Steven Gerrard will not be back with Galaxy in 2017
Steven Gerrard’s short visit to MLS is over, with the former Liverpool and English national team captain saying Tuesday that he will not be back in 2017.
The announcement was not a surprise since Gerrard’s 18-month deal with the Galaxy – one that paid him approximately $9 million – ended when the season did. For its investment the club got five goals and 14 assists in 34 appearances.
“When I left Liverpool, I came to Los Angeles with the goal of helping the Galaxy lift another MLS Cup,” Gerrard, 36, said in a statement issued by the team. “I am of course disappointed to have not achieved that objective. But I can look back at my time at the club with pride at what we accomplished, including two straight playoff appearances and countless memorable moments on the pitch.
“As someone who spent the whole of their career in Liverpool, it has been an incredible experience to come to Los Angeles and play for the Galaxy.”
Gerrard joined in July of 2015 after 17 years with his hometown club in Liverpool, where he had been told he was no longer guaranteed a starting job. And he got off to a quick start with the Galaxy, notching a goal and an assist in his first game.
But he would score just once more in 12 starts before limping through a 2016 season in which he was plagued by hamstring problems. Gerrard was held out of the starting lineup on consecutive games five times with injuries this season, appearing in just 21 of the Galaxy’s 34 regular-season games. And though he was second on the team with 11 assists, his last came in mid-August.
He went out on a high, though, beating Colorado keeper Tim Howard on a penalty kick on his final touch with the Galaxy in the team’s playoff loss earlier this month.
Gerrard did not use the word “retirement” in his announcement, leaving open the possibility he could land elsewhere. And speculation has swirled about a reunion with former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers at Celtic.
But that could be a long shot given Gerrard’s frustrating spell with injuries and the fact that Rodgers was the one who took away his starting spot with the Reds.
“I am excited to see this league and this great club continue to grow,” Gerrard said in announcing his departure. “I am now looking forward to spending time with my family as I consider the next stage of my career.”
That this would be Gerrard’s last season with the Galaxy was an open secret all year, especially when the midfielder started just one of the team’s final 10 games. So even before the Galaxy used eight players over the age of 31 in the final playoff loss, the team was privately saying it would get younger in the off-season.
That means 36-year-old captain Robbie Keane could be the next to go. The departure of Gerrard and Keane would free two designated-player spots and nearly $10 million in salary.
The team must now decide whether to exercise contract options on a number of others, including goalkeeper Brian Rowe, defender Leonardo and midfielders Sebastian Lletget, Baggio Husidic and Ema Boateng. Four other players, all over 30, also have contract options. They are defender Ashley Cole and forward Alan Gordon, who are both 35, and midfielders Mike Magee (32) and Jeff Larentowicz (33).
A decision also looms over Landon Donovan, the league’s all-time leader in goals and assists. Donovan, who turns 35 in March, ended a 21-month retirement in September and played well in seven games with the Galaxy, then hinted strongly he wants to play again next season.
Those decisions could be affected by next month’s MLS expansion draft. Teams are allowed to protect only 11 players from selection by first-year franchises in Atlanta and Minnesota, although once a team loses a player it is exempt from the rest of the draft.
Also on Tuesday Frank Lampard, another former English national team standout and Chelsea icon, announced he was leaving MLS after a season and a half with New York City FC. Lampard, 38, who had 15 goals in 31 MLS appearances, wrote on Instagram that his time in the league had “come to an end.”
kevin.baxter@latimes.com Twitter: kbaxter11
