Alan Gordon (born October 16, 1981 in Gilbert,
Arizona) is an American soccer player who currently
plays striker for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major
League Soccer.
Gordon played two years of college soccer for Oregon
State University, winning All Pac-10 honors twice,
and scoring 11 goals as a junior and 15 as a senior.
Before that, he played at Yavapai College, where he
scored 39 goals in his two seasons.
Upon graduating, Gordon was drafted 53rd overall in
the 2004 MLS SuperDraft by the Galaxy. He was
awarded number 16, but in 2006 changed his number to
21. However, Gordon did not make the team, and
signed with the Portland Timbers of the A-League.
With the Timbers, Gordon was an instant success,
playing 27 games and scoring 17 goals, tying Dante
Washington for the league lead, and helped the
Timbers finish the regular season with the league's
best record. In recognition of his achievement
Gordon was named the league's Rookie of the Year,
and was a finalist for the MVP Award. After the end
of the A-League season, Gordon was loaned back to
the Galaxy. During the 2006 season, Gordon saw
increased playing time for the Galaxy, scoring 4
goals.
On July 21, 2007 during a friendly with Chelsea
F.C., Gordon was pulled for David Beckham's first
MLS appearance in the 78th minute.
