Photos by ISIphotos.com
The New York Red Bulls-Los Angeles Galaxy cross-country rivalry has some added spice to it.
Major League Soccer's two high-spending, marquee-market teams played to an exciting 1-1 draw Saturday night, but the fireworks didn't stop at the final whistle. Landon Donovan took umbrage at a late challenge by Thierry Henry and refused to shake the Red Bulls' captain's hand after the game.
Free-speaking New York forward Luke Rodgers called out the Galaxy captain on Monday, referring to him with colorful language and alluding to the fact that the U.S. national team star spends too much time complaining to referees about calls.
"In this league, he's a respected person, but he's telling (Henry) to (screw) off," Rodgers told the New York Post. "The kid's a d—head. I don't care. I just think the kid's a (expletive).
"After Henry scored he's running the whole length of the pitch to shout at the linesman. He must have eyes like a hawk to tell if he's offsides. I tackled the keeper, he's running whole length of the field to tell the ref I should be sent off.
"Is it one rule for him and one rule for the rest of us? He needs to be a bit more humble. He's just a bit annoying. Just a bit annoying when it's like you’ve got two referees on the pitch. He's running up to the referees telling him what decisions make. I’ve never ever seen nothing like that."
Donovan's sole response to the comments came via his Twitter account.
"I'm confused, who is Luke Rogers?" Donovan tweeted on Monday. It's up for debate whether he spelled Rodgers' last name incorrectly on purpose.
The regular-season rematch between the Galaxy and Red Bulls is slated for Aug. 28 at Red Bull Arena.
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What do you think of the mini war of words? Think Rodgers was out of line considering he's only played against Donovan once? Does he have a point? What'd you make of Donovan's response? What did you think of Donovan's actions during the game?
Share your thoughts below.
I’m not pointing any fingers but a few galaxy haterz just got their cans handed to them…just sayin
And a hat-trick from RBNY
According to your logic; Hitler is a good guy now because he hasn’t done anything wrong for 60 years.
Rodgers blew up a teenage girl’s face with fireworks because he’s a worthless drunken turd. But that is the nature of RBNY, they all have 0 professionalism.
all those World Cup goals as well, Rodgers is a legend
with fireworks!
Even if you disagree with everything Adrian has to say about Donovan, the first two paragraphs here are the relevant ones.
Your opinion of someone’s past conduct is a terrible measure of present reliability. If if it did, being *unt doesn’t automatically invalidate someone’s assertions.
It’s a waste of peoples’ time to throw that hyperbole out there.
Again, this is a strawman argument. His conduct in a parking lot in England has nothing to do with whether Rodgers is right about Landon Donovan.
If you don’t think he whines, you don’t think he whines. Luke Rodgers’ past is irrelevant to the point.
Complete absence of logic in this jingoistic gobbledygook. Why don’t you just call him a ‘Red’ while you’re at it.
Seriously who the Fu*k is this Rogers dude.
Not even the best player on his own team? Who do you think is better? Beckham!? HA!
That’s what I’m saying. A few times in the game Henry got away with a couple of chippy fouls. Since Landon is captain I totally feel like it’s his right to do that.
When was this?
I agree that Dempsey isn’t anything close to a supplemental player. He’s probably the 3rd most important player to the USMNT, after Howard and Donovan.
But you’re kidding yourself if you think Donovan is over-rated, especially when it comes to national team performances. I think Donovan is great, and I think Dempsey is great (I love his swagger). They are my two favorite soccer players, but Donovan, over the years, had been more consistent and had performed better for the national team.
And that’s not to say Dempsey had performed badly. It’s just that sometimes you can see Dempsey getting frustrated and getting a little too fancy, and he’ll disappear from matches. I haven’t seen this too much from him as of late, not much in the World Cup, but it happened quite a bit during the World Cup Qualifying. Hell it even happened during some of the matches in the Confederations Cup.
Within a few years most of us will have forgotten Luke Rodgers name and most soccer fans will have never heard of him. He has proven himself to be scum and doesn’t deserve ink about his opinions about anyone.
This is what MLS needs more of nothing wong with a bit of trash talk. Luke the Tank is the best.
How is Landon a “whiny little girl?” Because he, as captain of the Galaxy, makes sure the referees here his team’s point of view? Is that your only charge?
Because it can’t be his playing ethic. Landon plays 100% every second on the field, even when he’s sick, even when he’s just arrived from a national team commitment. It’s inarguable FACT that the Galaxy are better with him than without him. (If you even attended a Galaxy match, and sat close enough, you can HEAR him actively directing the team’s efforts.)
Is Hans Backe a whiny little girl too? How about Bruce Arena? They were both giving the fourth official earfuls Saturday night. What makes them different from Landon?
So Donovan lets the referees know where he stands and suddenly he’s a little girl unworthy of your respect? If they referees thought he was out of line, they have a solution for it in their back pockets.
On another note, written on this very website is broad acknowledgment that the Galaxy has been the recipient of some pretty horrible officiating so far this season — the largest indicator of a much larger problem with inept MLS refereeing this season so far. And refereeing is somewhat complicit in the number of injuries seen on the field this season as well.
Donovan is expressing his discontent. After a few incidents of questionable game-deciding calls going against your team in such a short span of time, you would do what you could to keep the match honest… even if all you could do was ride the official.
And if Landon Donovan getting into a referee’s face makes that referee check his quality of officiating, then he’s doing the match – and the league – a huge service.
Um you did, when you said “They have such heart and never flop or whine”
Flopping = diving
Nobody tops Lalas…He isn’t even playing anymore and he is still annoying!
I love them all, but Dempsey definitely whines (although a bit more angrily) and he flops sometimes.
