Tracking Landon Donovan: the Galaxy man just keeps ticking off those achievements

Landon Donovan joined the most elite of MLS fraternities last night – not that there was ever doubt he would arrive safely there.

The longtime Galaxy and U.S. international star had a goal and an assist as the Galaxy clobbered Portland’s poor, mostly defenseless defense. It was a 5-3 Stumptown beat-down.

That was Donovan’s 100^th MLS assist, and that milepost is significant for a number of reasons.

Let’s dig a little deeper for a good look-see at what this means:

• First, he joins Jaime Moreno as the only player in the MLS 100-100 club.  Donovan already has 122 goals.
• Donovan now sits at 122 goals and 100 assists. Moreno had 133 goals and 102 assists. If it looks like Donovan still has some catching-up to do, consider this: Moreno’s numbers were built over 340 career matches. Donovan now sits at 272, about two whole seasons fewer.
• Donovan is 30. He’s got good years left (assuming the man doesn’t grow tired of it and hop overseas or retire early or whatever). I’ve written several times that Donovan will finish as Major League Soccer’s all-time leading scorer. I’d bet a Whopper and fries on it. But now we have to start discussing the possibility that the first American of Southern California soccer will finish with the career king double, leadership in all-time goals and assists.
• He’ll almost surely finish second, at least. (Again, assuming an ongoing attachment to MLS). But Steve Ralston and his all-time best 135 assists is no slam dunk to reach. By averaging six or seven assists over the next four or five years, Donovan get there.  That target is well within reach, but injuries, life, etc., do throw up roadblocks along the way.
• It all begs this question: If Donovan does climb to the top of both charts, can we call him the best to ever make the bulk of his career from MLS? Moreno and Dwayne De Rosario will have something to say about that – but the numbers on Donovan’s side may just be too hard to ignore.