Photo by ISIphotos.com
The loan deal everybody knew about, but had yet to be acknowledged by the player's own team, was finally made official on Monday as the LA Galaxy finally made official confirmation of Landon Donovan's loan move to Bayern Munich.
Yes, Donovan had already been in Dubai with Bayern Munich for some time, and there had been multiple reports about the move (including an interview with Donovan), but the Galaxy went all Tariq Aziz and waited until well after the deal was done to actually acknowledge the obvious.
So now that we can stop pretending that the deal isn't done, it's time to start thinking about what could come from Donovan's brief loan spell, which will last nine weeks (unless it becomes a permanent move, which isn't completely out of the realm of possibility despite what the Galaxy will insist).
Bayern Munich returns to Bundesliga action on Jan. 30 against Hamburg, the first of six league games the club has scheduled during Donovan's loan, which is set to end on March 8th.
Do you think Donovan can make an impact in that short amount of time? Think he can impress Bayern enough to get the German champions to loosen the purse strings and make MLS a good offer? Think Donovan will struggle to play, let alone make an impact?
Share your thoughts below.
Am I the only one who feels like these 3 month, or so, loans with MLS are odd? What’s the best that can happen, Donovan or Becks gets injured, or the end up in a permanent deal? MLS should try to sell its players up front for a good price, or not let them go at all.
Frank- You’re right about the DFB Pokal, especially against VfB Stuttgart-a huge rivalry.
Landon, I salute you. Will be watching in the stands and on Premiere/Bundesliga TV for the next 90 days, and praying every night that you succeed each and every opportunity you get. Step up, represent the the Red-White-and Blue and put FCB in a position to reconsider signing the old Hammer and Sikle option in Tymoschuk. Keep your head up and on a swivel at all times. Weiter Landon, Weiter!
Bayern: Tymoschuk will sign
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/league?id=ger.1&cc=5739
Klinsy says “We’re all excited by him. He’ll get playing time, in the friendlies, in the DFB Cup and in the Bundesliga,”
Podolski is on the way out and Toni and Klose will need rest once in a while, of course, with such a packed schedule.
Ribery plays out right wingerish and not as a striker/forward.
German teams take Cup matches more seriously than EPL teams. I’d be surprised if he got to start in the match against Stuttgart. Expect him to get plenty of playing time in all those friendlies.
AWESOME Tariq Aziz reference!!
In relation to the comparison to Baghdad Bob, I suppose it would have been appropriate if the Galaxy denied the loan deal as Donovan was in a live match taking a pass from Toni or someone.
I’m calling it first:
1> Landon stays in Munich on a permanent move
2> LA Galaxy bring in Freddy Adu to be the new “golden boy”
3> Beckham comes back after his spell in Milan
4> Beasley goes to LA Galaxy with the hope that the “Beckham Effect” can get him a back to Europe in a year.
dont take this the wrong way: I WANT, badly, for him to be successful there. But it’s going to take an awful lot of luck, and with this very short window of op and the starters he has in front of him…. it’s just going to be tough. I’m not saying he doesn’t have the skill (although maybe I am), but some of those breaks and defensive breakdowns that benefit him in MLS won’t be there in the bundesliga. Best of luck, lando!
zonqzap, have you seen the size of Ribery or Lahm?
thanks ras.
props to landy for goin balls out, i suppose. Anyway he can hit up these offers he’s allegedly turned down if the loan doesn’t work out?
Thanks for the link ras!
The article says “The 26-year-old USA star has received a number of offers from top European clubs in recent weeks.”
Does anyone know if this is true? I have not seen this reported anywhere else.
Landon is a very good American player. With Klinsi willing to give him a shot Landon will prove that he can be a very good European player as well.
I just don’t see him making it for several reasons
1) He’s not tough enough. The book on him has always hit him once and he’ll disappear
2) He’s not better then what they already have. Good player but what player can he displace?
3) He’s too small for Germany. They’ll break him
Several have commented on Beasley too – He is and always will be a one trick pony (run fast). That is why he can’t make it in Europe
ives hilarious reference to “baghdad bob”
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljoke-iraqinfominister.htm
oops! haven’t had coffee yet. click on Features:
http://www.fcbayern.t-home.de/en/
This feature on Bayern’s website says that he turned down offers for 3 or 4-year deals from other clubs in the last few weeks. Whether he makes it or not, I think he deserves some respect by trying to make it at a top club after playing it safe for so many years.
I think Landon will be given some substantial minutes in the exhibitions and cup games to prove his worth and if he does well will be given minutes in league matches. I think it is an ideal situation for both Bayern Munich and Donovan that they have these non-league games where he can be given a chance.
I’m cheering for Landy Kuchen as much as anybody else, but after all these years of being let down when it comes time to playing against the big boys (as opposed to walking all over mls/concacaf), I just don’t have high expectations for breaking into Bayern.
Yes there’s obviously the Klinsman connection and the deal wouldn’t have happened without him, but I just don’t understand why he doesn’t go try and break into a smaller club ala Deuce at Fulham where he can work his ass off consistently in high pressure games playing AGAINST the best in the world.
I think Gol TV hold the Bundesliga rights in the US
Prediction:
Donovan will impress.
Donovan will start.
Donovan will earn a permanent transfer.
Anyone know what channel the bundusliga is on?
Landy Kuchen. Priceless.
I think he could see action right away in that DFB Cup game against Stuttgart. They play HSV a few days later in the league so they probably won’t want to play all the regulars 90 minutes.
Andrew….Landy Kuchen is seriously funny. Cheers.
And the Tariq Aziz reference was spot on…misinformation was his stock and trade. 🙂
Damn, I love this site.
