US Soccer announced today that LA Galaxy veteran, Alan Gordon, had been called into the US Men’s National Team ahead of the opening round of the Hexagonal and a November 11th clash with CONCACAF rivals, Mexico. Gordon will be replacing injured Seattle Sounders player, Jordan Morris who sustained a hamstring strain during the first half of the FC Dallas-Sounders FC playoff match last Sunday night.
Alan Gordon will travel to Columbus, arriving later today, to join up with his US teammates.
For Gordon, who is now 35, and perhaps playing his final season with the LA Galaxy and the league, this will be a last chance to earn one more cap since his National Team debut in 2012. Gordon has gone mostly unused in these call-ups and has only two caps to his name. He has also recently joined the team for games against St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago last November, as well as playing in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal loss to Jamaica.
For the LA Galaxy, who were just eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs by Colorado, Gordon has played in 22 games this season and has scored three goals with one assist. He was also the starting striker for all three of the LA Galaxy’s playoff games. Gordon played 710 minutes in 2016. Which is the second most minutes he’s played since 2013 when he factored in nearly 1,500 minutes for the San Jose Earthquakes.
The United States and Alan Gordon will face off against Mexico and LA Galaxy teammate Giovani dos Santos on Friday, November 11 at 4:45PM Pacific Time on Fox Sports 1 and Univision. This will be the start of the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
This could be the last chance for Alan Gordon to make a splash with the National Team as he might be wrapping up his LA Galaxy career. His contract status is unknown and he features on a team that may be wishing to get younger going into 2017. But regardless of the outcome of his MLS career, this call-up is a nod to a player who works tirelessly and sacrifices his body and heart on the field.