HARD WORK

LA Galaxy striker Landon Donovan has said that he wants to work hard in order to regain his position within the United States national team. The 31-year-old recently returned from his self-imposed sabbatical from the game.

He has stated that constant football in the last few years have taken the pleasure of playing the game from him. As a result, he needed some time off from the game in order to find his love for football. It sparked several rumours that Landon Donovan may not continue playing football.

US national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann also suggested that he will be the final authority when it comes to deciding whether Donovan returns to national team action or not. LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena, though, has been supportive of the 31-year-old by saying that he will be considered for selection as soon as he returns back. After having returned following a four-month absence from football, Donovan has said that he is ready to play in his national team spot, while he is also heavily motivated for playing football.

Donovan has admitted that he almost went into retirement following LA Galaxy’s victory in the MLS cup final last season. Donovan currently holds the record for the most number of goals and assists for the national team.
“I have a long way to go and a lot of work to do. But if given the opportunity, I would love to play for the U.S. and I would love to represent my country again.

Unfortunately, we have a sort of stigma that being in a different mental place is not acceptable. We should pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and fight through it and all this. It’s my job to earn my way back in. And that’s what I’m motivated to do,” said Donovan after returning to LA Galaxy.

PLAYING TO WIN

Even though the MLS club LA Galaxy will consider a draw against Herediano in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals to be a great result, the manager Bruce Arena has said that his team will not play for one.

He intends to aim for a victory prior to the start of the match. The first match of the MLS season ended in a 4-0 victory for LA Galaxy over Chicago Fire. They will now be taking on the Costa Rican team Herediano in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League. The first leg will be away from home for the MLS club.

As a result, a draw has been seen as a great result for the team since it would allow them to make use of the home advantage and claim a victory in the second leg. Arena has said that he will be playing his strongest team because the club does not have any matches during the weekend to worry about. The manager has been using his reserve teams in the group stages of the competition especially the match against Puerto Rico Islanders. The return leg will be taking place in just over a week. Getting a victory against Herediano will certainly not be easy, as they have a very strong defence.

“Right now, we don’t have a game this weekend. We can play whomever we want and not have to be concerned about that for this game. We’re certainly going to try to put a team out on the field that can win this game, no doubt about it. What we think is our first team. I’m worried about just getting through this game and seeing if we can get out of here safely, and get home and then worry about whatever we have to worry about then,” said Arena.

RESPECT THE DECISION

The Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has said that the players and the fans should respect the decision taken by the US international Landon Donovan if he indeed retires from the game. The 30-year-old LA Galaxy player is thought to have played his last game of his career in the MLS cup final against Houston Dynamo.

He helped his team managed to win the second MLS title in successive seasons, but he has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he is burned-out after having played a lot of football in the last few years. Landon Donovan has been playing non-stop football for the last few years due to his loan spells with Everton FC.

He has been not only been part of the LA Galaxy team in the MLS, but also the Everton team in the Premier league for more than two months. This was in addition to the life as an international footballer with the United States national team. The player recently suggested that he was even contemplating the prospect of playing in the 2014 FIFA World Cup with the national team. The United States national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann also recently said that he respects the decision taken by the player whether it be continuing to play or retiring from the game.

The thing we have to realize when we look at Landon is not only has he exceeded expectations, he’s crushed them. I think his legacy will be talked about as one of the best and rightfully so. He’ll go down in history as not only a legend but one of our top-two players [in U.S. history]. At the moment it’s all hypothetical. A lot of it sounds like [just] talk. There hasn’t been an [actual] decision yet,” said the Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, who is also an American international.

READY FOR A BREAK

The LA Galaxy captain and star midfielder Landon Donovan has said that he is very much prepare to take a break from football, as he feels that his body needs a rest.

The 30-year-old American international has been one of the best players in the MLS over the last few seasons. He has also had a stellar career with Everton football club in the two spells he spent on loan at the club. However, it has taken its toll in terms of the fatigue according to the striker. He has said that he has played a lot of football over the last few years, which have caused his body to denote that it wants a rest.

As a result, he is prepared to take a break from football even if it meant missing out on the opportunity to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. This has prompted the US national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann to say that he will be talking with the striker over the proposed break from football. Landon Donovan will have the opportunity to lift the MLS title once again with LA Galaxy. As a result, he will be pushing through the final few games of the season in order to do so.

