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Post by stellarboy on Mar 19, 2012 13:27:52 GMT 8
Recap: Keane, Galaxy drop United for first win of 2012Robbie Keane has first multi-goal MLS game, Marcelo Sarvas gets first league goal in 3-1 win CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy needed a big win, and that's exactly what they got, as two goals from Robbie Keane and a third from MLS newcomer Marcelo Sarvas paced them past D.C. United 3-1 in front of 18,466 at The Home Depot Center on Sunday evening. Keane scored on either side of halftime and Sarvas added his tally late in the match. Rookie Nick De Leon pulled one back for D.C. just moments from the end to avoid the shutout. The Galaxy made just two changes from the lineup that fell 2-1 to Toronto FC in the CONCACAF Quarterfinals on Wednesday, as Andrew Boyens and Chad Barrett replaced Tommy Meyer and Edson Buddle. Meanwhile, United boss Ben Olsen chose to place both of his Designated Players – Hamdi Salihi and Branko Boskovic – on the bench to start the match. Despite Keane’s later heroics, it was United who nearly got on the board first when, in the eighth minute, Dwayne De Rosario fired a wind-aided shot from beyond the halfway mark that sailed just left of Josh Saunders' net. Five minutes later, the Galaxy began to press ahead in search of the opening goal. Keane drove into the box, but was furious when a penalty kick was not awarded by referee Baldomero Toledo after the ball seemed to deflect off the arm of D.C. United midfielder Andy Najar. Moments later, David Beckham launched a shot from the edge of the box that sailed just over the United crossbar. LA continued to pile on the pressure and in the 20th minute, Mike Magee blew past D.C. defender Robbie Russell but had his effort knocked away by 'keeper Joe Willis. Willis was forced to come up big again in the 34th, when he denied Keane of a clear scoring opportunity. D.C. found their footing as the half wound down, making several forays into the Galaxy’s final third, the finest coming in the 44th minute as Maicon Santos fired a De Rosario cross well over the net. Check out the chalkboard The Galaxy finally broke the deadlock moments before the end of the first half. Magee fired a cross into the box to defender Todd Dunivant, whose header found Keane waiting on the near post, and this time, the forward struck pay-dirt. The Galaxy continued to pressure D.C.’s net at the outset of the second half, but poor finishing prevented the defending champs from taking a commanding two-goal lead until Keane appeared in the 69th minute. Donovan dispossessed Boskovic in midfield before playing the ball across to Keane, who fired from 16 yards out past Willis for his first brace in MLS. D.C. had a chance to pull one back just minutes later off a corner kick, when second-half sub Emiliano Dudar, who earlier missed a chance to equalize, had a dangerous shot tipped over the bar by Saunders. The Galaxy sealed the match in 85th minute, when Sarvas headed in a goal from close range. Unwilling to go away quitely, United answered immediately through De Leon in the 86th minute, as he whipped in a shot from 16 yards out that struck the far post before going in. After playing their fourth game in the span of two weeks, the Galaxy will now enjoy a two-week bye before resuming MLS play on March 31 against the New England Revolution at The Home Depot Center. Meanwhile, D.C. United will return home to the friendly confines of RFK Stadium, where they will host the white-hot Vancouver Whitecaps next Saturday. www.lagalaxy.com/news/2012/03/recap-keane-galaxy-drop-united-first-win-2012
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Post by stellarboy on Apr 2, 2012 6:03:22 GMT 8
No fear? Galaxy get bossed by Revs in own houseApril 1, 2012 CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy were perhaps the most feared team in the league in 2011. They weren’t able to carry that title even a month into the 2012 season. “We knew how good we were last year and we knew that teams feared us last year,” Galaxy defender Sean Franklin said on Saturday night. “I don’t think no one fears us this year.” New England became the latest squad to knock LA around in what’s become an unhappy title defense, leaving The Home Depot Center with a 3-1 victory over a Galaxy side that lost by the same scoreline to Real Salt Lake here just three weeks ago. Nearly airtight in 2011, the Galaxy’s defense has been anything but in 2012. They’ve allowed 11 goals in all competitions thus far, all but two of them coming at home. It was also the third time they yielded more than one goal at home; in 2011, the Galaxy allowed more than one goal in a home game just once, a span stretching across 23 games in all competitions. “Teams are coming in here to our home, which they didn’t do last year, and beat us and that’s something that we can’t do,” Franklin said. “The positive about it is that we have 30-something games left in our season but we’ve got to get things right.” That the Revs played the Galaxy tough was no surprise. New England won all three meetings in LA from 2006-08 and pulled out a 1-1 draw in LA’s 2011 season opener. But the manner in which the Revs got their first two goals was troubling. In the 10th minute, Shalrie Joseph sent a cross into the middle of the box that got over A.J. DeLaGarza’s head. Kelyn Rowe had his first shot parried, but eventually pushed home the rebound after no one had reacted to ‘keeper Josh Saunders’ point-blank save. Three minutes later, Kevin Alston raced into the penalty area and slipped a ball across the box for Chris Tierney, who put it past Saunders to give the Revs a quick 2-0 lead. The Revs put yet another one past the Galaxy in the 65th minute when Ryan Guy found Saer Sene in front of goal. “Kelyn Rowe is 5-foot-7 and he’s getting behind our backline on a cross,” DeLaGarza said. "And the second one, their left back is scoring a goal inside our box. That’s unacceptable. On the third one, obviously, it’s a cross