Landon Donovan has enjoyed his share of quality performances since joining Everton on loan, but none has been as good or convincing has the one delivered on Wednesday when he helped lead the Toffees to a 2-1 win vs. Chelsea.
Donovan provided a dangerous threat down the right flank consistently, helped set up Everton's equalizer with a brilliant corner kick, while also drawing a penalty kick with a smart run in the penalty area.
He not only produced on the attacking side, Donovan also put in work defensively, helping Everton fullback Phil Neville overcome a shaky start as Chelsea finished the match frustrated and unable to break through. Chelsea looked as though it would punish Everton's right flank with a 4-3-3 that fielded the trio of Florent Malouda, Yuri Zhirkov and Ashley Cole on the left flank. That trio started strongly for the visitors, but Donovan's overall play on the right, coupled with the strong play of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Leighton Baines on the left wing, helped Everton gain control and eventually emerge victorious.
Donovan's performance drew praise from Everton manager David Moyes, who dampened hopes that Donovan might stay past the brief loan period previously agreed to with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
"That was Landon's best game for us," Moyes told the Guardian. "But I don't think we'll be able to keep him when his three-month loan expires unfortunately."
Tim Howard delivered two clutch second-half saves to make Louis Saha's second-half strike stand up as the winner to give Everton its first victory against Chelsea in ten years.
Here are the highlights:
Donovan and Howard weren't the only Americans in action on Wednesday.
American goalkeepers Marcus Hahnemann and Brad Friedel posted strong performances, with Hahnemann delivering a shutout in Wolverhampton's shocking 1-0 upset of Tottenham and Friedel putting together another stellar outing in Aston Villa's 1-1 draw vs. Manchester United.
Jonathan Spector didn't start, but he came off the bench as a halftime substitute in a 2-0 West Ham win vs. Birmingham. Spector did well at left back, helping containing Birmingham standout Craig Gardner.
Not all of the Americans Abroad enjoyed successful results. Jozy Altidore's Hull couldn't build on its weekend win vs. Manchester City, dropping a 1-0 decision to Blackburn. Altidore kept his starting role, going the full 90 minutes for the Tigers.
What did you think of Wednesday's performances? Excited to see Donovan get the better of Ashley Cole? Hoping Everton finds a way to keep Donovan?
Share your thoughts below.
I just read the match report on Everton’s website – so much fun. Their fans are begging for Donovan to be signed permanently. I wish that would happen. And with his comments to Beckham last year, I don’t think he can extend his loan without looking like a hypocrite.
Only Lahm & Evra could be debated along side with Cole. The rest, well, their great, but not as of right now. I could easily name 20 LB’s that I consider top in the world, and in no way do they come close to Cole,Lahm,Evra, as of RIGHT NOW. Abidal is great, but playing against,deportivo,betis,osasuna,xerez,espanol,etc… well,.. anyone could shine playing against these average teams day in day out, especially when you are one of only two allstar teams in that league.
Landon broke Ashley Cole’s ankle. Cole is out 3 months.
LOL Ashley is the best left back in the world as we speak. Please tell me who you think is the best left back as of right now??
This could be debated for ever, but one thing is sure, Cole is as of right now the best in his position. Just like Rooney is the best forward in the world as we speak.
I’m excited for Donovan. So many doubters & snipers. I doubted he was anything more than decent. He is more than decent. So much fun watching a yank shred the best of the EPL. Can we agree, during his EPL loan, he has played no-doubt, world class football? Yes. What team wouldn’t start him in this form? Only a handful. But to keep this unbiased… he still looks like a ferengi in my book.
Yeah, I’m the moron. Did you even read what I wrote or did you fail reading comprehension? He signed a contract with LA that he didn’t need at the time. He could have been signed by Everton on a free and he would be playing right now without thinking about coming back to MLS. Even if it was a 6month deal, he could have gotten an extension after season end.
You make it seem like the deal with the Galaxy is what made Everton interested in him in the first place.
Go play some throwball idiot.
Can I see that game replayed on TV anywhere? I really wanted to see it.
I knew he COULD but was unsure if he WOULD play at that level in that league. Personally, I am RELIEVED. His earlier failures were frustrating to us all.
CLINT is another super field player in England. JOZY is coming along well.
Things are looking up for us.
I’ll say it because no one else has: Nice flop, Donovan. (For shame). Still love you though.
Landon has been with Everton for 5-6 games.. In his short time with the club he has proven his worth.
My guess is 10 to 12 million will get it done for Landon to officially Transfer out of the MLS. By European standards, that is not a whole lot of money (someone will offer).
Its a matter of time till we hear Landon Rumbling about wanting to be Transfered, there is no way he wants to leave..
