing in the match. He also won the ESPY for the Best MLS Player.
For the second straight season, Robbie Keane scored in the first match of the year in 2016. He scored a goal on DC United as a part of a 4-1 win. In May, he did the double against the New England Revolution. He found himself wide open at the back stick, before rewriting the exact same story on the latter. Keane scored his final pair of goals for the club on September 25th, when he struck twice against the Sounders. He used a power header for the opener. The last ever Robbie Keane Galaxy goal was a slotted penalty kick. His 10 goals marked the fifth straight season in which he scored double digit goals for the Galaxy. Injuries hampered his season a fair bit, as issues with his knee forced him to play just over 1,400 minutes. Regardless, it was still a solid individual season with one of the best attackers MLS has ever seen. His career in America ended with totals of 83 goals in 125 matches. He went onto play for ATK in India, before calling it quits. Now, he is the manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv. Robbie Keane's trifecta of MLS Cups in just four years is perhaps one of the greatest feats in league history. His impact was shown early and often. The man considered to be one of the greatest Irish players in the history of the sport comes in at #9 for his contributions for the LA Galaxy.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2016 | LA | 1,426 | 10 | 2 |
2015 | LA | 2,059 | 20 | 8 |
2014 | LA | 2,549 | 19 | 14 |
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