and coming in and not marking or someone getting a head on it … It’s a marking issue. As center backs, we have to pick up a man, no matter what.” From the opening whistle the Galaxy were lacking cohesion and allowed the Revs to move the ball around, at times seemingly at will. To try and shake things up, head coach Bruce Arena took David Beckham and Marcelo Sarvas out at halftime. “Felt we needed to make a change in the midfield,” Arena said. “Purely a coach’s decision. I couldn’t change 11 players, that’s what I told the team at halftime. If I had 11 substitutions I would have considered that.” Beckham’s removal was perhaps surprising, as he had two free kicks on goal that caused trouble for Revs 'keeper Matt Reis. Beckham did not speak to reporters after the match. While the English superstar may have been frustrated at his removal, Arena said the match came down to other factors. “Hopefully he’s ready to be part of the next game,” Arena offered. “I’m sure he’s not pleased about it but that’s not the issue in the game. The issue for the game was 11 players for New England soundly outplayed the 11 players for the Galaxy." www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/04/01/no-fear-galaxy-get-bossed-revs-own-house
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Post by stellarboy on Apr 3, 2012 5:39:23 GMT 8
Galaxy definitely misses Omar GonzalezDefense has been a weak spot in the first three games, and the All-Star defender won't be back for months while rehabbing a torn ACL.By Kevin Baxter March 17, 2012, 2:05 p.m. Omar Gonzalez admits he was impressed by the spread in Galaxy's corporate suite during last week's CONCACAF Champions League game at the Home Depot Center. "They had some good food," he says. "They had some, like, meatball things. And they had some other stuff, some chicken fingers. It was all good." Good would not be the adjective of choice to describe the Galaxy defense so far this season. With Gonzalez, a two-time All-Star, out until midsummer following surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the winless Galaxy has given up seven goals in three games. It gave up as many as seven goals in a three-game stretch only once last season — and four of those were scored by Real Madrid in a midseason friendly. Yet all Gonzalez, Major League Soccer's defender of the year in 2011, can do is watch. And wince. "The only frustrating part is the fact that I'm hurt. And the fact that I want to be out there," Gonzalez says. "There's going to be some difficult times maybe, but I think that the coaching staff and the veteran players aren't going to let it get too far. It is only the third game of the season so there's no need to panic. There's a lot of season left." Maybe. But it's probably not a good sign when the play that has defined the Galaxy season so far took place in January, on Gonzalez's first day of training with FC Nuremberg, when he collided with fellow American Timmy Chandler. "It was just a really freak play," remembers Gonzalez, who was on loan to the German club. "The coach was yelling at someone and the ball came back into play. They passed me the ball and… on my second touch, I twisted away from the defender and I just got bumped into the back so slightly. My quad just twisted." Gonzalez hoped it was just a strain but when doctors discovered the ligament was completely torn, they put him on a plane home. And that, Gonzalez said, may have been the most painful part of the whole ordeal because to prevent a clot on the transatlantic flight, he had to inject himself with a blood thinner. In the stomach. "It was definitely scary," he remembers. The subsequent operation went well, though, and the 23-year-old Gonzalez, who is rehabbing five times a week, expects to be back by August — if not sooner. In fact his biggest challenge now appears to be holding back. "When I'm walking the dogs or something, I feel like maybe I'll try to jog a little bit," says Gonzalez. "I feel so good that I want to do these things. But there could be serious repercussions because it's still not all the way healed yet." Nor is the Galaxy defense. Toronto FC Coach Aron Winter admitted he targeted Gonzalez's replacement, rookie Tommy Meyer, in Wednesday's CONCACAF Champions League game and that paid off with Meyer getting beat for both goals in the Galaxy's 2-1 loss. Meyer isn't solely to blame for the team's woes, however. Fellow defender Sean Franklin knocked in a critical own goal — the first of three scores the Galaxy conceded in a 12-minute span of its MLS opener with Real Salt Lake — while central defender A.J. DeLaGarza is playing without Gonzalez at his side for the first time since his sophomore season at Maryland. And Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders, who had started only eight MLS games in three seasons before last year, has stopped only four of 10 shots on goal this spring. But while Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena acknowledges he has been frustrated by the team's play this month. he's even more frustrated with repeated questions about how Gonzalez's absence has affected the players. "I don't think it's in their mind that Omar's not there. They're not that stupid," he protested. "[Omar] is not going to be here for a while." As Arena likes to point out, Gonzalez also missed the first three games last season. What he doesn't mention, though, is the Galaxy gave up five scores in those games, winning just once. In fact, in the last 13 months the Galaxy yielded only 26 goals in the 39 MLS and Champions League games Gonzalez started — a goals-against average of 0.67. Opponents have scored 15 times in the eight games he has missed. With Gonzalez, the team is 25-5-9 with 20 shutouts. Without him, the Galaxy is 2-4-2 with one shutout. No other player — not Landon Donovan, nor David Beckham nor the suddenly tentative Robbie Keane — has had that kind of impact. Coincidence, Gonzalez insists. "You never know," he says. "Maybe I would have made the same mistake ."
