For the second straight loan, Landon Donovan has performed at a high level for Everton, and for a second straight loan, he's been rewarded with the club's Player of the Month honors.
Donovan captured Everton's award for January, replicating the feat that he accomplished back in January of 2010. Donovan was credited with five assists in Everton's eight games during January. He played every minute of every one of those matches, starting on the right flank and injecting life into a previously dormant attack.
His final sendoff will be Saturday at Goodison Park, as Everton welcomes Blackpool for an FA Cup fifth-round battle. In his last finale for Everton, Donovan scored a goal and was carried by teammate Jack Rodwell toward the supporters, who serenaded him with chants of "USA!" He'll hope to end this loan spell in a similar fashion.
The loan might not be the end of his Everton career, though, as Donovan expressed an interest in returning to the club to in a recent interview with Reuters. He made it clear in his comments that he's firmly committed to the Galaxy until the end of his current contract, which has two years remaining on it.
What do you make of Donovan winning Everton's award again? Hope to see him one day move permanently to Everton?
Share your thoughts below.
As sore as I am about the MLS Cup final, I agree. I would like to see an MLS squad win the CCL, and the Galaxy are best positioned to do so.
LD has nothing more to prove in Europe, despite how much most of us would like him there (and despite the fact that he’d stay if he could).
Pretty sure Chivas Guadalajara tore Barca a new one last time they faced off. 4-1.
good post. thanks
bingo!
Bam.
All correct. Everton will never be able to buy the players to make UCL. On the other hand, the Galaxy is well positioned right now to make a serious run at the CONCACAF CL. Win it, and it’s on to the club world cup. Won this year by? That’s right, Barcelona. So in fact, Donovan has a better shot at facing the almighty Barca by staying with the Galaxy than he does by going anywhere else. Ha!
Not being able to afford the cow doesn’t mean you get the milk for free. I’m sure Everton paid for the loan. Do LA and NY get those dollars? I agree with the pro-loan comments thus far and don’t think you can make arguments about Ajax vs. LA/NY loaning or not loaning players. You definitely can’t use EPL logic for not doing it as a reason that MLS shouldn’t do it. They’re totally different leagues and situations. Not only is MLS brand spanking new by comparison, the seasons aren’t aligned with the leagues that are asking for the help. MLS has stood its’ ground when it needed to.
Perhaps it’s not good for MLS, but I don’t see how it’s bad. I’m an MLS season ticket holder, so speculate about my biases or euro-snobbery as you see fit.
As a galaxy supporter I think he has done more than any person could want from a player. This next year im hoping the g’s win the ccl, with that I think LD has done everything he can possibly do for the mls and galaxy. I would not mind him making a permanent move to the epl. In fact I might even encourage it. While I love the mls I think the U.S. best players need to play in the top leagues in the world. While mls has undeniably become more relevant in the world of soccer i dont think its close to being a top league and I am ok with that.
He needs to stay there. Having the best American player playing in England and doing well will IMO do more for the sport in America than having him return to being a big fish in a small pond.
Except teams in the European middle are usually more calculating. They would consider loans to show-window a young player, to get a young or injured player first team time, or to get a malcontent out the door. But I don’t think they would send away a player merely to ply their trade during down-time. Ajax isn’t “advertising.” They’re watching the bottom line and developing their own squad.
FWIW, Everton balked at paying for Landon last time, who knows if they’d pony up this time, they could simply be using us for quality talent they won’t actually buy. Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free? I’m amazed they get to keep renting a player they won’t purchase, even if Landon likes it there.
tegres and guadalajara are both top teams. Also do everton have a slight chance of making the UEFA champions league, no.
I think the loan deals can be good for the players but from the perspective of our young and growing league I don’t think the tug of wars improve MLS’ reputation abroad. They may be publicity for MLS but only in a negative, second-best sense. If said player arrives and makes the contribution, like I said, it then pits EPL against MLS and I don’t think it is a positive comparison.
I think what does MLS far more good is bringing Americans home and signing younger foreign players, as they’ve done this offseason in bulk. That actually increases the talent pool in MLS and I think what earns respect for the league — as opposed to its components — is how the units perform in matches.
