Stop ragging on Donovan

[passtheblizz]

A lot of people are saying in the media that he hasn't been playing well, but I don't agree. He is leading the team with seven goals and nine assists in qualifying, and he has played the most minutes. He missed an easy one vs. Mexico (cut it to your left and walk it in, Landon) but throught the rest of the game he played well. His touch was excellent, and several times he was able to relieve pressure on our defenders by taking bad clears and maintaining possession in small spaces. All this while nursing a tweaked ankle in a state of admitted exhaustion.

Some people here expect Landon to appear on the field from a cloud of smoke shooting fire from his feet and lightning from his ar$e, but that isn't always going to happen. His effect on games is often more subtle. I will admit that he needs work on aspects of his game, but no one cares more, tries harder, or covers more ground than Landon every time he dons the USMNT kit.

[Wahoo]

A lot of people are saying in the media that he hasn't been playing well, but I don't agree. He is leading the team with seven goals and nine assists in qualifying, and he has played the most minutes. He missed an easy one vs. Mexico (cut it to your left and walk it in, Landon) but throught the rest of the game he played well. His touch was excellent, and several times he was able to relieve pressure on our defenders by taking bad clears and maintaining possession in small spaces. All this while nursing a tweaked ankle in a state of admitted exhaustion.

Some people here expect Landon to appear on the field from a cloud of smoke shooting fire from his feet and lightning from his ar$e, but that isn't always going to happen. His effect on games is often more subtle. I will admit that he needs work on aspects of his game, but no one cares more, tries harder, or covers more ground than Landon every time he dons the USMNT kit.

Sorry... but Landon has has some real stinkers recently.

And you know what... I praise him when he does well... so I'm going to say when he's not playing well. It doesn't mean I hate him, or that I think he stinks, or anything like that... it means he's not been playing well. It goes back to something that was touched on a while ago... he may be playing tired. If so... he needs to ask for a break. There is no need to play him in ANY of hte remaining qualifying matches.

As for the "no one cares more, tries, harder, or covers more ground than Landon" statement... I think there are others that work just as hard. McBride and Beasley come immediately to mind.

[OutKast3000]

A lot of people are saying in the media that he hasn't been playing well, but I don't agree. He is leading the team with seven goals and nine assists in qualifying, and he has played the most minutes. He missed an easy one vs. Mexico (cut it to your left and walk it in, Landon) but throught the rest of the game he played well. His touch was excellent, and several times he was able to relieve pressure on our defenders by taking bad clears and maintaining possession in small spaces. All this while nursing a tweaked ankle in a state of admitted exhaustion.

Some people here expect Landon to appear on the field from a cloud of smoke shooting fire from his feet and lightning from his ar$e, but that isn't always going to happen. His effect on games is often more subtle. I will admit that he needs work on aspects of his game, but no one cares more, tries harder, or covers more ground than Landon every time he dons the USMNT kit.

Way to stand by your man!

Great post Bianca!

[kurgen99]

He's a great midfielder, but he's not a forward.

[KimmySwimmy]

Way to stand by your man!

Great post Bianca!


LOL

i was thinking the same thing.....

[CbR]

ppl forget that donovan has played big for us in big games. Yet someone like EJ on the other hand gets the keys to the city on this board for toe pokeing a few goals against awful competition.

[hockeyrules]

Donovan will always be better playing as a mid than a striker.

That said, he is a frustrating player to watch. He reminds me of Steven Gerrard of Liverpool. Sometimes he can be just incandescent. But he disappears in games, sometimes for a half, sometimes for the whole game. I can't explain it, but they both do it.

[swilso01]

Sorry... but Landon has has some real stinkers recently.

And you know what... I praise him when he does well... so I'm going to say when he's not playing well. It doesn't mean I hate him, or that I think he stinks, or anything like that... it means he's not been playing well. It goes back to something that was touched on a while ago... he may be playing tired. If so... he needs to ask for a break. There is no need to play him in ANY of hte remaining qualifying matches.

As for the "no one cares more, tries, harder, or covers more ground than Landon" statement... I think there are others that work just as hard. McBride and Beasley come immediately to mind.

Well said. The last game that Donovan really showed up for was the game against Costa Rica, where he had 2 of his goals (the others coming against Canada, Cuba, and Panama). WHat I have noticed about Landon is that he is now a marked man against legitimate competition (most of CONCACAF I would not consider legitimate competition). He has yet to really demonstrate that he can handle that kind of pressure and man-marking. Last two qualifiers against Mexico, and against England he was pretty much invisible. Even looking at his Champions League and Real Madrid games shows the same thing.