Not likely.
What's more likely is that Gonzalez will be back in the Galaxy's suite Sunday afternoon, choosing between the meatball things and the chicken tenders, while his teammates try to figure out how to get along without him against D.C. United.
"Guys are going to have to step up," defender Todd Dunivant says. "We don't have Omar. So there's no excuses there."
www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-baxter-soccer-20120318,0,3439988.story
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Post by stellarboy on Apr 6, 2012 8:12:56 GMT 8
Galaxy players not panicking after disappointing start to seasonDeLaGarza: Saturday's match at Sporting KC will be a big test April 5, 2012 CARSON, Calif. — With lofty expectations placed on the LA Galaxy this season, it seems that anything short of a perfect start to the 2012 year would be cause for concern. As it turned out, the season has not started off perfectly at all but the only concern surrounding this club is coming from the outside. “Everyone’s writing us off: ‘We’re not going to make the playoffs, we’re not going to do this.’ I think we had four points last year in the first three games and this year we have three, defender A.J. DeLaGarza said. "We’re not too far off where we were last year and you saw what we were able to do last year. Guys still have a positive and open mind.” Heading into Saturday’s match against league leading Sporting KC (4 pm ET/1 pm PT; ESPN, ESPN Deportes, LIVE CHAT on lagalaxy.com/gamedaylive), Galaxy players still believe in themselves. “We have a big game, a big test. What better test than to do it against MLS-leading Sporting KC at their place?” DeLaGarza said. “We’re excited about it. We know we’re still a good team.” Still, the Galaxy’s record is hardly spotless so far. The Galaxy have won just once in three league games and yielded seven goals, or one-fourth the amount of the total goals they gave up all of last year. In all competitions, the Galaxy have allowed 11 total goals and have three losses at home - three more than they had in 2011. Because of that the team has taken its share of criticism. But players say the negativity isn’t exactly worrisome. The Galaxy may have run away with the Supporters’ Shield and walked to their third MLS Cup title in 2011, but that season got underway in a less than smooth manner also. After a 1-0 win at Seattle, the Galaxy struggled to earn a point at home against the Revs and followed that up with a 4-1 loss to Real Salt Lake, a match played without Landon Donovan. On Saturday, without Donovan, the Galaxy lost to the Revs 3-1 and the bottom has seemingly fallen out of the season; that is, to anyone outside the club. “Anybody that actually thinks they know what is happening in the league in the first three or four games is mistaken,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. “There are a lot of games to be played.” www.lagalaxy.com/news/2012/04/galaxy-players-not-panicking-after-disappointing-start-season
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Post by stellarboy on Apr 6, 2012 22:57:49 GMT 8
GALAXY: No Beckham, Donovan? MaybeApril, 5, 2012 By Scott French | ESPNLosAngeles.com CARSON -- Landon Donovan returned to training this week. David Beckham missed Thursday morning's session. Both are dealing with injuries that could keep them from playing in this weekend's showdown at Sporting Kansas City. Donovan hopes to return from a quadriceps strain, among other ailments, that kept him out of last week's 3-1 loss to New England, but neither he nor Beckham are definites to travel Friday or play Saturday against K.C. (4-0-0), MLS's overall leader. “I'm doing all right,” Donovan reported after Thursday's practice at Home Depot Center. “I think it's been a better week than last week, and we're hopeful for Saturday.” Head coach Bruce Arena said nearly the same thing: “We're hopeful. We'll see how it all plays out.” Donovan appears in better shape than does Beckham, who is dealing with a reported hamstring strain among other things. “David has an assortment of nagging injuries,” Arena said. “Just been smart about getting him the right kind of rest and working him in the gym.” The exact injuries? Where does the hamstring fit into this? “Don't even know the exact pecking order of the injury list,” said Arena, whose team is 1-2-0. “I'll leave it at that. Our trainer's dealt with a few things.” Asked if he was confident Beckham could play, Arena replied: “Haven't made a decision.” Will he make the trip to Kansas? “Haven't decided.” There were hints he won't be available at the end of Thursday's session, during the part of training open to media. Robbie Keane and Mike Magee practiced free kicks from just outside the box, but Marcelo Sarvas -- who buried a brilliant free kick in preseason loss to New York in Tucson -- didn't join them. “David is very [important] to what we're trying to do here, obviously, with free kicks and the assists he produces every year,” Keane said. “It's up to the players now who when David's out to take responsibility and take the chance and make the most of it.” If that means he takes responsibility for set pieces, Keane is cool with that. “I try to take free kicks as much as I can,” he said, “but when David's there, he's the man for free kicks. If David's not there, then it's up to someone else to take the responsibility. I'm very happy to do that.” Donovan says his quad injury is not related to the quad injury that slowed him down and at times sidelined him the latter part of last season, but he's not