In a year the Los Angeles Galaxy may find forgettable, the one consistently bright point has been Landon Donovan. The U.S. national team star has been on a tear during the 2008 season -- his hat trick against D.C. United on Saturday brings his league-leading scoring total to 19 goals through 20 games, by far his career best in Major League Soccer.
Enjoy it while you can, because I’d be shocked if Donovan is still in the league next year.
Lando has made no secret of his desire to get another crack at Europe’s big leagues, and has dropped hints all season that he’s itching for a second chance. (He has often said he wouldn’t mind playing in the English Premier League or Spain’s La Liga.)
But with the rumor mill in high gear, I truly believe that the latest whisper out there -- that Donovan could end up at German superclub Bayern Munich (originally reported by The Washington Post’s Steven Goff) -- is extremely realistic and there’s a good chance it could go down.
American players demand plenty of interest from European teams, but it’s rare for any of them to get any sort of sniff from one of the elite clubs. Donovan is simply the all-time leading scorer on the U.S. national team, and he’s helped his own cause further with his scintillating play this season. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that more European fans know it, thanks to his being the best player on a team featuring David Beckham.
Lando has another influential name in his cormer: new Bayern manager Jürgen Klinsmann, an unorthodox soccer mind to begin with who isn’t afraid to shake things up. More important, the former German national team coach was also once an advisor to the Galaxy, is a big proponent of American soccer and knows Donovan’s game well. If ever there were a perfect storm for America’s biggest star to end up at one of the world’s biggest clubs, this is it.
"I would love for it to happen," Donovan told ESPN’s Andrea Canales. "It's up to the league, it's up to the Galaxy and it's up to me. I feel like I have a good relationship with all those parties, and if it were to happen, I think that would be great."
And how sweet would that be? Obviously it’d be great to see Donovan get a shot with the four-time European champions and compete for playing time with the likes of international stars Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. But for Lando, it would also be the ultimate second chance. His spell with Bayern’s German rival Bayer Leverkusen is viewed as a failure, not least of all by Donovan himself, who says he wasn’t mentally mature enough for the demands of top-level soccer.
Now, everything’s different. At 26, Donovan is in the prime of his career. He is the mature leader of the Galaxy, the domestic face of MLS and perhaps the most talented American soccer player there is, period. He’s itching for his second chance, and he’s got someone with serious clout across the pond who can vouch for him. For Lando, it could soon be auf wiedesehen to MLS.
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Comments (34) Add A Comment
Hey cool for Donovan, he is good and should get a chance in the Premiership
Joe Dew
Idaho Falls , ID
Total Comments (7017)
Which article came first? This one or the one on soccernet about the same topic - Donovan going overseas...
Zizou10
Total Comments (2627)
Look a common sense critique of LD with a positive spin! Who would have thought? LD should be praised for the way he has picked up the level of his game the last two years and his effort has been impressive too (going back and playing defense as well). His first touch is better, his one-time shots are on target, and his outside shooting has been a huge improvement (hanging out DB can't hurt!). Not to mention his attitude. A decent EPL or La Liga club will find his contributions very helpful if they are lucky enough to snatch him up. I don't think Bayern will make the move, however.
D-Wreck
Total Comments (3531)
I'm not the biggest Donovan fan but he can play in Europe. Just not so sure he should play in the Bundesliga. He tried Leverkeusen twice and ran from there twice.
He would be better suited in other leagues.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (17495)
Still have no idea why this would go through, other than Klinsmann wanting to add an American to the roster for no reason. Donovan is not going to be getting much playing time at Bayern and Bayern don't really need a player of his quality. He's not bad, just not good enough. If Klinsmann really does want Donovan, it sickens me. He could easily be playing Podolski in the midfield instead of letting him rot on the bench and instead he'd bring in another midfield benchwarmer. With Donovan's history in the Bundesliga, he'd probably quit on Bayern halfway through the first practice session.
Bayern4Life (redux)
Washington , DC
Total Comments (726)
He could definitely start for a mid table EPL team, or a good La Liga squad.
