Landon Donovan said his goal is to get back on the United States soccer team.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that Donovan joined the L.A. Galaxy Thursday for the first time this  MLS season. His next goal; rejoin the USA soccer team he helped to reach the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup.

"I realize that I have a long way to go, both on the field and off the field, to work back into the national team, and that's my goal," Donovan told the AP after a training session with the Galaxy at Georgetown. "I miss being a part of that. I want to represent my country again."

Donovan, 31, is the United States' all-time leading goal scorer and assists leader in international play, and has appeared in three World Cups. As team captain in 2010, he scored the late, game-winner against Algeria to help the U.S. win its group and move on to the second round.

"He certainly hasn't agreed with a lot of my choices and that's understandable," Donovan said about U.S. Head Coach Juergen Klinsmann. But "he's always been very respectful, he's always been supportive, and now my task is to find my way back in. And there's certainly no obligation on anyone's part to let me back in. I've got to earn my way back."

Klinsman didn't put Donovan on the U.S. roster for its last World Cup qualifiers. The team went 1-1-1 without Donovan and his clutch goals that made the U.S. a threat for the World Cup title in 2010.

The player who won an MLS cup last season, took some extra time off from the sport that's made him a millionaire.

Even though Donovan isn't technically on the team, it hasn't stopped him from paying attention to the U.S. quest of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

"It was fantastic," Donovan said of the game, just the second time the U.S. secured a point in Mexico in World Cup qualifying. "I was so proud to watch, so proud to be just an American fan. Forget about a player or a teammate."