certain whether he'll be ready to go Saturday. “You never know how injuries go,” he said. “It's literally day to day, and you just see how it goes. … There's a fine line. You want to make sure you're not putting any players in harm's way. You have to be smart how you approach things, and Bruce is very good about that with me.” WORTH NOTING: Saturday's game begins at 1 p.m. PT and will be telecast live on ESPN. ESPN Deportes will show the game at 6 p.m. … Josh Saunders is up for MLS's Save of the Week award for his diving first-half stop on a Chris Tierney blast from 30 yards. Online voting ends Thursday at 11:59 p.m. PT. … Home Grown forward Jack McBean has been called into the April 9-16 U.S. under-20 national team camp in Portland, Ore. So has Galaxy Academy defender Jeffrey Payeras (Hawthorne/Animo Leadership HS). … McBean scored in the Galaxy Academy's 2-1 victory over Madrid-based Rayo Vallecano in advance of the Real Sociedad XXVII Youth Invitational Tournament in Spain. … The Galaxy's official injury list: Defenders Omar Gonzalez (ACL tear) and Leonardo (ACL and LCL tears) and goalkeeper Brian Perk (sports hernia) are out; Donovan, Magee (adductor tightness), defender Bryan Jordan (hamstring strain), and forwards Adam Cristman (concussion) and Pat Noonan (hip flexor tightness) are questionable. Beckham is not listed. The updated list is due Friday. espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/soccer/post/_/id/15664/galaxy-no-beckham-donovan-maybe
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Post by stellarboy on Apr 8, 2012 6:58:04 GMT 8
Recap: Galaxy shutout by Sporting KC in first road loss of the yearApril 7, 2012 Steve Brisendine MLSsoccer.com KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Sporting Kansas City keep making history. The LA Galaxy keep waiting for something to go right for their beleaguered defenders. Kei Kamara exploited the defending MLS Cup and Supporters Shield champs’ backline struggles with a diving header late in the first half, and Sporting improved to 5-0 — the best start for any team since MLS opened play in 1996 — with a 1-0 victory on Saturday. Los Angeles started that first season with 12 wins in a row. That was in the shootout era, when matches could not end in draws, but their first nine victories came in regulation. This year, they’re off to a 1-3-0 start and have been outscored 8-5 through four matches. Sporting have four shutouts in five outings, meanwhile, and have outscored opponents 8-1. On Saturday, Jimmy Nielsen faced only three shots and didn’t have to make a save. The Galaxy got Landon Donovan back from a quadriceps injury that kept him out of last week’s 3-1 home loss to New England, but were without David Beckham for the first time this year. The LA captain stayed home to recuperate from a nagging series of knocks that forced him to come off the bench against the Revs. Playing before a standing-room-only crowd at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, KC came out pressing hard against a Galaxy defense that had already given up seven goals through three league matches. Sporting had 68 percent of the possession in the first half, but didn’t get a shot off until Graham Zusi fired high from just outside the arc in the 20th minute. Galaxy ’keeper Josh Saunders had to dive to his left to deny Chance Myers his first MLS goal in the 23rd minute, but there was nothing he could do to prevent Kamara’s goal after getting hung out to dry by his back line. Convey, working on the right wing as Kamara made one of his periodic shifts to the left side, worked into space against Todd Dunivant and sent a cross toward the 6-yard box. Kamara — leaving right back Sean Franklin flat-footed three yards behind him — dove and buried the ball just inside the right post to give Convey his first assist with his new club. On the other side of the ball, Sporting stymied the Galaxy’s potent forward tandem of Robbie Keane and Edson Buddle. Keane, who leads LA with three goals, didn’t get a shot off all day — although he came close in the 82nd minute, when he was alone at the back post but couldn’t get to Chad Barrett’s through ball. Buddle had an even quieter day — he was lifted for Barrett in the 57th minute and twice got cleaned on textbook tackles by center back Aurelien Collin. Mike Magee had two good chances for Los Angeles, firing wide on a counter in the 7th minute and shooting just outside the left post in first-half stoppage time, but was unable to break up Nielsen’s clean sheet. www.lagalaxy.com/news/2012/04/recap-galaxy-shutout-sporting-kc-first-road-loss-year#.T4DDhPcxKfo.tumblr
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Post by stellarboy on Apr 16, 2012 17:21:05 GMT 8
Galaxy band together to grab three points late
