Galaxy’s Robbie Keane named league MVP

Galaxy striker Robbie Keane, who finished third in the league with 19 goals and 14 assists this season, was named Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player on Wednesday.

Keane, also the captain of the Western Conference champions, set career MLS highs in goals and assists to help lead the league’s highest-scoring team into Sunday’s MLS Cup final against the New England Revolution.

Keane edged New England’s Lee Nguyen and Seattle’s Obafemi Martins in balloting for the award. Nguyen topped the Revolution with 18 goals -- a league record for a midfielder -- while Martins scored 17 times and had 13 assists.

Keane is the first Galaxy player to earn MVP honors since Landon Donovan in 2009, although Mike Magee, last year’s winner, played his first 10 games of the season with the Galaxy before being traded to the Chicago Fire.

One of the most prolific scorers of all time, Keane, 34, leads the Irish national team in goals (65) and appearances (138). He came to the Galaxy in 2011 after a dozen years in the English Premier League in which he became one of the top 10 goal-scorers in EPL history. With him the Galaxy has reached the MLS Cup final three times in four seasons.