Donovan needs to leave.

Maybe the competition in the MLS isn't as bad as you think.

 

Right. Milton Reyes couldn't keep up with him when DC played San Jose. Landon just coasted to score - how many goals was it?

Zero - because Reyes and the rest of the DC United defense shut him down.

Falcon6's final thought is correct - if you leave out the maybe.

 

As an Earthquakes season ticket holder for the past 2 years, I don't agree that he is not working, or that he is just playing with the defense.

When he first came to the Earthquakes he got schooled the first 7 times he touched the ball. As the season progressed, you could see him progress with each game. By the end of the season he was a MUCH better ball player than when he arrived.

This year there has not been as much of a pattern to follow with his time away from the Earthquakes with the MNT. But as has been mentioned above, the quality of the MLS, though not EPL level, is much better than most will admit or recognize. A case in point would be the Dallas game this past week. LD had to work much harder than he might have in the past because Dallas has gotten much better, especially on defense.

In summary Delta, I think you are allowing yourself to get caught up in criticizing US soccer because it is popular in some circles to do so. My observation is that, while he isn't learning as much from the MLS game this year as last, he isn't finding it a walk in the park either...

 

by the way, the entire Earthquake team looked lackadasical and heavy-legged (if you are or were a former athelete you know what that feels like), it probably had something to do with the fact that they clinched a playoff berth on wednesday and they were playing in altitude saturday.

 

What is somewhat disturbing about Landon is his inability to finish. During the United and Burn games, he had an opportunity to score. Yet, his shots were stopped by the goalkeepers. I know the goalkeepers made great stops, but still it seems Landon is not putting enough mustard on the ball. Will going over to Europe improve his finishing? I really don't know.

As for defenses in MLS, I wholeheartedly agree that MLS does not get the recognition for having some pretty good defenses.

 

He'll be a different player when the money's on the line (playoffs)

 

I would somewhat agree with this. I think that Donovan needs better(meaning world class) coaching to improve his game.

 

Donovan needs one more season in MLS after this season, then he can go overseas.

I don't know why I think this, but you can be sure that I am right.

 

Re: Re: Donovan needs to leave.

I think he needs more competition from other players to push him to a higher level. Have an off game over there and you're subbed and spend some time on the bench thinking about it.

 

You can't expect someone to play with the intensity of the World Cup every week. His stats are actually demonstrably worse with the Nats. You can interpret that however you like.

I still keep wondering that if our best players played in Europe, we might make the second round of the World Cup some day. Who knows, maybe we'll do even better.

 

Re: Re: Re: Donovan needs to leave.

And become a timid player, fearful of taking risks.

 

IMO Donovan is a big game player. Put him in the finals or a WC game and he plays better.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Donovan needs to leave.

a professional athlete shoud needs to be but in their place when they play poor and if they become fearful of taking risks they need to go home and cry to their mommy. These are professionals and get paid the big bucks to play worls class footy.

 

player his caliber needs to be in the premiere league or bundesliga environment.

 

Should Landon stay in MLS?

I saw the Quakes-Rapids game and I agree that Landon did look a little bit lazy. Will playing overseas help him develop? Maybe, maybe not. Remember, we are still talking about a 20 year old here. Landon is far from reaching his peak as a player. He still has plenty of time to prove himself overseas if he wants to. It wouldn't bother me at all if he played two or three more seasons in MLS. Playing in MLS any longer than that would hinder his development IMO. Since he is still 20 years old, his first priority should be whether he is happy were he is.



Landon, stay for two or three years, then kick some ass overseas.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Donovan needs to leave.

Have you ever played sports? A coach should show some faith in a player. And you don't do that by benching him. There isn't room for fear in the sports world. And getting benched for making a bad play will definatly lead to that. You end up with a player who is only a shadow of his former self. If he consistently makes those same mistakes, then you can consider a benching

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Donovan needs to leave.

My point is that you don't get a better player (or employee) by creating extreme job insecurity. Of course, the other extreme can produce bad results as well, but benching a player for one or two bad games is just plain idiotic.

 

landon is a mercedes in a race with a bunch of hundyais here in mls. in sports a good player will always be dragged down by inferior players with the possible exception of jordan
he needs to get his butt where the calibre is highest.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Donovan needs to leave.

Yes, I've played soccer all my life and would have went to play in the Gothia Cup if I didn't blow out my knee a couple of days before we were to leave for europe. I coach should show faith in a player yes but when there is someone on the bench that can do better you need to set the starter and give the better player thier shot. I guess I need to find a coach in europe that has faith in me so I can start in the EPL. I'm putting in my 2 week notice right now. One more thing.......... Ask BA how hw feels about showing "faith" in Agoos in the WC. So I think the question is have you ever played and been benched b/c someone could do better? When your setting on that bench you realize you need to raise your level of play to win back your starting place.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Donovan needs to leave.

Are you a coach?

 

I'm a big Landon fan, but I've yet to see him dominate consistiently in MLS, so I don't really think he's proven himself too good for the league. If he's not motivated enough to push game in and game out, then he's got a big problem that he's going to need to overcome if he wants to play in Europe someday.

Really, I think this sort of thing is a great illustration of how playing in MLS and the US team is vastly different from playing for a big club in Europe, and the structure of MLS and soccer in the US may have a lot to do with it.

In Europe, there is much emphasis on the league championship, which is not won in a short-term play-off. To win the championship in Euro leagues, a team has to play at a high level game in game out. The top team over the course of a hard fought season is champion. If a player fails to perform every time out, he can be a great handicap to a top team. Even tournaments like the Champion's League feature a fairly long campaign that requires consistent effort over a long period of time.

In MLS, you play a mostly meaningless season, where almost all of the teams qualify for a short tournament to crown the champion. A player can slack off for periods throughout the season with little consequense to his team. A guy can play some pretty mediocre soccer in most MLS games, get up for the playoff and, if he plays for the US, get up for national team games and still be a star. He won't face tons of competetion for a realitively safe league spot, and as long as he raises his game in short bursts he can remain a top player for the national team.

I'm not necessarily saying one way is better than another. We just do things differently over here. Heck, we even emphasize tournament play over league play in most of our club teams for kids growing up. Some players are going to have an outlook that lets them adjust more easily than others. Some are going to have a rough go of it. It looks like for a guy with Landon's mindset, adjusting to a constant struggle may be a difficult jump.

The benefit is that our guys grow up used to raising their game for a big occasion and performing well in bursts, which could bode well for future World Cups.

 

Isn't there some sort of prize Delta Blues gets for starting the 1,000th thread on Donovan needing to leave?
Perhaps some more suggestions for threads:
* Move San Jose!
* Why is Mexico ranked higher than the U.S.?

For me, the bottom line is this: Donovan is better off in MLS right now because he's happy here. He's 20 years old. What happens if he goes over to Germany now and it destroys his love for the game because he's so miserable (which isn't that unreasonable of an outcome)?
Let him play in MLS while he develops as a professional and grows up (that's not a jab at Landon ... he's 20. how mature and ready for the world were we at 20?) Once he gets all of that together, he'll be a much better player and much better prepared to go off to Europe.
Until he's ready to go, cut him some slack.

Also, another question: What's so bad about keeping the best American players in America? I go to as many Quakes games as I can and when I spend my $50 for my wife and I to go, I want to see the best American players. If it's Chicago in town, I want Beasley, Wolff, Armas, et al out there on the field. When I turn on Soccer Saturday's on ESPN2, I want to see Donovan, McBride, Mathis, Pope ... all of them. Having them in Europe does nothing for me as an MLS fan.