“Your body’s going to tell you it’s time to take a break and that’s what my body is telling me this year, there’s no question. I don’t want to feel that way. I want to do it because I’m enjoying it and loving it. So I need time where I can just pause, and breathe and rest, let my body heal, let my mind refresh, and I think at that point, I’ll be excited to play again,” said Donovan. The player has scored 10 goals in the 30 appearances so far this season.

DONOVAN MAKES COMEBACK

The captain of Los Angeles Galaxy, Landon Donovan, has made a comeback after recovering from his hamstring injury. He played for almost 30 minutes in a Reserve League match against Portland.

He played brilliantly in the match and scored a goal for Galaxy. He also set up a goal for his team and proved that he has regained 100% fitness and is ready to play in the regular-season matches. Donovan played in the Reserve League for the first time in his career.

Donovan had injured himself while playing for the USA national team in a friendly match against Mexico in August. He missed a number of MLS matches due to his injury. The Galaxy team didn’t miss him that much and performed decently in his absence.

But, there is no doubt that his comeback would strengthen the Galaxy team. Donovan came to play as substitute in the 60th minute of the match against Portland. He set up a goal for his team immediately after coming on to the field. Pat Noonan capitalized on Donovan’s pass to score the second goal for Galaxy. Just after a few minutes, Donovan scored the third goal for Galaxy with a fantastic volley.

Jack McBean scored the fourth goal for Galaxy in the 82nd minute and took the match out of the reach of Portland. The Portland players looked completely off colour and didn’t manage to put the ball into the goal post even a single time in the match. The Portland team lost the match by a big margin of 4-0. Donovan moved on the field pretty well and seemed to have recovered from that hamstring strain completely. Galaxy will play against the Colorado Rapids at the Home Depot Center on Friday and Donovan is expected to play in that match.

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JOHNSON HAS IMPROVED

LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan has said that Eddie Johnson has improved a lot as a player. Eddie Johnson left the United States to play in England back in 2008.

He has now returned to the MLS and was one of the best players in the 3-2 win over Chelsea. The MLS All-Stars were playing against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly. It was expected to be one of the toughest matches for the MLS all-star even with the presence of players like David Beckham and Landon Donovan. However, they managed to create an upset by beating the current European champions 3-2 in this match.

Eddie Johnson was a vital part of their victory and Landon Donovan was full of praise for the player by saying that he has been showing a lot of difference to the player he was before deciding to play in England. Landon Donovan has attributed the substantial increase in confidence that he has been showing in his play as a reason for the much better form. It was expected that Eddie Johnson would be the star of the American soccer alongside Landon Donovan. However, things seem to be flourishing for the American International only now, while Landon Donovan is one of the recognised faces in American soccer.

“He’s a much better player. For a while, it seemed like he lost a little bit of that confidence. That ability to run at players, that’s what he was always good at. He played a little bit tentative. Now, he’s back to being aggressive but he’s also matured in his decision making. It’s a lot better. I told him that this [MLS] isn’t the end,” said the former Everton loan star. Landon Donovan has also said that he is likely to return to Everton for third spell in the January transfer window on a loan deal.

DONOVAN WILL RETURN

Everton midfielder Phil Neville has said that he is very much expecting LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan to return to the Goodison Park even a loan deal.

The 30-year-old American international has been a huge hit in his two spells on loan deal with the Premier league club. A lot has been attributed towards the manager David Moyes, who has been able to get the best out of Landon Donovan unlike any other manager. It has been speculated that Everton will once again be looking at the possibility of bringing Landon Donovan to Everton in the upcoming January transfer window.

Phil Neville, who is already preparing for the life as a manager and as a coach by taking his coaching badges, has said that he would welcome the return of Landon Donovan with open arms. Even though he has played less than 20 games for Everton, he is regarded as a hero at Goodison Park according to Phil Neville.

The American international has had little spells with European clubs in the past including Bayern Munich. However, none of them have worked out as well as the Everton loan spell, which is likely to happen in the upcoming January transfer window.

“If there is a chance, I make sure that I try (to tempt him to Everton) every time I speak to him. That’s the first thing I say to him. He’s the American version of Cristiano Ronaldo. Toward the end of his spell back in January I even tried to kidnap him for a while and keep him in England! I’m telling the truth here when I say the last two times he’s been over he’s totally transformed our season. He’s the ultimate professional, he’s got great quality, and the Everton fans love him. He’s a hero at Goodison Park, and he’s played less than 20 games for us,” said Phil Neville.

