By FRANCO PANIZO
Landon Donovan's second loan with Everton has gone just as well as anyone could have imagined.
In his near two-month stay with the club, Donovan has helped the club string together a solid run of results with his impressive performances while simultaneously silencing the critics that constantly harp on him for playing in MLS.
Nothing at this point can change the fact that Donovan has helped turn Everton's season around, but what Donovan can do is end his time with the Toffees with an exclamation point.
Everton takes on Blackpool in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday and another good game from Donovan would put the Toffees one step closer towards advancing in the tournament. Donovan has yet to score during this loan spell, but finding the back of the net in front of the Everton faithful in his last game would be a fitting way to end things.
Another player looking to build on his recent strong showings is DaMarcus Beasley. The U.S. international has played a pivotal role in Puebla's attack in recent weeks, and another positive performance from him could help the club jump into the top half of the Mexican standings should Puebla defeat Morelia.
This weekend will also mark the first game for Rangers in the post-administration era. With the club having filed for bankruptcy earlier this week and with the league title now all but Celtic's, it will be interesting to see what direction Rangers goes in and what roles players like Maurice Edu and Carlos Bocanegra have when the club takes on Kilmarnock.
Here is who the Americans Abroad play this weekend:
Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams, Joe Gyau and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim play Mainz.
Luis Robles and Karlsruhe play Energie Cottbus.
Matt Taylor and SC Paderborn 07 play Dynamo Dresden.
Sonny Guadarrama and Atlante play Estudiantes Tecos U.A. de G.
SATURDAY
Jonathan Spector and Birmingham City play Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Marcus Hahnemann and Everton play Blackpool in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Stuart Holden, Tim Ream and Bolton Wanderers play Millwall in the fifth round of the FA Cup. (Holden is out injured.)
Zak Whitbread and Norwich City play Leicester City. (Whitbread is out injured.)
Robbie Rogers and Leeds United play Doncaster Rovers.
Robbie Findley and Nottingham Forest play Coventry City.
Conor Doyle and Derby County play Southampton.
Anton Peterlin and Walsall play Wycombe Wanderers.
Maurice Edu, Alejandro Bedoya, Carlos Bocanegra and Rangers play Kilmarnock.
David Yelldell and Bayer Leverkusen play FC Augsburg.
Alfredo Morales and Hertha Berlin play Terrence Boyd and Borussia Dortmund.
Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg play FC Cologne.
Ricardo Clark and Eintracht Frankfurt play FSV Frankfurt.
Quentin Westberg and Evian Thonon Gaillard play Caen.
Charlie Davies and Sochaux play AJ Auxerre.
Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play KVC Westerlo.
Mikkel Diskerud and KAA Gent play KSC Lokeren.
Joe Corona, Edgar Castillo, Greg Garza and Club Tijuana play Queretaro.
Michael Orozco Fiscal and San Luis play Chivas de Guadalajara.
Herculez Gomez and Santos Laguna play Monterrey.
Jonathan Bornstein and Tigres UANL play Atlas.
SUNDAY
Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Stevenage in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Dominic Cervi and Celtic play Hibernian.
Michael Bradley and Chievo Verona play Genoa.
Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04 play VfL Wolfsburg. (Jones is serving an eight-week suspension.)
Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 play VfB Stuttgart.
Bobby Wood and TSV 1860 Munich play Fortuna Dusseldorf. (Wood is out injured.)
Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar play FC Utrecht.
Oguchi Onyewu and Sporting CP play Pacos de Ferreira.
DaMarcus Beasley and Puebla play Morelia.
Adrian Ruelas and Jaguares de Chiapas play Toluca.
Jose Torres and Pachuca play America.
MONDAY
Frank Simek and Carlisle United play Brentford.
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Which matches are you most looking forward to? Think Donovan will end his second Everton loan with a win? Do you see Beasley scoring or assisting this week? What approach do you think Rangers will take this weekend, especially in terms of Edu and Bocanegra?
Share your thoughts below.