Beckham: We played as a team, we attacked and defended as a team and we deserved to win April 15, 2012 LA Galaxy Communications LAGalaxy.com CARSON, Calif. – At least for a night, the Galaxy appeared to recover the swagger and poise that they showed in their 2011 MLS Cup run, grabbing two goals in the late going to record a 3-1 come-from-behind victory against the Portland Timbers. After going down 1-0 following a Kris Boyd goal in the 23th minute, LA roared back and scored three unanswered goals, including a SportsCenter-worthy strike by David Beckham, to stop a two-match slide. Down a goal, the Galaxy did not appear flustered as they dominated possession for wide stretches of play, showing flashes of their MLS Cup-winning form from a year ago. Less than 10 minutes before full time, their pressure paid off. Juninho was able to out muscle Darlington Nagbe for a ball in the 83rd minute, before firing a lash from distance that gave the Galaxy the lead. Up a goal, LA showcased the poise that was their strong point a year ago and added a third when Beckham curled a ball into the top corner from 25-yards out one minute into stoppage time to seal the three points. “It’s a big one obviously because of the run that we’ve been on and the way we’ve been playing,” Beckham told reporters after the match. “Overall, our performance was a 100 percent better than it’s been all season. We played as a team, we attacked and defended as a team and we deserved to win.” While LA displayed prowess going forward, their back four was bolstered by the inclusion of David Junior Lopes, who started his first match after being traded to the Galaxy from Chivas USA midweek. With A.J. DeLaGarza out due to right adductor tightness, the Galaxy’s new addition learned on Thursday that he’d get the nod for LA’s reeling backline. Partnered alongside rookie Tommy Meyer, the hulking Brazilian was solid, providing the Galaxy with physical presence in the back while also coming close to putting the ball in the back of the net himself a couple times. “He played really well. We were a little concerned about his fitness for 90 minutes, but I thought that he hung in there and he did a good job,” Bruce Arena said. “You can see that he’s an experienced player and obviously has some quality that we’ve been lacking in that position. We’re hopeful that we can build on his performance and our team performance.” While Arena admitted that it’s early to say that Saturday’s win against Portland was a turning point for the defending MLS Cup Champions, it was certainly a step in the right direction as they look to build on the result. “Inside the team, they probably know that what they did inside the group as a team tonight was better than the past and that’s what we build on,” said Arena. “At the end of the day, you have to be a good team and we haven’t been a good team in the early going. Tonight, we were a good team.” www.lagalaxy.com/news/2012/04/galaxy-band-together-grab-three-points-late
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Post by stellarboy on May 16, 2012 15:22:01 GMT 8
Barack Obama teases David Beckham during LA Galaxy visit to the White HouseThe most important man in world politics gave the former Manchester United star a hard time, and branded the Los Angeles side 'the Miami Heat' of Major League SoccerMay 16, 2012 12:15:00 AM By Seth Vertelney David Beckham was the butt of American President Barack Obama's jokes at a White House event on Tuesday. Los Angeles Galaxy visited Washington DC to be honoured by President Obama for winning the 2011 MLS Cup. In his remarks to the assembled media, Obama poked fun at the 37-year-old icon. "We also have a young up-and-comer on the team, a guy by the name of David Beckham," Obama said. "I gave David a hard time. I said half his team-mates could be his kids." "He is tough," Obama added. "It is a rare man who can be that tough on the field and also have his own line of underwear. David Beckham is that man." The president also lauded the former Real Madrid man for his performance during the Galaxy's championship-winning season. "Last year at the age of 36, David had his best year in MLS, leading the team with 15 assists. He did it despite fracturing his spine halfway through the season, and injuring his hamstring the week before the championship game." The Galaxy defeated Houston Dynamo 1-0 last November to clinch the championship, with Landon Donovan scoring the game's only goal. "Landon's eye for the net and his will to win are legendary, and once again he stepped up when his team-mates needed him most," the president added. Obama also compared the Galaxy to another team packed with high-profile talent, calling the team the "Miami Heat of MLS." The day was also notable because goalkeeper Josh Saunders was able to join his team-mates at the ceremony after being allowed to leave the league's substance abuse and rehabilitation programme. Saunders was admitted to the programme indefinitely, and has missed the Galaxy's last four matches. After the president spoke, several Galaxy players, including Donovan and Beckham, joined First Lady Michelle Obama for a Q&A session with a number of children who were in town for the event. www.goal.com/en/news/13/united-states/2012/05/16/3105703/barack-obama-teases-david-beckham-during-la-galaxy-visit-to
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Post by stellarboy on May 24, 2012 23:15:06 GMT 8
Grant Wahl>INSIDE SOCCER Donovan candidly discusses future, retirement in wide-ranging Q&AORLANDO, Fla. -- It hit me for the first time listening to Landon Donovan on Wednesday: the U.S.'s all-time leading scorer may be closer to the end of his soccer career than any of us thought. Donovan turned 30 in March, and he's back with the national team here for the first time in eight months ahead of the U.S.'s five games between May 26 and June 12. But Donovan is also a player who freely says that after playing in three World Cups, winning four MLS Cup titles and amassing 138 national team caps, his hunger isn't the same anymore. On Wednesday he spoke of wanting to play two more years with club and country "and then sort of reevaluate it from there," as he put it. Donovan doesn't give a lot of interviews these days -- and almost never a one-on-one -- but he did sit down with a group of four U.S. journalists for 30 