Ives? What do you think…
they should have this commercial with not just lebron, but also kobe, ochocinco, and the other popular US athletes who like soccer. remember the men’s basketball team at the women’s olympic match against brazil. if guys like nash, kobe, lebron, ocho, and others played pickup, then went to watch the game or something, that’d be an awesome commercial…
great idea sir coble!
Landycakes and Mandon are both terrible. Using Landycakes now is just embarrassing b/c it was meant to be derogatory and with his play the nickname just cannot be defended. I say both should be banned by any self-respecting USMNT fan. LD and Donovan are just fine. Nickname? He don’t need no stinking nickname.
that is why MLS league or Football(Soccer) never going to growth in this country because of the way of thinking. If we support watch on TV or go to the Stadium money will be going to the league and that way they can bring the better player until we get the best players in the world to come here to the MLS. Until then we need to support. Nothing Wrong on watching the European, Argentine, Brazilian or the Mexican League but we need to support our league also too.
I can’t believe someone brought up the V-League on an American soccer site. I think that the MLS is starting to show that, apart from the biggest leagues (La Liga, EPL, Ligue 1, Serie A, Bundesliga), the only thing the smaller leagues have to offer is a paycheck. MLS is doing a decent job developing players and giving them a chance to succeed in these big leagues later in their careers. So let’s not kid ourselves, if you leave MLS and it’s not for one of the top leagues in Europe, it’s for a paycheck, not opportunities.
The V-League… Give me a break. If Nguyen was good, he would not have been offered league minimum.
you are right about the game will never grow here until all soccer fans embrace the league and support it, but that will never happen because there are so many euro snobs and Mexi snobs in this country who only follow what they know.
I just spit up my coffee.
I think the only way transfers aren’t eligible is if they’re cup-tied. Obviously coming from MLS that isn’t an issue for Donovan. And with his form there’s no way Everton would want to leave him out of the lineup.
I’m hoping my new song/chant can catch on…. we use the term Landycakes and put it to the tune of Patty Cake, Patty Cake (i know it sounds absolutely re-dunk-ulous at first, but bare with me)…
Landycakes Landycakes bad@$$ man
Makes us a goal as fast as he can
Pass it, shoot it, mark it with LD
In the f—– net for you and me
OK – now tear into me and tell me I love the crack-pipe. But I still feel our US squad needs some more original songs/chants. We can play off the fun of Landycakes and still make it decent. Bueller? Bueller?
If you had a chance to leave your company for a new one and your old company said “Hey, in case that doesn’t work out for you, how about we pay you a lot more money… just in case you don’t like the new one you can come back here”, wouldn’t you take it? It’s not like contracts can’t be broken.
I don’t know how you missed that MLS had 2 option years on him that they were exercising. It’s been reported everywhere. And Landon himself said in an interview that the Galaxy told him they wouldn’t loan him and they weren’t going to sell, so he had to weigh the options of sitting and waiting for 2 years and hoping there was still interest, or re-signing and going on loan. Google it. It’s out there.
There’s also a writer – Paul Oberjuerge – who knows LD personally and has reported stuff on his blog – oberjuerge.com – check it out
I can’t understand why people always thing that contract is so rock solid. How many contracts have you heard of that couldn’t be broken?
That contract just meant that the MLS could get more money for him and Landon could get a bigger salary if he doesn’t get picked up. Furthermore, Landon would get a bigger cut of the transfer fee if it was bigger.
How high do you think it would be? I would think ten million or so would be fair given his age..he’s in his prime, but not young…
If he was 20 and playing like this.. you could see a huge number..
Donovan looks like he’s doing bhangra in that photo.
You’re the moron.
No conract with Galaxy – no loan to Everton. He would have sat in MLS for 2 years of his prime.
Good points.. lets all bombard MLS with emails or on their facebook page if they have one.. wherever… put Landon in the EPL and improve the face of US soccer in the world!
Everton isn’t the richest club of course, but they can probably come up with some money for Landon… you can see how much better his game flows in the EPL.. his speed fits well with the speed of play…
It’s best for him and USA soccer to play over there… also Everton is a great fit for him.. their team is a real family of players that get along and work hard, with a great manager in Moyes… Landon might not be as good of a fit with another club.
Nicole – Thanks for the tidbit – I didn’t know about these option years. Have you seen this contract? How do these “option years” work. It was widely reported that his contract was expiring and this was his chance to move abroad – it seems crazy that MLS would then have had the power to make him sit for two years during so called option years? Genuinely interested in how this works..
What World do you live in?
My ass he’s not even in the top 10 at that position.
FREE LANDON!!!! Start pummelling MLS now! Let our Captain go!
