I haven't posted in this forum yet so I thought I would come over and see if all the things I heard were true. Everyone is the World Rivalries forum always talk about how everyone of the "Yanks" in this forum rave about Donovan. So is what I heard true, do some of you believe that he is as good as Ronaldo and one of the top ten players in the world? I think Donovan is a really talented player but I don't think he's one of the best in the world. Anyways I just wanted to experience first hand the opinions of Donovan is this forum.
Not really... the general consensus is that Donovan's good enough to start for a mid-table EPL/Bundesliga team, which doesn't put him in the world's top 10 at his position.
That and he's earned a bit of a reputation as a primadonna. Not for nothing though, as he has been MLS's golden boy in San Jose.
Didn't anyone watch the World Cup? I'm not sure if people think that LD is a 'world class' striker, but I think people feel that he's close. Or could develop into one. By world class I mean could start for any team in the world.
Re: Re: Is Donovan really that good? He could probably start for the Bhutanese national team right now but really not sure about a half-decent national team....
He is a very good player, but probably overrated by most Americans.... he is no Ronaldo, Henry or even Owen.
Donovan is a good player right now. He has tons of talent and athletic ability but he is not close to being world class. He would probably make it on most major clubs in the world right now but being chosen above the likes of Henry, Owen, RVN, Raul or Ronaldo is not likely. He often disappears for long stretches of matches. On the plus side he is only 21 years old and already is one of the 2 or 3 best players for the US - along with Reyna and the Goal Keepers. He has the potential to be a great player soon, but needs to play against the best to learn.
Donovan is much better than the folks above give him credit for. No, he is not Ronaldo. He has a very distinct style all his own. I can tell you one thing for certain--Ronaldo would love playing with him. Donovan has three enormous strengths: he can run all day, he makes fantastic runs off the ball, and he reads the play exceptionally well. He is not a pure attacker like Ronaldo, but rather moves in and out of the attack as opportunities arise. Having several other clever passers or ball handlers around him makes him look and play that much better. Most important, he rises to the occasion, be it the World Cup or MLS playoffs.
What I find rather amusing is why do World Rivalry people have any concern or interest in Donovan at all? All you ManU diehards, Brazil diehards, Ireland diehards, (the list can go on and on) all of you who have such "superior" players, then why concern yourselves with our perspective on Donovan. According to you, he couldn't clean the boots of any of your top players, so why have any thoughts about him and how he plays at all? Me thinks you protest too much. Could it be that perhaps he is maybe as good as we say he is? Ooh, an American player can't dare be considered one of the better players in the world. Ooh, that can't be. That's an abomination. I think your put-downs of Donovan betray what's actually going on in your heads. You're SCARED that an American player just might be able to make a big impact over there in Europe - and that's just sacrilege, isn't it?
You mean an impact similar to the one he made in Germany? Correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression the only impact he made there was his arse imprint on the bench.....
Re: Re: Is Donovan really that good? ... when he was nineteen years old. And correct me if I'm wrong, but what ManU player scored two goals at the World Cup finals? None? Any goals? Ah, well, maybe next time... Look, Landon Donavan is a good, young player, period. He plays instinctively and creatively, and he's fun to watch. We don't usually get a lot of that here in the United States, so if we make a fuss, that's the reason. No, he's probably not Ronaldo -- who is? But he's undeniably talented and worth watching. Cool down and enjoy the game.
Re: Re: Is Donovan really that good? As a 16 and 17 year-old he sat on the bench. That's an important distiction.
Let me be the first to say, I HATE with a bloody passion the San Jose Earthquakes and Donovan when he plays for them...that said, Landon Donovan is world class and would play anywhere. Don't fall into the "US soccer inferiority complex". He is the real deal, and any team would be lucky to have the kid. Did you see that game-winner Saturday? Oh my goodness. Speed, vision, balance, skill to waste, brains, just enough cockiness, quickness...He's got it all.
baiting the troll (yawn) Yeah, and unless something drastic happens in Holland your ace striker won't be starting for his half decent national team for long.