I wouldn't mind seeing him in Spain, actually.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (17495)
i hope he goes to epl
cavman5
Severna Park, MD
Total Comments (377)
At different times I've been a Donovan basher, and I still think there are serious gaps in his game. However, I also feel he has picked it up this year and I really respect someone with his acclaim improving. I also respect him for wanting to go take another shot at Europe. Plus, I really want him to make it as one of the primary faces of American soccer.
kopper
Total Comments (1112)
im all for donovan going to the bundesliga, i think the uptempo pace suits his skills, but im not sure about bayern, he's 26 and should be starting wherever he goes
he definately wont be a striker with toni, klose, and podolski (for now) there
klinsmann would want to use him in the supporting attacking role
i dont see bayern getting rid of ribery, ze roberto, schweinsteiger to make room for him
it would be a total waste for him to go there and try to work his way up the depth chart
but he does have the pace and skill to play there
Pawn in Sam's Army
Weyland Is A Clown, WA
Total Comments (1300)
Author makes no effort to explain WHY Donovan has been scoring so many goals this year. Some have been nice goals, but most of them are a direct result of the Galaxy's desparate long-ball strategy. They got guys like Klein and Beckham, who simply blast the ball downfield so Donovan can race to it and poke it in. He'll never be able to create his own shots in Europe, and he won't be poaching even half as many goals with experienced defenders marking him. We need to get over the counter-productive Donovan hype and start embracing some of our younger guys, so we can elevate the American game.
AF15
Total Comments (1)
I would love to see Landon get another shot at the "big time", as the face of American soccer it can only enhance the perception of American soocer if he does well. I do worry about playing time at Bayern though. I think Dempsey has quality and he can't get in at Fulham! Klinsi is a fan of Donovan so I could see this going through, and remeber the Americans are Cheap! Although Landon would gain the highest transfer in MLS history. 15 million dollar transfer?
Lazymike97
Saint Paul , MN
Total Comments (638)
I hope he goes to La Liga. In the EPL I could see him playing out wide and using his pace, but he is not quick enough or smart enough to play forward.
I think he would thrive in La Liga were the defenders are significantly less physical.
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Manufan4life
Overland Park , KS
Total Comments (26)
I would love to see him play in LaLiga, but I think the Bundisliga isn't the worse place to go as long as it is a club with a little finesse. Werder Bremen would seem easier to break than Munich, but you know the German league has infused a lot of Brazilians and style in recent years, and its not as ugly as it used to be.
HelloHello.
Total Comments (1208)
give the boy a chance u never know.
ccaraibe
Total Comments (14)
LD is a terrible player. Not only is he short and not physical but he doesn't have any speed. He is one of the slowest short players i have seen. He just lacks talent. He cannot even dominate the mls. The US would be better served getting rid of slow short landon, Tall slow no technique Mcbride, and on top of all overated freddie Adu. Freddie Adu could not play in a varsity team in ghana. There is about 100000 kids in africa 10 times better than freddie Adu, but here he is a superstar. go figure !!!!!
adama
Knoxville , TN
Total Comments (83)
donovan is great, i will be sad to see him go
OM= The Franchise
San Jose, CA
Total Comments (974)
donavan slow? what the hell are you smokin. you are a pure idiot, adama
goodstuff
West Jordan , UT
Total Comments (2)
Just for genreral information, this would be Donavans third time in the Bundesliga. The first two times he was a complete total wash out with Leverkusen. So what is going to be the BIG difference a third time? Just because he is a little bit older and supposedly mentally mature enough for the demands of top-level Football he will be successful playing for Germanys biggest Football Club. That is a laugh. If he goes he will sit on the bench and collect dust. A better fit would be going to a smaller club just like most of the other Americans. There he very well could manage some playing time. On the other hand, what the heck is Bayern thinkling?
Terry Reed
Total Comments (6)
he will fit much better in the premiership
mykewan
Hyattsville , MD
Total Comments (24)
I hope Donavan is happy ridding the bench.
Podolski isn't even a regular starter iat Bayern Munich.
TWE2988
Toronto, ON
Total Comments (18)
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