:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/3597285/120530162.jpg)
Alan Gordon, whose contract with MLS ran out following the 2011 season, has reportedly been signed to a new deal by the San Jose Earthquakes. In a tweet from Richard Motzkin, an Executive Vice President with the Wasserman sports marketing and entertainment group and a well known player representative, congratulations were given to Gordon, along with fellow MLS player Ned Grabavoy, for having "inked new deals."
Happy for @wmgllc clients Alan Gordon (San Jose) & Ned Grabavoy (RSL) who inked new deals with MLS. Important veterans & solid pros. #unsung
— Richard Motzkin (@RichardMotzkin) January 9, 2012
Soon after, noted journalist Grant Wahl chimed in with his own message regarding Gordon, who was an important player in his bestselling book titled "The Beckham Experiment."
Try to stay neutral here as much as possible, but my all-time-favorite MLS player Alan Gordon has signed a new contract with San Jose.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 9, 2012
If the reports are true, Gordon would compete with fellow target forward Steven Lenhart to be the potential complement to star striker Chris Wondolowski in head coach Frank Yallop’s preferred 4-4-2 formation. When contacted for details on the new contract, a source within the San Jose Earthquakes organization could not confirm that the team had reached a deal with the 30 year old forward.
Update: The San Jose Earthquakes officially confirmed the signing of Alan Gordon a day after this report was published. According to team and league policy, terms of the new deal were not announced. In a prepared statement, head coach Frank Yallop expressed his pleasure at having the veteran forward back in San Jose: "We’re looking forward to seeing Alan fully fit and back in the squad. Both his ability on the field and his experience in this league will be an asset to our team next season."
The journeyman forward was acquired by the Earthquakes last summer in a July trade with Toronto FC that also brought defender Nana Attakora and midfielder Jacob Peterson to San Jose in exchange for Jamaican International Ryan Johnson. Gordon featured in only two games for the Earthquakes, with one start and one appearance off the bench. He scored his lone goal for the Earthquakes in that time during a comeback 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Less than a week after his performance against the Timbers, Gordon underwent surgery to repair a torn rectus abdominis and tears in his left and right hip adductors — injuries that went undiagnosed during his time with Toronto FC. The 8 year MLS veteran, who had been acquired in part to take the place of on-leave forward Lenhart, missed the remainder of the Earthquakes 2011 season following the successful surgery.