minutes on Wednesday ahead of Saturday's friendly against Scotland in Jacksonville (8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Galavisión). Donovan was thoughtful and candid, too. Here are several nuggets from the interview, edited for length and clarity: Q: How does it feel to be back with the team? Donovan: It's nice. It's been a long time. You almost forget what it's like to be back in camp. Just seeing a lot of the faces has been nice. I'm excited to play again, because it's been a long time. It's been too long for me. Q: Did it start to wear on you that it became a stress for various reasons that you weren't able to come in? Donovan: Yeah. It was frustrating. The end of last year there was a lot of different things going on. In truth I regret a little bit missing one or two of the camps, just because you lose touch with it. But there were different reasons, and I felt at the time it was the right thing to do. But this year was really frustrating, because I was really excited to go to the Italy game. The world works in weird ways sometimes, but for whatever reason that wasn't meant to be. It's nice to get back and hopefully earn my keep again and show that I belong to be here. Q: Do you feel like you have to earn a spot back as a starter? Donovan: Yeah. With national teams it's always different. When you're with your club team, every week you have a performance to judge. But when you're with the national team it's a little different because you might not play for three or four months at a time. Things change constantly. So from that aspect it makes it a little easier because you're coming in with a clean slate every time. But that being said, we all watched the last few games, in particular the Italy game , and the team played well. And anytime they play well, I've always been of the opinion that you keep a team that plays well. So I've got to find my way back in.
Q: Did you have any communication with Jurgen Klinsmann at all during that stretch [when Donovan wasn't playing for the national team]?
Donovan: We communicated a lot, whether it be via text or phone calls. And then in March or April we met at Home Depot with Martín [Vásquez, Klinsmann's assistant] and talked a lot about how things had been going. Just keeping me in the loop and letting me know where things stood. It was good to have a chance to sit down and talk, and I could let him know how things were from my end. I think we were I hope both excited for me to get back here. Q: Coaches are always observing players, but players are observing coaches, too. You've had a chance over the years to observe Klinsmann. What have you learned? Donovan: We were all there in Germany [at World Cup 2006] and everyone got a little bit swept away by what he did with the German team and how he transformed them. Having played in Germany and knowing the German mentality, it was pretty remarkable that he was able to accomplish that. There's always been a respect from the outside for those things, but it's different when you get with a coach on a day-to-day basis and you can really see how they make those things happen. He didn't just show up during the World Cup and all of the sudden magic was happening on the field. There's a lot of work that goes into it, and I'm just now starting to understand and appreciate all that.
Q: How do you come back to find the hunger or whatever was motivating you in South Africa [at World Cup 2010]?
Donovan: It's not easy. I think all players reach a point in their career where it's natural to lose some of that hunger, that desire, to sort of break out or be a star. My mindset now is I want to be successful, and I realize now that as I'm getting older I'm not going to be the guy who's scoring goals every game or making a great impact all the time. I'm going to do it as much as I can in that way. But if I can be a part of the team and help lead it to successful times, then that's what I want to do.
I know at some point, and I had a small brush with this with Bob [Bradley] last time at the Gold Cup, at some point the time will come when I'm not a first-choice player. And the challenge then will be how do I still make a positive impact? I want to be a positive influence. I want to be someone who they want to call in and want here consistently, regardless of my role.
Q: Was there burnout from playing so many games with this group? You've been with this group since you were 18. Was it natural for that to happen?
Donovan: I think it's probably part of any job, but it's magnified in athletics. The reality is that people don't really care about that part of it. They show up and they want to see you play and perform. That's a part that's always a challenge for athletes: trying to keep the passion alive while knowing it's still your job. There's no question that at some point, probably sooner rather than later, I'll be pretty burned out. And when that time comes, then I'll take a step back and take a look at it and see if I want to keep going.
Q: How have you changed in these last two years?
Donovan: There's been some transformation in the way the sport is for me now. In 2010 I was so eager to show myself that I could still do it. 2006 was so disappointing. There was that sort of passion and hunger. Candidly, the last few years -- last year included, even though we won the championship [in L.A.] -- there's more of a reality that I'm not going to be able to do this forever. I'm not going to want to do this forever. I know that I have many better things and greater things to do in my life still.
