An Uncertain Donovan

I hate getting this personal, but June 2009 is when his marriage ended. They announced their separation the following month. Hard to concentrate on the game in that situation.

 

I think Landon is man enough he doesn't need everyone coming to his defense. Criticism, even over the top ridiculous criticism is part of being a pro. Clint was getting torn to pieces on twitter his first two months with Spurs. He didn't need anyone sticking up for him. Neither does Landon. He's a big boy.

Being surprised or even really caring what tools on twitter say? Who gives a shit. At least people care. Better than no one caring about our NT and not having an opinion. It comes with the territory when you're Landon's status and when the sport is growing. And Comoesa is right, it'd be much worse if he was the top player for a Euro country. I know first hand as Berbatov, who my fiancee went to school with, is hated in Bulgaria. Despised. He's their best player ever, it's fully his right not to play for the NT which he retired from a few years ago while in his prime, much like Landon is doing now, while possibly leaving the door open, but Berba was slaughtered in the media, and still is to this day. He's considered a traitor to his nation. When I was in Sofia in Dec there were literally dozens of posters with Berba's face with an X through it all around the national stadium, all because he simply didn't want to play for the NT anymore. Media and twitter there is ruthless. But it's part of sports. Landon actually has it easy to be honest. I doubt he'd get boo'd in MLS stadiums like Berba would if he ever went back and played for CSKA.

Only opinions which matter are those of Landon and the guys in the locker room.

 

Touche

 

Maybe, maybe not.

Generally, in the past, we've fielded 3-4 quality attacking options at the same time. One of those was Donovan, and he was arguably the most influential person on the field.

At the moment, we're playing with three attacking players, only two of which are proven at this level, and one of which hasn't produced much of anything under Klinsmann. Dempsey's still scoring at a pretty good rate, but teams are managing to shut him down for most of the game by keying in on him.

All of which allows our opponents to feel a bit more comfortable pressing high and pushing numbers forward. And our attempts to play out of that pressure on the ground through the center of the field aren't working so well at the moment. It's not unreasonable to assume that the addition into the lineup of one more proven international attacker, our all-time leading assist man and goalscorer nonetheless, could lead to some improvements all over the field.

 

I think Donovan will be back soon and he would certainly make a difference.

Our biggest weakness outside of center-back is on the wing, Chandler definitely could have used the cover and relief that Donovan can provide. To say nothing of the obvious scoring punch.

In all honesty we had a pretty amazing 2012 considering we did it without our best player.

 

Donovan would have helped a lot yesterday, can't see how anyone would think otherwise.

 

Even if it had (and again, the game wasn't lost because of the attackers), him being there and us getting a point or three would have only papered over the real issues surrounding the team that need to be addressed in order for us to succeed, with or without Landon.

 

The crazy thing (for me) is that I often find myself arguing for the value of Donovan on the pitch. In this case, however, I think the tactics employed by Klinsman, and the overall motivation of the team would have made it difficult for him to have a huge impact on the match. I mentioned the away match with Costa Rica from the the last cycle as an example (although Suyuntuy had a reasonable counter-argument for that).

 

Bruce Arena today:

(7 minute mark)

http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/all-access

Put's Landon's return as:

"He'll be back at some point...reevaluate in a couple of weeks, we expect to have him in the near future and by that I mean...I would hope... that sometime in the next couple of months we have that whole thing settled and we have him back on the field"

 

Crap. I'm hoping he said couple of months just so they'll stop asking him every day when LD is coming back.

 

I haven't kept up with this thread recently, but is Landon getting any credit for identifying the hot mess that JK is and just deciding to stay away from that? Not as protest or anything, just as "that is bad and life is short."

He certainly had some up close with JK in over his head enough to see some writing on a wall maybe.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Donovan views JK as a rich man's Ruud Gullit.

 

Near future/next couple of months - So back February or March?

Back for 7 out of 10 or 9 out of 10 qualifying games?

As in the majority of them?

I'd take that.

I said this in the LA thread, but the way this was introduced was in direct connection to the WCQ game. Bruce is clearly kinda uncomfortable about saying anything knowing the ramifications of saying a date.

Take out "I would hope", I'm hearing back playing sometime in the next two months. And back for WCQ since I haven't heard a peep different yet - in fact, his agent said he would earn his spot back.

Good.

 

Well... Hristo Stoichkov is the best Bulgarian player ever. Other that that, you're right.

Of course, Klinsmann kept Gomez on the bench ... after playing him all summer and fall, including the tough Brazil match and the entire group stage.

Donovan has too much pedigree to suffer Herc's fate but this coaching staff is becoming known for some pretty weird moves.

 

Crazy son of a bitch too though... remember him getting sued for ending a college kids career when he played for DCU?

 

I was think more of his generation when I typed that, but you're 100% correct. Legend.

 

So we can continue to beat a dead horse, or I've got something fun. So you know how we are looking for America's next Landy? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, but young Mr. Marc Pelosi has been named to Liverpool's Euro league squad for the knockout rounds. Obviously he probably won't see any playing time it's an amazing accomplishment.

 

Except he is another defensive midfielder.

The best hope for the US right now is that Klinsmann gets his head out of his arse and brings back Gomez; that Shea gets a decent dose of Tony Pulis's coaching and offers something more come March, that Boyd shows more in Vienna and that there's a breakout star in MLS.

 

Pelosi is not a D mid.... He is a winger and a wingback who can also play in the center. As an attacking or box to box mind. He is out and out best on the flank though

 

I'm very intrigued by the lack of press about him. He's had some very good success - especially of late. Expecting to see it skyrocket in the near future.

 

I was just struck by something (and it wasn't my wife throwing a shoe at me, telling me to get off the computer this time).

The best player in his country... some say the best his country had ever produced. Won a remarkable number of championships. Accomplished everything he set out to accomplish in his league. Retires at the age of 30 because he had issues in his personal life and lost his desire to compete. That guy must be a complete bum, who never had the desire to be great:

 

So, Donovan is Jordan?

And Messi, Maradona and Pele too?

(which is not to say he has no right to retire any moment he feels like it)

 

Donovan isn't Jordan... he's just not the first top level athlete to go through this, and it doesn't necessarily imply all the crazy stuff that many posters here say it does.

 

Pele must have "retired" a dozen times before actually, you know, retiring.

Others have gone through this as well. This has nothing to do with "deserves" or whatever. Phil Simms have long said (about Brett Favre mostly) ~ , "If you don't feel like playing anymore, just shut up and go away. Enjoy your retirement".

 

We need to start one of those White House petitions, to have Obama convince Donovan that his country needs him, possibly through 2018.

Edit: I'm not kidding. Someone start one of those White House petitions asap.

I guess technically he has a "right" to retire whenever he wants, and obviously with all he has done for US soccer and MLS he "doesn't owe them anything"... but my feeling regarding everyone from Messi to Donovan / Berbatov on down to Bornstein is that they should play for their national teams until they are too old / not good enough (see Bocanegra and Cherundolo currently)... ask what you can do for your country and all that.
I think with Bradley (your favorite) one day they will have to rip the jersey off his back or tell him to report to an address for a game that is in the middle of the woods.