Report: Edson Buddle Set To Leave Major League Soccer, Sign In German Second Division

“While I have decided to leave the Galaxy, I do so with fond memories of my four years with the club,” Buddle said in a statement. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Los Angeles and will miss my teammates, coaches, staff and everyone who works for the club as they helped make me the player that I am today. I also want to thanks all of the great Galaxy fans who have supported me ever since I arrived at the club and I am hopeful that one day I will be able to return to the Galaxy and help lead them to an MLS Cup championship.”

Over 10 seasons with four MLS teams, Edson Buddle left little doubt that when healthy he was among the best strikers to ever play in the league. He scored 90 goals in 220 regular season matches and became the only player in MLS history to score 40 career goals with two different teams. At 29 years old, it’s hard to blame him for wanting to test his skills in Europe.

Buddle, who scored 17 goals in helping Galaxy to last season’s Supporters’ Shield, is out of contract with Major League Soccer and is said to have rejected an offer below the designated player threshold. According to the report, Buddle has been offered “potentially double” MLS’s offer to move to Germany.

But whereas Clark signed with a Bundesliga side, Findley went to a historically significant English club, and Sacha Kljestan went to a very successful Belgium team, Buddle is going to a club few have heard of, one which will lead people to ask “Why?”

Buddle is currently out of contract with the Galaxy, which means they won’t be compensated and, in a best-case scenario, wouldn’t be available to return to the Galaxy until the end of May. Although it seems unlikely that a team on the verge of being relegated to the third division would sign a foreigner to a longterm contract, Buddle could be taking this deal as a way of opening up more opportunities in Europe. Buddle made almost $190,000 with the Galaxy last year, but has never seen a big payday.

At 29 years old and having spent his entire career in the United States, it would seem Buddle sees this as his best chance to ever to test his skills abroad and maybe get his first big contract. He is coming off a year in which he scored 19 goals in 28 matches (including two in the playoffs) and made his World Cup debut. That could be the capper on a MLS career that has seen him score 98 MLS goals (including playoffs) over 10 sometimes injury-plagued seasons.