There's a natural point where it's not as fun anymore, not as enjoyable, and you still try to find ways to keep it enjoyable. I used to think maybe if I'm still fit I can play a long time. I think from a mental standpoint now I'm realizing if I'm not enjoying it I'm not going to play. I still enjoy it to a large extent, but I've always promised myself that if that ever goes away I'm not going to play just to play.
Q: You've consciously chosen to reduce your profile in the media a bit, not doing many one-on-ones. Why?
Donovan: Yeah. I'm to the point where this might sound crazy, but I like [being a sports celebrity] for the kids, but I don't really enjoy this aspect of it. I know it's a byproduct of it. I know a lot of people want to be famous and be a celebrity, and that was sort of an undesired consequence of everything that went on in 2010. I'm not complaining. But at my core I'm a pretty simple kid from a small town, and I've been doing this a long time. So I'm actually excited for the day when I can kind of step away from it and really just be a normal person again.
Q: You had a chance to write your autobiography and decided against it. What went into that call?
Donovan: I'm trying to do a lot less. Less is more for me. I don't want my name out there all the time. I want a much lower profile and a much easier lifestyle. I've turned down a lot of marketing opportunities and things like that. It's not of interest to me as much.
Q: Do you still want to be the guy who stayed here to build the game in the U.S. after you retire?
Donovan: That's to be determined, I guess, depending on how I feel. But I'm excited to pass the torch, for lack of a better phrase. I think sports are becoming more and more of a young man's game, anyway. The hunger to succeed is really important, and that's what a lot of young athletes have. It gets harder as you get older, because if you've sort of established yourself, you're not going to be as hungry as a kid who's 18 trying to break in. So it's different in that way.
Everybody talks about who's better, Clint [Dempsey] or Landon, all this bulls---. And I want Clint to do well. I want Clint to succeed. I'm happier probably than anybody when he's succeeding. It's good for our team. It's good for our sport. It's great for Clint. Clint's a little bit different of an animal. He still has that crazy hunger to succeed, more so than most. That's great. That's a beautiful thing. The more players we have like that, the better it's going to be.
Q: What are the goals that you still have for club and country?
Donovan: From a career standpoint, ideally, I'd like to play a couple more years and hopefully get to the World Cup, assuming I'm still enjoying it and passionate about it, and then sort of reevaluate from there and see where I want to go. That would be a perfect world as we're sitting here right now. That could change. Then from the club side about the same: Play the next couple years, this year and next year, with L.A., and then just reevaluate and see what I want to do.
Post-playing, definitely take some time off initially. If I stay in the soccer world I'd love to coach kids. I'd enjoy that. Perhaps broadcasting would be something I'd like to do. And then outside of soccer there's a lot of things. Serving people. A lot of charitable stuff, helping kids that need it.
Q: Are you at the point where you've kind of done what you wanted to do 10 years ago. Are you at the point where you've ticked the boxes in your plan?
Donovan: In the original plan, yeah. But I try to stay present. So while that's all great, it doesn't mean anything anymore. I'm trying to just be very present and live now. If I want to play another year, then I'll play another year. If I don't want to play another year, then I don't play another year. If I want to play five more years, I'll play five more years. But from when I was a little kid I've done everything I wanted to do.
Read more: sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/grant_wahl/05/23/landon.donovan/index.html#ixzz1vngWwrA1
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Post by jimsar on May 25, 2012 14:12:09 GMT 8
www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-galaxy-20120524,0,4541291.story The San Jose Earthquakes clearly stole this game from the Galaxy, scoring 3 goals in the last 18 minutes. What a painful game to watch if you were an LA fan. I was rooting for my Northern California team, so it was a beautiful game as far as I'm concerned. They're hyping their June 30th meeting at Stanford Stadium, I want to go, but with 40,000 fans expected, I might be better off watching it at home on TV with a fresh homebrew.
