Photo by ISIphotos.com
In what could be a prelude to a loan move and potentially a full transfer, Landon Donovan is in Germany preparing to begin a week-long training stint with Bayern Munich.
Donovan could wind up joining Bayern as replacement for out-of-favor German striker Lukas Podolski, who appears on his way out. Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness stated that Podolski wouldn’t leave unless the team could find a suitable replacement. With Juergen Klinsmann being a fan of Donovan, the U.S. national team star just might be that replacement.
Here are some other stories to get your day started:
MLS announces more awards
Columbus Crew head coach Sigi Schmid and San Jose midfielder Darren Huckerby are expected to be were announced as winners of Major League Soccer’s two latest awards today as the league is named Schmid coach of the year and Huckerby newcomer of the year.
Schmid helped guide the Crew to the best record in MLS just a year after the club failed to reach the playoffs. Huckerby joined the Earthquakes in mid-season and helped the expansion club make a late-season playoff surge, posting six goals and four assists in 14 games. Houston head coach Dom Kinnear and San Jose head coach Frank Yallop were the other coach of the year candidates while KC midfielder Claudio Lopez and FC Dallas midfielder Andres Rocha were the other newcomer of the year candidates.
Howard expected to win Honda Award
The Honda Player of the Year award given to the U.S. national team’s best player will be given out on Tuesday and goalkeeper Tim Howard is considered the heavy favorite to take home the prize for the first time.
Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are also finalists, but Howard was easily the best player on the U.S. team in 2008, posting five shutouts in eight starts and allowing just three goals in 630 minutes of action.
U.S. Soccer taking nominations for ‘Best of’ series
U.S. soccer is acception nominations for its annual ‘Best of’ awards, which honor the best soccer bar, specialty store, blog, all-access video and fan photo.
Nominations close on Friday, with voting for the awards beginning on Nov. 17 and running through Dec. 9. You can send nominations to centercircle@ussoccer.org.
What do you think of Donovan’s training stint with Bayern Munich? Do you see him joining Klinsmann at Bayern? Expect to see any surprises in the MLS awards or the Honda award? Any early suggestions for the U.S. Soccer Best Of Awards?
Share your thoughts below.