Landon is a good player. As good as Ronaldo? Of course not. We really don't know how good he can be. Hopefully he will go to Europe and play on a larger stage.
He can't play striker better than Saviola (not to mention many more..Ronaldo, Raul,RVN, Henry, Crespo etc...) and can't create like Aimar or D'Alessandro (all around his age). World class come again...... Why can't you guys said good player instead "World Class"...
Re: Re: Re: Is Donovan really that good? Am I hearing an echo? Experiencing deja vu? I could swear I read the same thing about Tim Howard. How's he doing with that Bhutanese team?
Well, I hate him, but he is a good player. Not yet world class, but who knows. That distinction can't be made until he is playing with and against world class players. I do think that he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo. And I would think he would come off the bench for some major europian clubs. I really doubt he would start now. Maybe in a few years, but he has to prove that he can perform consistantly in a euro league first. I don't think anyone can accurately predict how he would do in europe. There where alot of people who said Tim Howard couldn't beat out Barthez or Carroll for a spot on the bench. That has proven not to be the case. For those who use Donovan's time in Germany to judge his skill, it is important to remember that he was 16 years old at the time. If you honestly believe his skill is the same as it was then, then your opinion is probably not based on reason and I doubt anyone can convince you otherwise. Brian Mcbride went to everton on loan last year and did very well from what I hear. Donovan is far and away better than Mcbride.
Eurosnobs crack me up. If I were a coach for any club in the world I would want a Landon Donovan on my team because he has it all. People say he's "world class" because he proved he can play and smoke European defenders in the world cup. He is a large part of why Germany thought the were lucky to have come out of the USA game on top. He creates plays out of nothing for San Jose and shines enough that people know he's special and deserves a shot at the bigtime. "WORLD CLASS" he has yet to prove but we know if given a real chance he won't let us down. When people first heard of Manchester United going after Tim Howard it didn't cause many to laugh but rather it made people ponder that it was probable he would beat out Barthez at some point in the season for the starting job, they just didn't know when. To the surprise of everyone, even Man U's coach, Howard won the job almost from the very first time he played with Manchester United because you'd have to be blind to not see what he's capable of. The fact people are pushing Donovan now is mainly because you'd have to be blind to not see what he's capable of.
Re: Re: Re: Is Donovan really that good? Rooney is younger than Donovan was at the WC and has secured starting places for his club and country - age is immaterial, if he was good enough then he would have played. So LD scored two goals at the World Cup - so what? Is this the master benchmark of any player? What of RVN and Giggs - are you saying LD is better than them because they didn't score at the WC. (by the way, you may want to check your stats as I remember Forlan scoring at the WC as did Beckham who was a Man U player at the time). Agree that LD is a promising player right now but that is all he is - he has yet to consistently perform at the highest levels (were talking a proper season of football here, not a one-off tournament against questionable opposition). If he is not willing to move to another country to improve his game then he will never be world-class - hell, a muppet like Heskey would look World-Class if he played in a 2nd/3rd class league...
Re: Re: Re: Is Donovan really that good? You mean the same age that Rooney is now? Rooney who is being tracked by all the top teams in Europe? Age is immaterial - if you're good enough, you're old enough
Re: baiting the troll Whats your point? Is it lack of ability that will keep him off the team? Or is it the fact that Advocaat cannot pick a striking partnership?
Why am I a Eurosnob? Is it for the same reason I could call you a "Yanksnob"? Just what European defenders did he "smoke" in the World Cup? That famous Portugese back 4? Poland? Hardly performing against the cream of the crop there is he? And how did he do against a poor German defence? How many did he score in that game? Tell me - which player from each of Real Madrid, Man U, Juve, AC Milan etc would he displace? He'd be lucky to get on the bench for any of those teams. I'm not saying he is a bad player - far from it, he has a lot of potential. But that is all it is right now, potential. He will never reach his limits unless he moves to a better league (in the same way that Becks is improving with Real).