CARSON, Calif. – To say LA Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has been on the receiving end of some good fortune this season could be the understatement of the year.
The former MLS Goalkeeper of the Year (2010 with the Galaxy and 2013 with the Portland Timbers) was languishing behind Tally Hall in Orlando City when Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena came calling. Arena was in need of a ‘keeper after the club parted ways with Jaime Penedo and Ricketts was acquired for a second-round selection in next year’s MLS SuperDraft.
Ricketts got his old starting job back and promptly won four of his first five starts entering Saturday’s game against the Montreal Impact at StubHub Center (7:30 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Time Warner Cable Deportes).
The 38-year-old said he has moved on from the realization he’s back where it all began – “I put that feeling out of my mind a long time ago,” he said with a smile after training Tuesday – and is feeling more and more comfortable in his new/old surroundings.
“I’m getting there,” he said. “But there’s always room to improve.”
Ricketts originally signed with the Galaxy in December of 2008 and led the five-time champions to the 2011 MLS Cup title, but salary cap problems forced his trade to Montreal for allocation money that November. He was named goalkeeper of the year for Portland in 2013 and Orlando selected him first overall in the 2015 MLS Expansion Draft. Ricketts became expendable when Hall recovered from a knee injury and the timing couldn’t have been better for the Galaxy, who suddenly were in need of goalkeeping help. Ricketts was more than happy to return to Southern California, not that Orlando hadn’t been a bad place to continue his career.
“The weather is very hot and humid. It reminds me of Jamaica,” said Ricketts, who hails from Montego Bay.
He simply knew the time was right to move on. For the most part he enjoyed his time with the expansion side, aside from not playing as much as he would have liked. He said his former teammates were easy to get along with and the locker room was good.
“I wasn’t angry,” he pointed out. “When you’re not playing you tend to get frustrated. But you don’t stop working; in this game anything can happen and you will be called upon, so you have to be ready.
“I’m very fortunate. When you’re not playing sometimes your performances tend to dip, and it was the last year of my contract. You’re not playing, you’re feeling a little bit down, and then you get a chance to go where it all started.
“It’s like a dream come true again.”
Ricketts admitted he’s felt re-energized since returning tou Southern California.
“You come into a situation where more people expect the Galaxy to always be winning,” he said. “You have to get here and work hard because every game is a challenge. I remember when I was in the other locker room playing against the Galaxy and what we faced, and I know that’s the case with other teams.
“You can’t ever not be on your game. That made me even more focused and want to work harder.”
And his age, he added, is just a number.
“Even when I was in Orlando I didn’t know what 38 felt like,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t look at my age, I just look at the way I perform and how I feel.
“Right now I feel good and I’m going to try and keep going as long as I can.”