Landon Donovan: the shadow the US team can’t live without
As many US Mens National Team (US Mens National Team) fans will tell you, Landon Donovan is far and away our best player.
He possesses all the talent in the world, and yet he is also viewed as the player most likely to disappear at the worst possible time. We all remember the 2006 World Cup fiasco in Germany, which saw us knocked out of the group stages as a result of our poor performances.
While the entire team outside of Clint Dempsey failed to live up to both the hype and expectations of its fans and advertisers, Donovan was saddled with most of the blame.
Was this justified?
I would say yes and no. Yes, because as our best player, he was expected to lead us into the Cup and make the plays that have made him such a star in MLS. Instead, he failed to make any impact on the Cup and as the Americans headed home, many wondered what went wrong with him. However, the other 10 men on the field also failed to live up to the hype and expectations, some much more than others. (DeMarcus Beasley, I’m talking to you.)
Fast forward to today. The USMNT is currently playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and has a 2-0-0 record. While their play has room for improvement, it has been fluid and has lead to goal scoring opportunities, something that was not seen in 2006.
Saturday’s game against Trinidad and Tobago was just another sign that Landon Donovan is the best player we have to offer. With the US struggling to get scoring opportunities, Donovan came in during the second half, and lit a fire under the team. He created the second goal of the game, a perfect cross to a wide open Eddie Johnson who tapped it in for the second goal.
The play was vintage Donovan. My question is, will we continue to see more of this or will Donovan once again fade into the shadows? It is very important for the USMNT to do well this summer, and Landon Donovan must lead this team. The competition will get much stronger when the Copa America tournament begins June 26th. World powers such as Argentina and Brazil await.
Landon Donovan can satisfy many of his critics with an excellent performance, should he decide to play. I believe he will play in the tournament and play well. It is a must for this team. If he fails, people will again ask, why can’t Landon Donovan play like we know he is capable of? The old saying goes, there is no I in team.
But Landon Donovan makes this team, and without him, it could be another summer of disappointment and anger.
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Brian, welcome to SL
While the US team definitely needs Donovan, they also need to be good enough to win matches without relying on a single player. T&T is one thing, the World Cup is quite another.
Are You Daft?? Landon Donovan is utter shite. The US could easily do without him. There are so many better players and Landycakes wouldn’t be missed by the least.
No Jay, he’s not shit(e). You look at the fellow play and you wonder what would have been if he was raised in a footballing academy of say Barca or Real. I know he already played with Bayern, but a move to Europe for at least 2 seasons will definitely be useful…………spanish league perhaps………
Why not the Dutch league mate?
Italy, dutch any league will do for him………
Sorry to burst the bubble. The US team is going to field a sub-strength team (B team if you will) for the Copa. Don’t seem to find the link, but will post it here when I find it. So obviously Donovan wouldn’t play.
Anyway, he has his job cut out for LA Galaxy at the moment to help them qualify for the playoffs (which is extremely difficult at the moment), otherwise Beckham’s arrival wouldn’t matter as their season would have gotten over by then.
The team’s captain and resurgent offensive star Donovan, who has scored five national team goals in 2007 after an 18-month and 18-game international scoreless drought, said “I don’t know yet” of a Copa America appearance.
“Bob and I have spoken,” Donovan said. “They know how I feel, I know how they feel, we’ll see what happens.”
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=437091&cc=5901
Landycakes is a complete puss. He couldn’t cut it in Germany and the US would be much better off to put him on the bench and go without.
Donovan already went to Europe, he played for Bayer Leverkusen. He lacked the heart to actually play for them. He begged to come back. There’s no way in hell he want’s to leave his cozy lifestyle in LA for Europe. He only plays when he want’s to and you’re telling me he should be captain. He hasn’t exactly done much at LA with them sitting at the bottom of the table. The only reason LA get any recognition is because of where it is. The team was crap last season and it doesn’t matter if Beckham comes or not. Who exactly is going to get on his crosses. No one on that team is of the quality to connect with them. Donovan doesn;t want to play in Copa America because he feels he needs to help his club. As far as i’m concerned if your country comes calling you should go out and play for them. You can’t just pick and chose when you want to play for your country. If Landycakes had any balls he’d go to Copa and play in a real tournament to show what he’s really made of. He’s a wasted talent.