I thought Landon's touch on Sat. was awful. I made the drive from Philly and have to say that he looked pretty poor.

[Marko72]

When Donovan has space to run at defenders and create or go for the score, no American is more dangerous and likely no American will be until the hoped-for emergence of Freddie Adu.

When there's no space to get into, he's gonna disappear except for small little unexpected spurts (his winning that ball against two defenders in the air on top of the Mexican box set up the 2nd goal, although you're right, if he cuts it to his left he scores on his own).

He had a quiet game against Mexico but was not as utterly useless and ineffective as a lot of people here thought he was. Bruce did not put him into that game expecting that he'd be dribbling through Mexican defenders all day. He was hoping for a few moments of pressure-relieving brilliance and maybe a goal (created or scored). What he got out of Donovan was a little bit less than he had hoped for, and after the second goal he sat him down.

[Bonji]

Tell Landon to sack it up and compete against the best players in the world on a weekly basis, then I'll stop ragging on him.

[chad]

I am so steaming mad at Donovan for our early qualification for the WC.

For his 7 goals, 9 assists in WCQ.

For the Gold Cup win.

For his two MLS championships.

For his WC02 performance.

For him being a soccer pro, when that's what I wanted to be.

For him not being the sort of soccer pro I would be if I were him.

For having a hot girlfriend.

For getting to live a life on his terms and not mine.

For his 70+ senior caps by age 23.

For the USMNT record with him playing.

The list could go on and on of all these sorts of crappy things he has done.

[Bruce S]

Tell Landon to sack it up and compete against the best players in the world on a weekly basis, then I'll stop ragging on him.
it sucks that he is helping to build MLS. The future of US Soccer is the NASL.

[Liviu]

I agree with the original post. Mexicans respect Donovan's play more than many on these boards now. It's ridiculous. The reasons many rag on Donovan now has nothing to do with his play on the field, but with the Leverkusen and San Jose incidents. Reminds me of my fellow Romanians saying that Mutu (plays for Juventus) is trash after getting suspended for doping (cocaine). Then he comes back from his suspension and Romania won their last 2 games by 2:0 scorelines (last one against the Czechs), all goals scored by Mutu.

Donovan is one of our best players. Period. I even had a guy next to me in Sam's Army on Saturday who freakin BOOED Donovan several times. That's just stupid IMO. You don't have to respect his decisions off the field but please respect him as a good USMNT player.

[Bajoro]

Speaking for my fellow SJ fans:

I will always rag on him when he shows up in San Jose wearing green and gold.

But when he's wearing Red, White and Blue, he's my guy. Sure, he's disappointing occasionally. But who (other than Kasey Keller) isn't?

[chad]

Sure, he's disappointing occasionally. But who (other than Kasey Keller) isn't?Well, there was that time Kasey kicked the ball into Luis or Hermosillo (can't recall which), but other than that...
:p

[dcchelseafc]

GO BACK TO GERMANY!

If he goes back there, then Ill stop raging on him....
He can be such an awesome player, but he wont thrive as much as if he was over there playing.

[ray of light]

Landon has been and is one of the best players . He plays with 9 other players (beside the goal-good job Keller-) and his game is as a chess game.
Even if he plays in a silent way, he's there to put the ball there where it has to be.
I've seen a lot of games, and I've always amazed myself looking at his furious skills, his gear and awesome talent.
He will be an important player in WC 2006!

[Marko72]

You know, I think this board needs a little bit of a reality check. What current player in the world could be expected to do what Donovan can do on his best day in the type of game like we played on Saturday against Mexico? There are only a handful of them and you know them all by name. Ronaldinho, Figo, Zidane, MAYBE one or two others like an in-form Totti.

Ok, Donovan's not quite at their level. Sheesh, he really sucks, doesn't he?

[dcchelseafc]

You know, I think this board needs a little bit of a reality check. What current player in the world could be expected to do what Donovan can do on his best day in the type of game like we played on Saturday against Mexico? There are only a handful of them and you know them all by name. Ronaldinho, Figo, Zidane, MAYBE one or two others like an in-form Totti.

Ok, Donovan's not quite at their level. Sheesh, he really sucks, doesn't he?


WHOOAAAA

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!

Hes not even in the same league as those players. Good yes, that good, Not even close. He needs to play with that calibur of player all the time to reach there level, and no matter how much i hate to say it, playing here in the MLS, he will never reach the level of Totti, Lampard, Zidane, Ronaldo.

I dont mean this as a personal attack
But please do us all a favor and dont mention donovan as on the same level as those players.

just my .02 though

[lond2345]

The only problem with Donovan is that he dissapears faster than rice on a chinese man's bowl.