Steven Gerrard is not ready to make any decisions on his retirement from football, and is instead focused on lifting the MLS Cup at the end of the season.
Gerrard, 35, joined LA Galaxy on an 18-month contract last summer shortly after playing his final game for Liverpool, where he made over 500 appearances.
A winner of two FA Cups, three League Cups and a Champions League in his time on Merseyside, but his half-season with the Galaxy ended without a trophy.
Gerrard got two goals and three assists in 13 appearances, and the Galaxy, who have won the MLS Cup three times in the last five years, crashed out at the first knockout round of the play-offs with a 3-2 defeat against Seattle Sounders.
But with the 2016 season set to kick off on Sunday, Gerrard believes it will be a successful year personally if he can win MLS' biggest prize.
"Win the MLS Cup or go close [is the aim]," he told Sky Sports. "Last year we went out of the first round of the play-offs, the wheels fell off towards the end of the league campaign. We conceded too many goals and we got a really tricky away tie against Seattle in the play-offs.
"We need to position ourselves better in the league before it goes to the play-offs then it's a bit of a lottery. We need to perform and be consistent in knock-out competition."
Like other stars to have passed through MLS before him, Gerrard admits he's been surprised by the standard of Major League Soccer since arriving in the States.
"The level is certainly a lot better than people think," Gerrard added. "You have an opinion when you watch this game on the eye and it's very competitive. There's some good players in the league, good managers and good tactics.
"I've sampled different training sessions at LA Galaxy that I've never done before so maybe one day I can use different bits and bobs that I've learnt over here."
Gerrard acknowledges he underestimated the challenges posed by MLS, such as the travel and playing regularly at differing altitude, but says the experience of his first term stands him in good stead.
"There were some shocks and surprises when you go away on the road," Gerrard said.
"The altitude, the humidity, the length of travel, and obviously getting used to team-mates and new tactics, it's a different way of playing. I'll certainly be better for the highs and lows of last season."
And with an eye on the near future, the former Liverpool captain says he has been enjoying the experience.
"I'm glad I've done it," Gerrard added. "The experience has been good but I'll obviously judge it come the end of the season when I've done a full season.
"Hopefully I'll go home with a trophy. It just made sense to me being at Liverpool for that amount of time it was important for me to come out, have a look in and see what's happening at Liverpool.
"[I get to] sample a different lifestyle and a different life experience."
Gerrard insists he is in a good place physically heading into his 19th full season as a senior professional, and is not pressed to make a decision on retirement.
"I don't want to shut any doors and I don't want to make any rash decisions because where I sit now I still feel healthy," Gerrard said.
"I still feel fit, I still feel like I could play in most levels in the game so where I sit now I'm not ready to retire. Will I be ready in 10/11 months time? We'll have to wait and see."
MLS returns to Sky Sports on Sunday March 6 when Chicago Fire face New York City FC from 7pm and Portland Timbers host Columbus Crew. You can watch both match live on Sky Sports 1 HD.