Unending bewilderment

Landon Donovan is easily the most scrutinized American soccer player right now, perhaps ever. It speaks to his importance as a figure in both MLS and the U.S. national team. He's the best American now (maybe ever) and thus is subject to criticism, both positive and negative.

Every match he plays, every shot he takes or passes off, every crossbar he hits or goalie he beats, everything he does is put under a microscope. When he lined up on the right side against Denmark earlier this year, it was big news. When he told me that he prefers the Galaxy over Copa America, Bruce Arena and Eric Wynalda talked about it on national television. When he scores, he's the American Maradona; when he doesn't, he's the most pathetic player to ever wear the U.S. jersey.

Somewhere in between is the truth. We all have our opinions about him, some are favorable, some are not. Regardless, when talking about the merits of Landon Donovan, at least know the facts.

There is a prevailing sentiment that Donovan doesn't show up in "big games," that when the spotlight is the brightest, he folds. I don't know what people consider "big games." To me, "big games" are World Cup matches, World Cup qualifiers, Gold Cup, Confederations Cup, Copa America... basically anything that isn't a friendly. Some games are "bigger" than others. It's nice, for instance, to win a Gold Cup group stage match but is that as "big" as winning a World Cup group stage match? Of course not. Still, a match that has meaning and carries weight is nonetheless a "big game."

Here are some facts for you to chew on regarding Landon Donovan and how he's fared in "big games."

June 4, 2005: 2 goals in 3-0 WCQ win over Costa Rica
June 8, 2005: goal in 3-0 WCQ win at Panama
July 7, 2005: 2 goals 4-1 in GC win over Cuba
July 9, 2005: goal in 2-0 GC win over Canada
July 24, 2005: shootout goal in GC final win over Panama

June 20, 2004: goal in 3-2 WCQ win at Grenada
Sept. 4, 2004: goal in 2-0 WCQ win over El Salvador
Oct. 13, 2004: 2 goals in 6-0 WCQ win over Panama

July 19, 2003: 4 goals in 5-0 GC win over Cuba

June 17, 2002: goal in 2-0 WC win over Mexico
June 14, 2002: goal in 3-1 WC loss to Poland
June 5, 2002: contributed to goal in 3-2 WC win over Portugal
Jan. 19, 2002: goal in 2-1 GC win over South Korea

That's 17 of his 30 goals he's scored in "big games."

And to those saying that Donovan only scores in the Western Hemisphere, two thoughts: 1) if Korea is part of the Western Hemisphere, then I need a new atlas; 2) I wonder of those people were criticizing Donovan when he beat Gerardo Torrado to an Eddie Lewis cross and poked the ball past Oscar "Conejo" Perez on June 17, 2002.