I interviewed Landon Donovan on March 14th. I had been at the Chivas-Red Bulls friendly that afternoon and had my daughter Yvie with me. I was all set to go home when Andrea showed up and so I decided to go to Galaxy training. Had Andrea not gotten there, I probably would have just gone home because the prospect of spending too much time out there with Yvie is not fun. She's 3 and liable for meltdowns.
Anyway, I talked to Landon Donovan about the summer. Actually, we talked a little bit about the friendlies they were set for (Ecuador and Guatemala) and then moved on to the summer schedule. This is the audio link of the interview where he told me he would consider passing up on Copa America.
The noise in the background is some sort of construction and Yvie is also there making noise.
4 comments:
Yvie sounds like she's being tortured, but she's just saying no to the wind, which was blowing her coloring book pages. She's a little dramatic. I was interviewing Kyle Martino myself, so I couldn't help hold her book until I was done.
I guess if you are a LAG fan you are happy to hear this. But I'm a big USMNT fan an this preference to be around for Becks arrival shows a lack of priority. Sure Becks arrival is historic an all that. But unless they are playing for a playoff spot the games are pretty meaningless. Copa America would be a great chance for LD to shut up his haters and prove to many people the quality of MLS players. But once again when a big meaningful game is around LD doesn't show up. The Gold Cup is a bit overrated in that getting into the Confedations Cup usually doesn't equal doing well in the World Cup. Most teams in the Confedations Cup make it clear they would have preferred the vacation over playing in it. Of course all this could be solved if MLS would just stop play in June and July for tourny play. Of course MLS has said that this would be confusing for sponsors. Once again showing the lack of respect MLS has for real soccer fans.
The Galaxy are playing for a playoff spot already. They're out of the playoffs as of right now. Landon's effort this season, coupled with the injuries the Galaxy have had, show how important he is to the team.
If Landon is practically the only guy on his team who can finish, "wanting to be here when Beckham shows up" seems to be not wanting his team to screw up what Beckham offers - which is service, not finishing.
I haven't heard the sponsor excuse from MLS before. The one I've heard is weather - that they can't stop the season without adding more games in the beginning of the year, or at the end, and considering there was snow at early MLS games this year, attendance took a major hit at those games.
Attendance took a hit on Mother's Day as well. Attendance takes a hit if its too hot as well. Garber used the sponsor and TV (ESPN) excuse earlier this year. When the questions came up about moving the summer schedule around to avoid future Gold Cup and World Cup conflicts. Garber admitted its a problem but that sponsors and TV would not be able to deal with the break in the season. Of course those same sponsors deal with the breaks in MFL, EPL, and La Liga you get the point.
We all know LD is the best American field player the US has to offer. But he needs to show that in pressure games and he just hasn't showed that whether its the Galaxy in the Champions Cup or last year's World Cup.
But I will agree that he deserves a break from the National Team as we have relied on him a bit too much. But he is the Capitan for the US an with no Jimmy Concrad I don't know who will be the leader of a US squad in Copa America. As for his statement about MLS heavy squad's have usually preformed better then squad's with Euro players. I think he has deal with the fact that those games have come in friendlies. If MLS wants to tap into that still elusive Latino market Copa America would be the perfect place to show MLS quality. That not withstanding winning a series or two in home-away club competition.
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