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Post by stellarboy on Jul 15, 2012 15:55:18 GMT 8
Recap: Beckham shines brightest in LA's 5-3 win at PortlandLA earn 2nd consecutive road win; move within striking distance of 4th in west PORTLAND, Ore. – With the Portland Timbers looking to move forward to a new era, the LA Galaxy turned back the clock with an epic performance from their veteran stars in a 5-3 win Saturday night at JELD-WEN Field. Midfielder David Beckham recorded a first-half brace –two vintage, curling strikes from distance –forward Robbie Keane put in two goals of his own, and Landon Donovan notched a goal and assist for good measure. And it was a good thing, too, with a new-look Timbers side in their first game under interim boss Gavin Wilkinson looking to play some exciting soccer as well following the firing of former head coach John Spencer earlier in the week. OPTA Chalkboard: Galaxy stars shine bright in 5-3 win over Timbers It was an era that started with much promise. In the third minute, midfielder Kalif Alhassan found Kris Boyd cutting to the near post on a perfectly placed cross. Boyd fought in front of defender David Junior Lopes and finished over goalkeeper Josh Saunders. But then Beckham got started on a very Beckham-like performance. In the 19th minute, Beckham found himself with the ball in space and, from 35 yards out, beat goalkeeper Troy Perkins with an arching wonder strike. WATCH He struck again just five minutes later. This time, on a free kick from 22 yards, he unleashed his patented bending shot that cleared the wall and beat a diving Perkins to the inside post. WATCH LA piled on in the 27th minute when a penalty kick was awarded after right back Kosuke Kimura brought down midfielder Michael Stephens in the box. Donovan converted coolly past Perkins to make the score 3-1. WATCH A minute later, Donovan got to work on some familiar play of his own when he beat defender David Horst for a clean run down the right wing. Keane tapped home Donovan’s cross the Galaxy’s fourth goal and Donovan’s 100th career MLS assist. WATCH The fast-paced action continued with Portland getting one back through Kimura, his first in a Timbers uniform. He pounced after Saunders mishandled a Boyd free kick from 25 yards. Both teams kept the foot on the gas in the second half, and it was Keane who finally broke through. The Irishman’s second strike came in the 64th minute off a cross from Sean Franklin. WATCH Boyd completed a two-goal night of his own with a bouncing free kick from 30 yards that beat a diving Saunders. With the result, the Galaxy’s second consecutive win, LA move into striking distance of fourth place in the Western Conference standings, just four points behind Vancouver. The Galaxy and Whitecaps will face off Wednesday at BC Place. The loss was Portland’s first at JELD-WEN Field since a 2-1 decision against Chivas USA on April 7. Portland are tied with Dallas for last place with 19 points from 17 games. They now head to the dreaded road, where they have yet to win in eight games, for a Wednesday afternoon game against Chivas USA. www.lagalaxy.com/news/2012/07/recap-beckham-shines-brightest-las-5-3-win-portland
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Post by stellarboy on Nov 15, 2012 12:23:18 GMT 8
Landon Donovan eyes break from soccerOctober 31, 2012 Los Angeles Galaxy captain Landon Donovan reiterated his desire to take a break from his soccer career, citing physical and mental exhaustion, and questioned his role on the United States national team in an interview this week with ESPN. "Your body's going to tell you it's time to take a break and that's what my body is telling me this year, there's no question," Donovan said. The Galaxy start their playoff campaign Thursday against the Vancouver Whitecaps, and Donovan said he'd have to "push through these next games" to finish the season. "I don't want to feel that way. I want to do it because I'm enjoying it and loving it," Donovan told ESPN. "So I need time where I can just pause, and breathe and rest, let my body heal, let my mind refresh, and I think at that point, I'll be excited to play again." Donovan, 30, said in an August interview with Goal.com that he would consider retiring when his MLS contract expires after the 2013 season. Donovan told ESPN he would consider playing elsewhere after his eighth season with the Galaxy ends this year. "The hard part is I really love this team," he said. "I love this city. I love playing for this team. I love playing for our owner. So it would be hard to leave here but I've thought a lot about that, but maybe you need something different. Eight years of anything is a long time." A "pause" after the MLS offseason would mean Donovan would miss the start of the final round of the United States' World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins in February. Knee injuries kept Donovan from playing for the U.S. in September and October in the last four games of the previous round of qualifying. Donovan said his absence from training camp has strained his relationship with U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann and his teammates, to the point where he questions if he's still wanted around the national team. "When you're a guy who's never been hurt for the most part and then all of a sudden you have all these injuries, I think people start to question it," Donovan said. "Maybe he's faking it, or maybe he's not really hurt, or maybe he doesn't want to come in. That's really frustrating." Donovan has played for the U.S. in each World Cup since 2002, but is not concerned about his preparation for the 2014 World Cup. "If I'm not enjoying playing anymore, the World Cup is the last thing on my mind," he said. "I need to make sure that I'm enjoying playing every day. If I'm not enjoying it, none of that stuff really matters." Donovan spent time in the 2010 and 2012 seasons on loan with Everton, but he ruled out a return to the Premier League club this winter. "I'm no good to any team if I'm playing half-hearted or if I'm playing at 80 percent physically," he said. "I can go through the motions and do an OK job, but I don't want to be doing an OK job. I want to be making an impact." Donovan said he is proud of a career in which he has become the U.S.'s top career goalscorer and won four MLS Cups. "I don't feel any obligation to play. I don't feel any responsibility to play," Donovan said. "I think I've put in a lot into this whole thing. I'm proud of what I've done and what I've been a part of. But I can't fake it." If his career does end, Donovan said he looks forward to traveling without playing, as well as business and broadcasting opportunities. "I honestly don't exactly know what's going to come and what the future holds, and I'm OK with that. But I'm not going to know until I get away from it for a bit." soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1209899/los-angeles-galaxy%27s-landon-donovan-eyes-break-from-soccer
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Post by stellarboy on Dec 17, 2012 10:04:06 GMT 8
Before I forget, congrats LA Galaxy for winning the 2012 MLS Cup! And thank you David Beckham for those 6 wonderful years with the club!
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