That’s why some of us call him Wonderbread lol
How do you know? Most of the time these people in Asia are getting a batch for themselves and they come with all the tags and halograms and stuff….lol
No he wont: book it.
(Just winding you up a bit.)
Actually it seems he has the flu, so his playing in the match is in serious doubt.
i think if LA can win the CONCACAF Champions League, then we’ll see Donovan move to the EPL this time next year. He’ll get a two year deal running through the end of the 2013-14 season and then have options after Brazil 2014… he’s only got 3-5 solid years left at the EPL level before he “returns” to MLS… if he even leaves at all…
In the EPL not all wins are equal. A tie against a top 4 team could be as valuable as a win over a bottom feeder. To beat the league leader and another top four team is an incredible achievement for a team that was in the bottom half before LD’s arrival.
You can’t just look at the wins and losses. You have to look at the quality of those wins and losses.
IS WHITEBREAD MADE OF GLASS!!!!!!!!!!??????
I’m not saying Donovan didn’t play well. I’m saying he is being given too much credit and Everton turned their season around BEFORE Donovan came.
If he was so great and had such an incredible impact why did Everton reverse course from 4 games undefeated without Donovan to 4 games winless with him?
The great results came in two of the last three games. I also think it’s unfair to ignore other changes. It would be just as easy to say that when Donovan came we couldn’t win for four straight games, but then when we added some new players like Pienaar and Stracqualursi we beat Chelsea and Manchester City.
Sorry, I misspoke. I should have said Everton were UNDEFEATED in four straight league games, which was their best spell of the season, and clearly the turning point if there was one. Then immediately starting with Donovan’s first game they completely reversed and went without a win in four straight games with Donovan. The point remains the same. That is NOT Donovan turning Everton’s season around!
Incorrect. Also, look at the quality of opponents. I’m pretty sure no Everton fan in the world would agree with you that Donovan did not have a giant impact on the course of their season.
They beat Man City, Chelsea, and Fulham (FA Cup). Those are all quality wins in which Donovan had an assist (or two) and was arguably the man of the match in most.
No……
Beat West Brom and Swansea(ok to bad teams) tied Norwich and Sunderland(middle teams), did not have a winning streak greater than 1 during that time. Beat Manchester City and Chelsea with him.
Averaged 1.43 points per game before his arrival, 1.67 after.
7 assists, player of the month, raves from teammates to coach to pundits to opponents.
Everton’s probably not going to pay a transfer fee to the Galaxy plus pay donovan more than what he’s making in the US. They’d rather borrow players every january. Its cheaper that way.
Let’s see. Before Donovan showed up at Everton they WON four consecutive games. The streak ended the first time Donovan played a game for them. Also, in the first three games Donovan played in Everton won only once after having won four in a row. Donovan turned Everton’s season around?
Whine-alda, is that you?
Even though they’re probably made in an adjoining sweatshop they cant be “100% authentic” because they didnt pay the licensing fees
Let’s hope Charlie Davies impressed enough last week to get more playing time.
What’s best for Donovan is clearly to shave his head. I’m placing my cursor over the remaining hair and I’m fairly certain he has the ideal cranial contour to bite the bullet. It may even make him slightly faster as a result of the reduced drag. I’m thinking he could look badass. I’m gonna go drink some more.
That would be sweet. Fingers crossed, no SBI post jinx.
Cheers
Ives will probably take this down because its seen as advertising, but for USMNT fans looking for cheap, authentic kits, storesoccerjersey.com has Dempsey, Donovan, Gooch, and potentially other kits for around $30 dollars including shipping and handling. Looks bit off at first because its based in Thailand, but my Dempsey kit got here and is 100% authentic. Service some MNT fans might appreciate.
Landon will score this weekend. Book it
I think only Donovan can say what’s best for Donovan, though.
Stop trying to make fetch happen. It’s not gonna happen.
The best thing for everyone would be for him to stay at Everton and continue to play very well in the EPL.