Donovan proves to be what Europe knows he is...

Bruce has always said you have to earn the jersey. But for Donovan it's gift wrapped. Shouldn't he have to earn it too?

The guy is scoreless in how many minutes and disappears every game!

 

Donovan's time with the Galaxy has been exactly what he DID NOT need, a mediocre and meaningless regular season where they scrapped into the playoffs and won the championship despite their average record.

It reinforced his attitude that sandbagging it through 30 MLS games is good enough for him to be a winner.

Maybe he saw those red jerseys yesterday and thought he was playing Liverpool again.

At least he'll get better use of those Dodgers season tickets.

Doing all he needs to do in MLS, my ass.

 

Which game were you watching?

 

The Czech warm-up's were red. They showed the video of their run-through yesterday and before the game.

 

It really sucks that he's our biggest offensive creator. I wish we had a more forceful personality in that position.

 

He needs to get on a motorcycle, sans helmet, and take a ride.

 

Donovan is a good player who did not get enough touches in this game. He has to put himself in a position to get more touches no matter what you call his field position like a striker.

Nedved was called a left wing mid did he play like a left wing mid. He put himself in a position to get a ton of touches that is what Donovan has to do.

Hey screw all these back passes if we have speed we can't use it with all these back passes. The Germans in the 80's if they back passes the fans would whisle their boo. We should do that as well.

 

Donovan is what he is..... Leverkusen knew exactly what they were doing when they cut him and set him free to come back to the MLS. He claims it was the way the game is played there, the way of life etc....as to why he could not compete for a job with the starting 11. And then has the stones to actually state that he will just as well served playing in the MLS as in europe...yah OK there partner!!!! Thats like comparing the NFL with division 3 NCAA ball......

The plain truth is a combination of lack of skill but more importantly a lack of fortitude and fighting spirit. He likes to talk alot of shite but rarely if ever backs those words with actions when it matters most.

I believe Klinsmann even stated something to that effect when asked about Landon at a soccer summit type deal in the US a couple of years back.

Just my 2 cents.....

 

that is incorrect.

 

I hate to agree with the spirit of this thread, but donovan is looking like he loves the big fish in a small pond role he has chosen. if he performs the same against italy, he will lose me as a fan (like he cares). the mexican announcers here said that he talks much better than he plays...and to agree with mexican commentators....ouch.

 

That is a horrible thing to be known for.

Even amatuer players know to let your actions do your talking. Landycakes did talk a lot of smack to go out there and not even let it all hang out. He disappeared and showed no passion. The same can't be said for T&T or any other team in the tourney, really.

 

Mabey its a bit of an exageration but still your MLS allstar team was thrashed by real madrid...what 5-0 or something like that and madrid are a shambles team who were in preseason mode. The evidence was on display yesterday, your guys well over performed in 2002 and have swelled heads now. Get ready for the thud when they come crashing back to earth going 0-3 and out in the first round. Landon is no leader and Reyna cannot do it alone.

 

Landon Donovan is ********ing dirgrace. Players with character can be taken out of their comfort zone and still excel. The only place Landon can do crap is back in sunny CA. The guy has not heart. He has no love for the game. I mean he talks about retiring for christ's sake. He and DMB can go back to the U-17 youth champioships for all I care. We are better off without them down the road.

 

I've never been much of an LDo fan, although watching him carry the Galaxy around on his back last year during the playoffs I had to concede that the kid can play.

But I don't understand why people are singling him out. The whole team from back to front, played the same way - tight, listless and confused looking.

It's hardly fair to single out any one player. It was a crap performance by a bunch of candyasses playing without pride like a bunch of little girls against the eleven men the Czechs sent out there. It was a total team (lack of) effort.

 

Donovan has been (self)annointed as the face and future of American soccer and Donovan chose to thumb his nose at Europe when he couldn't hack it there. That's why Donovan's (and Beasley's) getting singled out for a crap performance, even though he had plenty of company.

 

Maybe Arena can start him at left back and then you all can pile on him from there too!! Donovan and Beasley were not put in their natural positions and were not shockingly ineffective, at least Beasley was a defensive presense. (If you have bear to watch the tape again, please review.) Donovan should only be on the field as an attacking mid or else he will be ineffective time and time again. I can't believe no one here recognizes this as the root of the problem yesterday. If you are looking to point fingers, find Bruce.

 

Neither of them have any balls. That's the bottom line. Beasley has obviously been humbled in Europe this year because he has no confidence.

 

did anyone see the interview with LD after the game? he was misty eyed. Looked like the kid could have cried. He knows it people, he knows it.

And all this poor talk will just help him play a different game against Italy. I think that turnarounnds are a thing of WCs and I think that Landon will play like a mad man against Italy only so that he can tell everyone to f*** off once again. I think LD enjoys the proving people wring part more than anything else. Its rather immature if you ask me.

on a side note, what a waste of money Nike has put into the american Joga Bonito campaign if we loose Saturday.

 

This is such a pathetic thread. The team was awful. Donovan was too. It happens. He was played in a position where he was too dependent on others getting him the ball, which didn't help. But to say that he's gutless and has no passion is absurd. He has been a leader for us throughout qualifying, speaking very honestly and backing it up with his play. Now he needs to do the same.

To say he doesn't have the skill is also absurd. He's still our best player on the ball and hopefully will show his quality if Bruce plays him at the position we all know he should be playing - attacking mid, where he can operate deeper and get the ball.

Bench him? For who? Josh Wolff? Come on. Ibrahimovich had an underwhelming first match for Sweden. Should he be benched? England didn't get much out of Owen or Gerrard. Will they be replaced? These are excellent players who will make their mark before the tournament is over. They and their teams were underwhelming, but good players are given latitude and time to turn it around, which they usually do.

 

I have no objection to "LD sucked yeseterday" statements, because it was true.

But to try and link it to the "Europe" thing is ridiculous.

Was DMB or McBride any better?

No. Actually worse.

COnvey was marginally better but not great by any stretch.

We sucked all around the block.

Arguably our best player was EJ, plying his trade for the KC Wizards.


pffffffssssssssssssssttttttttt............

 

Agreed.

Agreed.

Agreed.

Agreed.

Agreed.

You fools jumping all over LD, blaming this loss on his playing in MLS, are showing that you have exactly no idea what you are talking about. Go watch a U12 game, and leave the football to the men.

Somebody please bin this useless thread.

 

Everyone sucked yesterday. However rewatch the game. Donovan was the one who set up Reyna. He set up about 60% of the US chances. He and O'Brien were the only ones who weren't playing long ball and giving the ball back to the Czechs every possesion. Donovan had almost no bad touches. Sure he was lazy and didn't work hard in the second half. His effort was poor. The talent was there. How many times did Reyna, Lewis and McBridge turn the ball over? It was an awful display of passing. This is what happens when you field of teams of Euro second stringers who have never played together. It's time Arena put out the team that earned the US the trip to Germany, and that was full of MLS players.

 

It's just a game. No need to wish him harm- or even life threatening injuries.