This league must be doing pretty good for you to post so much here Eurotroll
He tweeted Luke Rodgers in response to a tweet from someone (who I assume is a Red Bulls fan)
Mediocre posts by a Mediocre troll
LMAO
I dont watch USMNT, I watch USA
“one of the better footballers in the world”? Donovan is good but I wouldn’t go that far IMO
Eurosnobs love to come out when Donovan gets headlines…Donovan should be playing in his/our pond…We are lucky to have him
I can’t wait until August 28. Donovan is going to get an earful from the RBNY fans.
+1 Some people here are brain washed by SBI love affair with Donovan.
(SBI-Spoken like a true Mexican troll. You really should bring something more to the table comment-wise than American hating-Mexican loving trash talk. If not, I don’t really see a point in you commenting at all.)
Not sure what country Rodgers is from, but I always thought that all Americans are whiners. This shouldn’t come as a surprised to Rodgers that Donovan is a grade A whiner. Welcome to America Rodgers.
hey This Guy….. was that joke… cuz it sure made me laugh… David Beckhams career is now where CLOSE to the caliber of Henry’s…. you look up football legend, its bound to be a picture of TH14
Luke Whatever, “He’s running up to the referees telling him what decisions make. I’ve never ever seen nothing like that.”
Bloke never watched a Chelsea match, little ****.
Come on now Rodgers is a dirty player and could have been sent off after his tackle dumb cleats up o ricketts thigh. Only to apologize so he wouldn’t be sent off. Anyone remember his punch thrown at the DC united defender? Only reason he got no card was because nobody reacted but it was clearly ejection/fine worthy. Again vs. LA he has yellow and cleats ricketts only to apologize which is why the ref held his card. For a player who had trouble getting here because of legal problems in the first place seems to continue to have anger problems
you are absolutely FIXATED on the parking lot occurrence… I’m beginning to think that you were the victim in this attack…. its okay, you can tell me… how bad to Luke embarrass you?
who said anything about diving? It so easy to see where the credibility lays in this argument… 1, never compared Donovan to Rodger, 2 never said donovan dives…
Here is what I said….. Donovan whines like a pu$$y… nuff said. And shark, the GI JOE, captain america… has weird fantasies about donovan. That is the only explanation I have to why he has such looney responses to everything
So many ignorant comments.
Who cares what Luke Rodgers has done in his past. It is completely irrelevant to what he has to say.
Donovan is quite possibly the most annoying person to ever grace the USMNT. That includes Lalas. This entire website was erupting about how Barcelona players surrounded the officials and whined.
Landon Donovan sprinted from the other side of the field more than once to scream about something that wasn’t even a disputable issue.
And as for some of the other comments. Donovan is one of the best players in the world? Donovan is not even the best player on his own team in a 3rd rate league. Donovan doesn’t crack the top 100 in the world.
Jesus, some of you are acting like he is the Messiah.
did you really just call Donovan one of the best players in the world??? pump the brakes..better yet… SLAM on the brakes… he is great, and has done sooo much for the sport in this country…. but how big is this list of players you are ranking him in? He has a weak resume… top 50 best players, maybe.
@shark HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA…. wow, bro. me? the internet tough guy? how so? I’m not the one saying im a veteran… (by the way, do you know how messed up it is to lie about that) ….. your just a passive little twerp that has the hots for Landon… He is good, but he is a whiney little girl….just like you. HAHA…
I’ll put $50 on Donovan’s stats for the season
I’m with donovan here… Who the hell is luke rodgers? You’re a nobody and donovan is a star…get over it. Furthermore, he’s the captain, its his job. Loser. Oh yeah, I hate the Galaxy
Is Donovan son of Donovan from 1960s? The two are tiny dorks. Donovan is a show off and princess. He and Beckham are two main reasons I can’t root for LA.
LOL YUP!
HEY GUYS! I THOUGHT WE DROPPED LANDYCAKES AFTER THE CONFEDERATIONS CUP, EY!
LOL YUP!
Luke Rodgers has like two functioning brain cells. I remember like 3-4 weeks ago when he was taking swings at another player during the game, and he wasn’t even given a yellow card. Now he’s complaining about the Galaxy getting preferential treatment from refs as if NYRB don’t get the same?
(SBI-Just out of curiosity, where was Rodgers quoted as saying the Galaxy gets preferential treatment? This is like the scene in Johnny Dangerously where the original message gets totally distorted. Rodgers pointed out that Donovan complains to the refs constantly. Not exactly incorrect. The name-calling was over the top, but his initial point wasn’t completely without merit.)
Big market prima donnas. They are BOTH irrelevant in the MLS. Power to the small market teams who have reigned in the last few years. Galaxy and Red Bulls rely on $$$, the Don’s blessing, and big city appeal to bring stars but no championship lately. I love it when they both lose.
That meat-headed goon should can it. If anything we need more captains like LD willing to dish it out to players who make late reckless challenges, and especially in light of the spate of horrendous injuries from hack tackles. With all these recent injuries Luke Rodgers looks like a simpleton complaining about a captain holding the refs accountable for controlling the game. Personally, I would have loved to see Beckerman stomp on Mondaini’s face a couple or ten times. Luke should feel honored to play on the same field with LD, and grateful that he babied the shot on the open goal.
They do have much better referees, and coaches, and players, and fans, and stadiums, and wages, and …….. If mls were a good league it would have good referees.
“From now on RBNY will play LA Galaxy every week in front of the Timbers Army.”
– Don Garber
No, Donovan is too much of a dork to get himself into a rape scandal. #10 USA!!!!!!!!!!
That would’ve been ghetto.