Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK Obviously not. But the BBC would have reported that Beckham won his first piece of hardware in the US... and probably replayed Donovan scoring it with accompanying celebrations. Repeat in several other countries with Beckhamania... Instead, the clips will show Beckham gets hurt and his team in the US continues to lose.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK He definitely choked. Honestly, i knew he was going to miss when I saw him get up. Something simply didn't look right. However, I simply don't agree with the over the top reaction that people are having towards his whole career, based upon this moment. He tightened up and missed at a crucial moment. Players MUCH better than Donovan have done the same before him, and better players will do it after him. And oh yeah, anyone who thinks that winning an first year invitational tournament is a bigger deal than your leagues title .......... well, let's just say that it makes me wonder a bit about your sanity.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK I remember a different quote from BA in the WC that LD did miserable in.... "He was a warrior out there. Landon Donovan did things I've never seen him do before." That was after the Italy game. Funny how different people remember different things.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK Maybe we need a Nitpicking and Agendas forum. It'd be a fine place for 90% of BigSoccer.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK If you want to see a big name player in a defining moment watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLBTDYHz-b0
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK I remember Dempsey bailing out on a PK for the Revolution to win the MLS Cup final. After playing what, 35 minutes or so, said he didn't feel right. And he was coming off an injury. Donovan played injured last night for 120 minutes. Carried his team in the process when Becks went down. Then stepped up...but blew the game-winning PK. Funny how different people remember different things about different players. As has been said - we've all got an agenda.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK It's a ridiculous argument to remove the penalty kick from the context of the game and say "Everyone misses penalties. Maradona, Baggio, etc". A) Again, it wasn't just ANY penalty. It wasn't a PK for the fifth US goal in a match vs Trinidad and Tobago and the game winnder vs The Columbus Crew. The story behind this pk included: a) Redeam his team's season in which, with him as captain, they failed to qualify for the post-season b) $1,000,000 c) Earn a trophy and consolation for his former SJ Earthquake coach and friend, Frank Yallop d) Complete a story-book come from behind victory in the Championship Final in which his team scored a last minute, game-tying goal, bicycle kick. e) Defeat the best soccer club in North America and one of the best in Latin America and earn MLS some international cred. f) Turn around the negative spiral that's become of the "Beckham in LA" story. g) Multiple reports have come out that this is LD's last season in LA, and thus, this was his chance to earn a moment of glory and pride for the Galaxy, and in very dramatic fashion... But...he was scared, he hit a terrible pk, and they lost. And that is the difference between great players and good players....imposing your will. To say this was just another penalty is silly. If it was just another penalty, why did Landon "panick"?
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK A friend of mine just moved here from London. He is a lifelong Chelsea supporter and has purchased season tickets for both Galaxy and Chivas USA (the guy has done well in life.) I watched the game on TV, and called him as he was in his car last night leaving the stadium. My friend's observations: 1. The Home Depot Center could have sold out given the number of people who were turned away. 2. The fans were half Pachuca/half Galaxy. 3. The atmosphere he said was as intense as anything he has experienced in England. 4. When Chris Klein scored his goal the sound at the HDC was like "a bomb went off" the crowd's reaction was so powerful. (Imagine if they'd allowed a full house!) 5. The Pachuca fans were absolutely fabulous -- singing, cheering, urging their team on... and then respectful of the nearly unbelievable effort by the Galaxy. Yeah, yeah, Landon missed a PK. Yeah, yeah, he's struggled at times in big games. Who cares? For those of you who watched this game on TV or were there at the stadium, this will be one of those defining moments in the sport's history in the US. And the club's history in Los Angeles. I've been critical of the Galaxy this year -- especially of their management. And I was beginning to think of wavering over to Chivas USA. Not anymore. My friends, this is MY team: The Los Angeles Galaxy. Last night, they may have lost, but they have won my lifelong devotion, even thought I've half-heartedly followed them since their inception. They are my team and my sons' team and they will -- God willing -- be my grandchildrens' team. They are MY Los Angeles Galaxy. I don't want them to suck anymore. I want them to be as good and as great and as committed to the moment as they were last night. Unforgettable...
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK The way Pachuca celebrated, they sure looked like they cared. I listen to a spanish soccer program on the radio, and the Superliga final was all they talked about on Wed.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK Yea, Pachuca cared and a few people in this country but not in Mexico. Everyone in Mexico was watching the Mexican league's midweek games and if anyone in Mexico did care about this game it was becuz Donovan screwed up, that's it. By the way is it XM radio that you're listening to or normal radio? There's a cool channel on XM called XM deportivo(147)
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK Well, it's a listener call in show on the AM dial. I can't recall the call numbers..it's on 10something, like 1030 or 1060, in the Bay Area. The host's name is Cesar but the listeners address him as "Maestro". The host is El Salvadorian but most of the callers are Mexican. Most of the calls were about the rapid improvement of the quality of play in MLS, Pachuca's dominance in Mexican soccer, comments on pachuca players, how Beckham compares in quality to players on Pachuca...each caller predicts the score and if they guess right, they win some prize.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK Oh ok, well obviously I live in Florida so I don't get that channel, but XM is the same anywhere wich is why I asked and my dad works there as a co-host. I hope you get what I said that except for a few Pachuca fans, in Mexico the SuperLiga really doesn't mean anything yet.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK check out my sig. And a gymnast can't have a 'career defining moment' before 20?! Donovan has been around the game a while I'd say. This is absolutely worth discussing as a 'career defining moment.' Let's not take any future world cups (or the any success or failure in the future) into what you think he has ahead. Just to let the other options be seen again. I didn't even have to pay. Nail meet head. No one? really? If I can find one what do I win? You care enough to troll this thread, and it not exactly pbp.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK I think his PK vs. Oswaldo Sanchez in the Gold Cup final when we were a goal down was a bigger pressure PK for Landon.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK "Troll"? If you actually think about it, since this thread is about Donovan, I'm excusing him from missing a chance to clinch the game on a PK by saying the tournament's not so important. Making fun of Donovan and the Galaxy would be trolling but is calling you a loser trolling as well? Loser...
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK 1. his PK was horrible. he choked on it as if it was his own vomit. 2. that's okay. people kick bad PKs all the time. he just chose a bad time to kick that one. 3. what's become insufferable is his pre-PK ritual. truly, it's as if the Pope himself is kissing his own rings over and over again before meeting with the Cardinals. dang, just get a cross, kiss it once for good luck, and be done with it. 4. if donovan ever gets over himself - and i was hopin' his woman would help him do that but i'm beginning to question even that - he could really be something special. as it is, he's pretty damn good, but remains quite an enigma.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK OK, so that is also "a" defining moment in his career. A big moment where he performed... my point was this was "a" moment that didn't go well and he will remember it. I don't see why everyone thinks you have to hate LD to think he "choked" on a pretty big PK. As an aside, what do you get for winning the Gold Cup? I also don't get why a MOD like "Profiled" neg reps me because I point out that this was a big moment in his career and he choked. I don't make fun of LD, I don't ridicule him, I simply said that if he wants to be a truly "great" player he needs to win those games.
Re: Landon Donovan's missed PK Geez guys, this wasn't the world cup or even the mls playoffs... this tournament means nothing but to entertain. It's an exhibition tournament. Donovan will move on by this weekend.