Fansided

Landon Donovan’s return is bad for MLS

By David Barclay

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 07: Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy does a lap of honor to salute the fans after the Galaxy defeated the the New England Revolution during the 2014 MLS Cup match at the at StubHub Center on December 7, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 07: Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy does a lap of honor to salute the fans after the Galaxy defeated the the New England Revolution during the 2014 MLS Cup match at the at StubHub Center on December 7, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 21: An official MLS match ball is seen on the pitch during warm-up prior to the MLS match between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy at StubHub Center on March 21, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The Dynamo and the Galaxy played to a 1-1 draw. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 21: An official MLS match ball is seen on the pitch during warm-up prior to the MLS match between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy at StubHub Center on March 21, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The Dynamo and the Galaxy played to a 1-1 draw. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

MLS Product

The very product Donovan spent countless hours working to craft could be publicly scrutinized should he be immediately inserted into the game day 18 — such a move would only serve to further perpetuate MLS’s image as a retirement league.

Signings such as those of Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard were hailed by the league as progressive signs that MLS can house the world’s top talent. However, among many of the fans, these moves were simply viewed as moving players in the tail-end of their careers stateside in an attempt to sell more tickets and jerseys.

Whether some of those players are still fully committed to the sport, or just in it for the money, is a question for another time. But either way, the return of a player who has literally retired does not send a positive message about the growth of MLS.

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