Pro Soccer News: LA Galaxy Brings on Robbie Keane and Sets the Soccer World Talking

LA Galaxy Agree to Terms With Ireland International Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane has emigrated overseas: the captain of the Irish - 108 appearances and 51 goals - moved from Tottenham Hotspur to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but according to the media the 31 year old striker - who a decade ago was at Internazionale of Milan  for one season,  will sign a contract for two years for more than 6 million dollars.

Keane had this to say "I am delighted, honored and very excited to go to the Galaxy, I've always wanted to play in the MLS, so for me it is the perfect combination and a dream come true." David Beckham recalled that when he trained recently with the Spurs there had been much talk praising the LA Galaxy, their fans and the MLS in general.

Bruce Arena, LA Galaxy’s head coach said: "Robbie Keane will be an important reinforcement for our club. I think that will give us that quality in the penalty area and in the midfiled which we needed."  Keane has been with Totenham since since 2002, interspersed with periods at Liverpool and West Ham - Keane racked up 306 appearances and scored 123 goals.

The agreement, subject to obtaining a visa by the U.S. player, will require the application of the "Beckham clause" which allows clubs to exceed the Major League salary cap to recruit two foreign players of fame (the other is precisely the former England captain).

Robbie Keane brings a wealth of experience & expertise to a midfield that has been lacking in execution. Landon Donovan will now have more support to go forward and score goals. Keane’s central role style will be complimented by Beckham’s right wing dominance.

LA Galaxy has found a true gem in Robbie Keane, who was recently the chief driving force behind Ireland’s defeat of Italy by 2-0, a landmark result by any measure!

A bit more background from the LA GALAXY:

Keane began his club career in England with Wolverhampton Wanderers, debuting in 1997 at the age of 17 and scoring twice in his first game as a professional. Two years later, after scoring nearly 30 goals for Wolves, Keane was sold to Coventry City of the Premier League, scoring twice on his debut there and finishing the season with 12 goals before moving to Italy to join Inter Milan in the summer of 2000. He scored three times in six months with Inter before returning to England on loan to Leeds United in January 2001.

His transfer to Leeds was made permanent in May 2001, but he played just one full season with the club, helping them reach the semifinals of the 2001 UEFA Champions League, before joining Tottenham Hotspur for the first time in August 2002. He would go on to appear in more then 250 games in six seasons for Spurs, scoring more than 100 goals and tallying at least 10 goals each year. In each of his final three seasons with Spurs he helped the club qualify for the UEFA Cup while also helping them win the 2008 League Cup, beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Final for the club’s first trophy in nearly a decade.

“I have already discussed football with Bruce Arena and I know exactly what he wants from me,” Keane added. “I am fit, fresh and ready to go. I've come here to score goals and help this team achieve their goals. This is a massive opportunity for me in my career. I aim to grab it with both hands and hopefully help give the Galaxy fans what they want.”

In July 2008, Keane joined Liverpool for a transfer fee of more then $30 million, only to re-join Spurs in February 2009 after scoring seven goals, including two in the Champions League, in nearly 30 games at Anfield. He scored five goals over the second half of the 2008-09 season for Tottenham and added nine more in the first half of the following season before joining Celtic of the Scottish Premier League on loan in February 2010. He appeared in 19 games for the Glasgow-based club, scoring 16 times to be named the club’s Fans’ Player of the Year.

Keane spent the first half of last season with Tottenham before going on loan once again, joining West Ham United, scoring twice in 10 games for the club, though he could not help them avoid relegation.