Landon and Everton should both try to make this work by either extending his loan now or working out a transfer/season loan after the World Cup. Most of the battle for good players is finding the right situation–a team with an appropriate talent level and style for your skills and a manager who believes in you. Landon clearly has that now with Everton and all parties would benefit by doing what they can to cement his position there. If the World Cup goes well, Donovan might get offers from “better” clubs, but that could be a very mixed blessing. Hopefully everyone will recognize a good thing when they see it and act accordingly.
Agree 100%. Landon doing well in the WC and being in MLS would boost exposure and peak interest from common sports fans about this Landon guy that is a great soccer play whom America produced.
Great job Landon and Tim!!!
Why would I want to follow a second or third rate league? I enjoy seeing the best play week in and week out. I am sorry but when you watch the EPL then watch an MLS game the difference in quality and atmosphere is to extreme. I am sorry I have never watched an MLS game and actually said to myself, “Man I would love to be there!”.
You have to remember that the premier league tv funds are jumping up from 21 million euro a season to the club to 50 + million euro starting next season since the tv contracts were re-negotiated. Thats a lot of money for a lot of clubs.
Landon playing well for Everton is the biggest tease in the history of American soccer. We are all going to have the biggest goodison park blue balls ever when his loan stint ends.
I think what we’ll see is Donovan leave Everton at the end of the loan. This is unfortunate because it’s a good fit for him.
Having said that, I think after the World Cup we will see a transfer offer come to L.A. from another club. Rest assured, MLS’ asking fee for Donovan will be high, so it will have to be a big club with lots of cash. For me, that may be a “Catch 22.” The bigger club will have the cash, but will Landon get the PT at somewhere like an Arsenal or Liverpool…I’m not so sure. I wish he could stay at Everton, but I don’t think they’ll have the funds, even in the summer.
If he can get paid more in the V-league, then for Lee it is a better league. At the end of this year he can go wherever he can find a club willing to sign him and still make more money than the MLS would ever consider giving him. The MLS low balled him out of spite for passing on the league for Europe at the beginning of his career.
Remember these guys only have, at best, 10 years to make all the money they will ever make from professional football. Then it is time to find a new career or coach. I am not saying the MLS is better, worse or equal to the V-leauge but good on Lee for giving the MLS the big middle finger, the international sign of dissatisfaction, the dirty bird, etc… for trying to stop him from earning a livable wage for his skill set.
No. There’s no advantage in rest if he comes back.
LD got 5 weeks of rest after the MLS Final which is enough rest if it is done properly. He got even more rest before the Bayern loan because the Galaxy didn’t make the playoffs. None of the top players in the world phone it in with their club teams and wait until the world cup comes around, for fear of injury or rest. And it’s not as if he’ll come back and relax on the bench when he comes back to the Galaxy. He’ll just keep going and start the MLS season.
I disagree. LD has definetly gotten better while at Everton. I had my doubts but I now think if his Europe career had started later and nit in Germany he’d be a top EPL winger..
Plus check out how in one game he dented Cole and Terry (his jaw). Don’t think that won’t pay some dividends on June12. Even before Coles injury LD took a nice high leap into him ‘look I’m here’ foul.. England media had been proclaiming Cole is at the top if his game and he was just out matched and injured by a future WC opponent
Landinho!
; )
Back in Redlands it was “Lightnin’ Landycakes”. Maybe just Lightnin’ now?
Cole isn’t even in the top 4 left backs in the world, I’d have Lahm, Abidal, Evra or even Juan Manuel Vargas in my team instead of Ashley Cole, he’s so far past it.
Back to the nickname thing. No more Landycakes. The answer is right there in front of you. He is the godfather of US soccer and now the right flank at Everton. He is “The Don”
N-Whit, the key point is that LD was already under contract for the next two years. If MLS wasn’t going to sell him, he couldn’t leave until then anyway.
Considering the amount EPL teams pay for much less productive players, I just dont understand how someone wouldnt want to purchase Donovan; at the apparent 11 million US that the MLS wants for him, it seems like he would be a complete steal. Considering the record and level of play since Donovan joined in comparsion to before, I just dont understand how your club can be so broke and the structure of the league could be so broken that a mid table team couldnt afford him.
Well no one’s stating that, I’ll give you that
There’s a reason he’d be happy in the MLS, and that is he’d be living in SoCal.
Guys, as Tim said above, MLS already had Donovan under contract for the next two years. He wasn’t going to be leaving to Europe on a free transfer anyway. All the new contract did was extend the terms and give LD a pay raise. Everyone here would have done the same thing in the same position. It has nothing to do with the fear of failure or whatever other BS. It’s just business.
I believe the Brits refer to whomever the US captain is as Captain America
Agree with Chris. Keep Landycakes. That is, after all, how the nickname “Yank/Yankee” came about…