CARSON, Calif. – Steven Gerrard called time on his tenure with the LA Galaxy on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old made 34 appearances and tallied five goals and 14 assists during his 18-month stint in Los Angeles.
Although Gerrard was unable to deliver to an MLS Cup championship to the Galaxy, Gerrard has no regrets about making a move from Liverpool to Los Angeles.
“It’s been a fantastic life experience for me. I was at Liverpool for a very long time, and I was very comfortable there. I was almost like a piece of furniture because I had been there so long. To accept this challenge and come here was a big decision for me, but I have no regrets,” Gerrard told LAGalaxy.com. "I’ve met some incredible people on and off the pitch, and I absolutely idolize my teammates who I’ve shared the journey with. I’ve learned a lot from the coaches and my teammates, and I’ll certainly use that for myself going forward.
“Although I’m going back to England to live, it’s not the end of me in football terms.”
Though Gerrard’s time concludes with no MLS Cups, the English midfielder displayed flashes of brilliance such as his epic goal against the San Jose Earthquakes on his club debut, his slalom run finish through the New England Revolution and his long-ball assist to Giovani dos Santos in Houston earlier this year. However, according to Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, his impact was felt in many other ways beyond simply on the field.
“His presence was great for the club. I don’t know what his future’s going to be,” Arena said. “If [the playoff defeat to the Rapids] was his last game, to finish the way he finished with that kick and the 45 minutes he gave was pretty impressive after being out for close to two months. The penalty was all class. If that’s his last kick, terrific. We were honored to have Stevie.”
As Arena and his team move on from Gerrard, the now former Galaxy midfielder is confident that the MLS Cup will return to StubHub Center shortly.
“It’s a difficult one to swallow in terms of how it ended. I really wanted to go all the way and deliver a sixth MLS Cup,” Gerrard said. “I’m sure that it will only be a matter of time before that comes back. We have a lot of good players in that dressing room. I’m very confident that it won’t be too long before the sixth one comes along.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atwww.LAGalaxy.com/Insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