POOR FORM CONTINUES

LA Galaxy’s poor start to the season continued after they lost yet again. This time it was a 1-0 loss at the hands of New York Red Bulls, who currently lead the Eastern conference table with a one-point advantage over second placed Sporting KC.

LA Galaxy looked to have turned round their poor start to the season in recent matches, but this 1-0 defeat now leaves them in the seventh position in the Western Conference table. Even more disappointing is the fact that LA Galaxy need to make up more than 20 points in order to think about going into the top three of the table.

It has been a very poor start to the season for LA Galaxy, despite having the likes of Robbie Keane on the board. In recent matches, however, Landon Donovan almost single-handedly helped LA Galaxy win matches. However, he could do nothing about the loss at the hands of New York Red Bulls. Joel Lindpere scored in the 19th minute to get New York Red Bulls an advantage in the match, which they never relinquished. LA Galaxy wasted a number of good opportunities to get back into the match, and Landon Donovan said he regretted missing such opportunities.

“It was pretty much their only chance. We sort of let them off the hook by falling asleep on that play. And that’ frustrating, but that’s how this game goes sometimes. That’s what you can’t have when teams play that way. I don’t think we’re playing poorly. I don’t think anyone could watch that game today and say we didn’t give good effort, we didn’t play hard, we didn’t play with endeavor and try to do things the right way,” Landon Donovan said after the match. It will be a key few weeks for LA Galaxy given that they are currently the MLS cup winners.

DONOVAN A DOUBT

Landon Donovan is a major injury doubt for the LA Galaxy, as they prepare to face New England Revolution. Landon Donovan has been one of the influential players for LA Galaxy over the past couple of years.

Even after the arrival of David Beckham, his importance with the team has not been decreased. Hence, LA Galaxy will face a major shortage of quality when they face New England Revolution on March 29. According to the manager of LA Galaxy Bruce Arena, Landon Donovan has been affected by an injury to the quadriceps. As a result, he did not take part in the training ahead of the match.

Landon Donovan has not been feeling well ever since returning from his loan spell at Everton. The match against New England Revolution will be taking place at the Home Depot Centre. Even though he is not been doing well after his return from England, Landon Donovan has been part of the LA Galaxy fixtures up until now.

Speaking about the injury, David Beckham said that he hopes to have Landon Donovan back into the team as soon as possible, as he sees him as a very important player if there to win matches. So far, Landon Donovan has one assist from the two matches he has played for LA Galaxy this season.

“He’s got a slight problem, but it’s not a big issue. We have to be careful with players and little niggles they pick up. I’ve spoke to him a couple of times and it’s just precaution that he’s pulling out training. If he’s not all right, we’ve got players who will step in and do the job. His health is the most important part,” Beckham said about the injury to Landon Donovan, who was once again impressive in his loan spell at Everton.

WHO SHOULD GET NUMBER 10

The debate regarding who is the best player for the United States of America national football team has been going on for the last two or three years now and the two contenders for the highly coveted shirt number 10, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are both deserving of the shirt but according to some of the critics, on current form and experience in the international circuit, Fulham striker Clint Dempsey deserves the shirt more than any other player in the United States national team, including Donovan.

It was only a few days back that Clint Dempsey was given the opportunity to pout on the shirt number 10 in the friendly match against Italy in the absence of Landon Donovan and the attacker showed that he is truly a world class player, having played in the English Premier League for almost 5 years now, with some scintillating forward balls that almost decimated the famous Italian defense. Football is a game that has given us some world famous number 10s including the likes of Diego Maradona, Pele, George Best, Zinedine Zidane and so many others.

The number 10 shirt is coveted and being able to wear it is a privilege for any player, especially if it is for the national team, where one has to earn the right to wear it and Clint Dempsey’s displays against Italy proved that he has more than done enough to earn the United States number 10 shirt on a permanent basis.

However, Landon Donovan is likely to return to the national team by the time the United States play their next international match and will be in line to reclaim the number 10 shirt but it is worth seeing if the manager denies him the chance and allow Dempsey to carry it on a permanent basis.