Was it a mental block? Or could he just not cope with the fact that in Europe he'd be just another guy and not elite?
He did during two loans with Everton. I remember him walking into the lineup almost immediately and Moyes singling him out with praise. Keeping that form long term would've taken the "proof" further, but alas, Donovan clearly didn't consider that a priority for his career.
In his first stint at Everton, they had the 2nd best record in the league against an absolute monster schedule, so they probably were the best team in England for 2 months. When I die and go to heaven, God is going to let me watch what would have happened if Everton had bought him. Don’t judge me; I’ll have an eternity of time to kill. That will be one of many projects.
If you're referring to when he went over as a youngster, I think lack of preparation was the biggest factor to him not succeeding. Americans had had some success in Europe by that time, like Wynalda and Lalas, but they were older and had years of college and pro soccer under their belts at the time. Same with Clint Dempsey. By contrast, when Donovan went to Leverkusen at 17, all of his soccer experience was from the IMG academy and youth national teams. He was totally unprepared for the experience of trying to break through in club football and being a professional soccer player. He's told the story of being approached by a man who introduced himself as a scout from Bayer Levekusen and asking him "What's Bayer Leverkusen?" I think Landon's story was pretty unique in the sense that he never aspired to play pro or even as a young player really had a firm grasp that you could play soccer professionally, so I think a lot of it was just shell shock. I think as he got older, he probably could've succeeded in Europe.
It often depends on chemistry, tactical fit, and circumstances at the specific club. When Donovan returned to Bayer Leverkusen, he was usually played out of position as a wing back in a 3-5-2. His competitors for the forward and attacking midfield roles had made themselves hard to bench by going on a scoring tear that started just before his arrival. At Bayern Munich he never got a fair shake; his signing was controversial to begin with, and he went into a team in the midst of Klinsmann's disastrous tenure. Everton's tactics and personnel played to Donovan's strengths: they played a direct style, and gave their wingers a lot of freedom because they got a lot of their width from possibly the best pair of fullbacks in the league at the time. Also, Everton happens to have the widest pitch in the Premier League, which favored Donovan's speed.
Yeah, I think Bayern was probably a little bit beyond him, to be perfectly honest. He wasn't terrible there, but the expectations are just too high at that caliber of club, even under good circumstances, but especially in the situation he found himself in, where Klinsmann was losing faith of his players and the club leadership. From the beginning, he wasn't perceived as the level of player Bayern normally has in its ranks, which is a tough place to be. He was put ahead of a player like Michael Ballack, for instance. To his credit, he didn't shrink from the pressure at all. I agree Everton was a great fit.
What makes u think that? Maybe he felt it was best for him to be in the US! Europe doesn't mean the grass is greener!
He actually could cut it in Europe, he proved that with his stints at Everton... he just wouldn't....
Moving from club to club and city to city isn’t like playing FIFA. Some players aren’t going to thrive at any club you put them in. Donovan has talked about the dreary life of a lone American kid in an industrial town like Leverkusen. There was no joy. He was unhappy and played like it.
He wanted to stay at Everton the first time, where he was named player of the month during his loan. His Everton teammates praised him and campaigned for him to stay, especially Phil Neville who called him the best right mid he ever played with Donovan wanted to stay. The Galaxy and Arena wouldn’t sell him. The “couldn’t cut it” narrative is garbage
world wasn't as connected back then. Getting aclimated to a new culture may have been part of it. I remember Bianca played a part in him wanting to stay in the US. I believe some call it love.
Very late post reply, but it matters. Plenty of US fans wanted LD to succeed overseas because, lacking a longterm league with a proper single table, theyve fallen back on prioritizing the World Cup. Him being better might have meant an R8 exit for the USNT instead of an R16. Kind of a tail-wags-dog approach, but in nations without a true footy culture, NT ball gets undue attention. It only makes sense if you're a LA Galaxy fan that you want him on your XI. He can't help your club if he's in Germany or England.