Landon Donovan 'feels like a kid again,' happy to come off bench for LA Galaxy

Landon Donovan says he's happy to play in a supporting role for the LA Galaxy and "feels like a kid again" as he steps out of retirement to try to win a seventh MLS Cup.

A year and a half after stepping away from the game, Donovan rejoined the Galaxy with six games left in the regular season.

And whereas before his retirement, Donovan was often the focal point of manager Bruce Arena's offense, he will now have to fit in around the likes of Giovani dos Santos and Steven Gerrard.

Donovan acknowledged that it will take some time to get back to his former fitness, but in the meantime he's happy to come off the bench.

"My guess would be it's three-four weeks before I can say 'if you need me to start, I'm ready' but for now, I don't need that or want that," Donovan told ESPN's Julie Foudy in an exclusive interview.

"If I can come in for 15, 20 minutes or eventually 30 and make a difference that helps us win, that's perfect. Eventually if I get there and I'm ready to play and Bruce wants me to, and it's good for the team, then we'll do it."

Donovan resumed training with the Galaxy on Friday and could feature in Sunday's game against Orlando City.

"I feel great," he said. "Ironically, having time off heals the body quite a bit and so just just physically how I feel on the field, I feel like a kid again.

"Now I'm sure after a little bit of time it'll catch up and it'll get heavy again, but part of it is mentally -- I'm so free and fresh and relieved, coming out without the pressure, just to come help. And it's kind of made it really fun and exciting for me."

The playmaker cited a burnout in stepping away from the sport at age 32 after the 2014 season, and he said he had given "honestly zero" thought to returning before the Galaxy suffered a rash of injuries in recent weeks, providing an opportunity for him to help the team.

"It's hard for people to believe that, I think, but I was really happy and I was really content," he said. "The first year away, I didn't watch any soccer -- I just wanted to get away. This year I've watched a lot and I've gotten really excited about maybe the coaching aspect or getting back into it in some way.

"Playing has never been something I wanted to do again. I don't play pickup games, I don't go play indoor, I don't go mess around in my house, I don't even own a soccer ball at home. I just haven't had any desire to do it. It's been such a part of my life for so long, I kind of just wanted to get away from it.

"But what I realized is that, in this part of my life -- and it was like this in the last five years of my career -- it's not that I loved going out every day and kicking a soccer ball around, but I loved being part of something where in the end after 90 minutes, you walk off the field and you look at each other and you're like, 'Yeah, we did it, we won a game.'

"And that feeling, I love that, especially with the younger kids, I love watching them get excited."

Donovan is Major League Soccer's leader in both goal and assists and is also the only player to win six MLS Cups -- two with the San Jose Earthquakes before helping the Galaxy lift the trophy in2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

The 34-year-old credited the great success at winning championships later in his career to a more unselfish shift in his playing, one he hopes will continue in his return to the sport.

"When I was young it was all about me -- I wanted to score, I wanted to have assists, I wanted to go play every day, I was excited," he said. "But now as you get older, I want to win. I like winning, I like that feeling.

"And there's no coincidence I think that the last four years of my career, I didn't play great, but we won three out of four years. That's where my focus was, and I was able to help in that way and it felt really good."

And Donovan said he's not setting any goals for his performance in the coming weeks, but he does have his eye on one more trophy.

"There's no pressure and it's enjoyable, so I really, genuinely just want to come help, and if we could be standing with a trophy on Dec. 10, that'd be pretty cool."