If he had more time on this loan maybe he could do something but I don’t think it’ll happen because of time. Sorry Landy, you should’ve stuck around Germany when you did have the chance. Your loss.
Podolski will be gone soon (or at Bayern and not playing), and as Rocco said, Olic comes in the summer.
landy Kuchen – ah haha haha, aah, ah, hahahaha
if landy does well in germany and wants to stay, and bayern wants to keep him and makes a fair offer, then it would be a very bad thing for mls, the galaxy, and american soccer in general if the galaxy dont let him go.
TARIQ AZIZ…man i about to write about how that was an odd “The siege” reference. but apparently i am an idiot.
I hope for donovans sake he can make it. hes too good of a player to not be testing himself abroad
Robert Green, I appreciate the help with the reference but I referred to the person I intended to refer to. Aziz was Hussain’s foreign minister and dealt heavily in misinformation and the concealment of information. The reference came to mind because I just finished watching House of Saddam, where Aziz was a key figure throughout.
Ives,
Do you think that Bayern trying to bring in Anatoliy Tymoschuk will have an impact on whether Donovan will go to Bayern or not?
Landy Kuchen!
Since Bayern has 5 friendlys in 12 days everyone on the roster will get lots of playing time. I can’t imagine Landon not getting 2 whole games in out of those 5.
He didn’t impress anyone in the last World Cup and he didn’t impress me against Argentina in the recent friendly. Not withstanding USMNT matches against minnows and MLS games I am seldom impressed by his play.
Maybe he is ready to kick it up a notch and he is ready to impress. My mind says he won’t be impressive enough to get a permanent transfer but I hope he does.
I think if he was really ready for a big move to Europe he would have tried going to a club that didn’t have a friend of his coaching.
given the fact that there are several friendlies before regular league games resume, it would seem surprising if LD didn’t have sufficient playing time to prove himself. I mean, if you are Klinsmann (or LD for that matter) what would be the point if you don’t get a chance?
seems to me he will have the opportunity to prove himself and I hope he does.
Donovan will get a shot to prove himself, once again.
landon has tended to play well when he’s not the center of attention. it’ll be interesting to see what happens with that cast around him. i think he’ll do allright and surprise a few of us.
Those exhibition matches will be key. He should be able to earn a decent chunk of minutes in those matches and if he does well then he may get into enough Bundesliga and Cup matches to impress and earn a permanent move. If he struggles in the exhibition matches then he probably won’t get much of a chance in real matches before his loan ends.
Of course he can make an impact. He’s just as good as anybody else on Bayern Munich. And, he truly brings special skills to the squad and those skills are well recognized by J. Klinsmann. Now, whether the ball will bounce LD’s way or not is a different question. I hope everything goes well and he stays in Munich for at least 4 yrs.
Nice Baath party reference, ives.
tariq aziz was sadaam’s foreign minister (and a christian, one of a group that is now screwed in the new iran friendly iraq). the guy you are referring to was iraq’s information minister Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf.
as for donovan, he can excel anywhere. as a galaxy season ticket holder it was really revelatory how much he was head and shoulders above any other MLS player. if he gets a chance he will kick ass.
In other news that Galaxy PR has yet to confirm:
1. Sun rises in East.
2. 2+2=4
3. U.S. has elected first black president.
4. Pope is Catholic.
5. Galaxy is no longer “jewel of MLS”
Wouldn’t he be coming back to the US for the Feb 11 qualifier with Mexico?
Sadly I don’t think he’ll see much of the field. He’ll get a few minutes on average each week (at best) and some decent playing time in cup games, but I don’t think it will be enough for him to get back in the groove (assuming he could get into one) after the long lay off. I think Donovan will be back in LA after the loan. Frankly, we won’t have the exposure necessary on the field for Bayern to pay the high price MLS will certainly demand. MLS and the rest ofthe world hold him in two very different esteems. It’s too bad because with some transition time I think he could contribute at the highest level. I don’t think we’ll see him make a permanent move until a much later date. Much ado about nothing.
Hey Mark – Bayern doesn’t have Olic yet. He has committed to them AFTER the season is over and his contract with Hamburg expires.
I’m excited at the idea that he could play for BM full time. Hopefully everything will work out for him.
I think it interesting that Donovan is going over and Beasely may be coming home.
this is great news. I really believe Donovan will impress. Hes sch a great player when hes motivated. I think we will finally see the best from landon and he will finally emerge as the best player for the US
Here are the games:
Saturday 10 January: Friendly v. Al Jazeera
Monday 12 January: Friendly vs. Al Wheda
Saturday 17 January: Friendly in Bamberg
Monday 19 January: Friendly v Kaiserslautern
Thursday 22 January: Friendly v FSV Mainz
Tuesday 27 January: DFB Cup Round of 16 v VfB Stuttgart
Friday 30 January: Bundesliga v Hamburger SV
Bayern has 5 exhibition games before starting the back round of Bundesliga games. The first one is January 10 vs. Al Jazira. Plus, there is one German Cup game to be played before the starts of the second round.
Does Bayern play an exhibition game before they begin Bundesliga play again like Hamburg does?
Its also a good thing that he wants to challenge himself on the European stage, and that he wants out of the trainwreck that is the Galaxy. Its also a good thing that Lukas Podolski will be leaving in this transfer window or the next, and that Ivica Olic won’t join the team until summer.
As soon as these “loan” spells first cropped up in the press months back, longstanding fans in the US said not to expect either Beckham or Donovan back in a Galaxy jersey.
It looks like that’s the way things are heading.
Toni, Klose, Podolski, Olic, Ribery.
It’s going to be tough to crack that line-up. Really tough.
It’s a good thing Donovan has a fan in Juergen Klinsmann.