And there is also the Gonzo risk that they come back in a brace to get knee surgery. As we know from Beckham this is a real risk and it impacts MLS teams’ use of their own players.
IMO we shouldn’t be loaning out anyone like this unless it’s a George John kick the tires instance where the league stands to get a transfer fee and may benefit from a showcase.
LD is not going to England.
Nor should he, IMHO.
I am not trying to cause an arguement here and I don’t care to discuss, but in my opinion his goal isn’t get get Everton to tenth, he has already done that multiple times and it was NOT a challenge.
He does have plenty to play for here. Repeat of MLS Cup and Champions League this year and next. Just because blog commentors want to poo-hoo the US and other American leagues, doesn’t mean these are NOT real challenges. They are.
Fair enough, good sir. In my defense, I WAS eating sardines and mealworms, the traditional pre-press conference snack of Columbus Crew fans. Why? It just felt right; it seemed the only appropriate food to match the bitter taste of disappointment at Ives’ journalistic negligence.
Jonathan, he isn’t going back to Europe unless it’s with Everton so your UEFA champion’s league point isn’t valid. Unless Everton suddenly get a huge influx of cash, they aren’t going to be making the Champions League any time soon so Donovan would not be playing against Bayern and Barcelona.
The loans happen for one reason
It always boils down to money….always.
Well deserved for Landon, his impact was noticeable from the start. It’s extremely difficult for a player to gel so well with the team even if it was a short loan or not. Quality player no matter what the haters say, has proven it in the world cups!
Well put.
Who would a thunk that Everton, the way they were looking pre-Donovan, would beat Man City AND Chelsea!! I know I thought they’d lose both of those games. Incredible the way LD has helped them turn things around, again.
He’s hardly exaggerating. Everton really don’t have any money. They’re definitely in a sell-to-buy mode right now in terms of player acquisition. There’s no way they could afford what L.A. would want for Donovan.
The world of soccer operates a lot like a open market does. There are manufacturers, whole sellers, distribution centers, retail markets, and consumers.
In soccer’s case, the only real consumers are the Man City’s, Chelsea’s, and Real Madrid’s of the world. They buy finish products.
Some teams like AZ and Ajax buy projects they hope to make better and turn a big profit.
For the MLS to be successful, they need to be somewhere in the manufacturer/wholesale area, selling prospects to teams looking to improve them and make a better finished product to sell to the big boys.
To me, having players like LD, Henry, and Becks go on loans is almost like a form of advertising for the league. Having MLS stars playing well in the big leagues opens the door for the young MLS stars looking for big transfers.
We understand that the MLS doesn’t have pay roll to afford the Shea’s, Altidores, and Reams, so the best they can do is attract the most attention they can for them and sell them for as much as possible to the best situation as possible.
For this reason I think the loans are good for the MLS.
He implied he wouldn’t re-sign with LA, meaning that they might want to sell after next season.
Bated breath is when you withhold breath in anticipation of a noteworthy event. Baited breath is what you have when you eat earthworms and sardines, and why would anyone do that?
I agree with you in theory but don’t think it is a terrible thing at this point in the leagues history to have guys go out to a league like the EPL and perform at a high level like LD, Henry and Keane have this month. They get to satisfy curiosities, promote the league, let others know MLS is a good place to play, recruit, show other players around the world the type of quality that exist in MLS and quiets down the eurosnobs of the world bashing MLS quality. It is ultimately a risk-reward scenario that really appears to be a case by case basis so it probably is worth the injury gamble at this point until the league becomes this accepted over here where the money and facilities are right behind some of the top leagues in the world. Guys like Gonzalez could have hurt his Achilles the first day of preseason with LA just as easily as it happened in Germany.
I completely understand your logic and I completely disagree with it.
European loan deals keep our players fit over a long off-season, increase their exposure to world-class football, and raise the profile of MLS abroad. Henry, Keane, and Donovan have all arrived at their loan clubs and made massive contributions in short order. What does that say to people who view MLS as a league for has-beens and never-will-bes?
I suspect that if the Galaxy don’t win the CONCACAF Champions’ League, Donovan will move to England this summer, but if they do win, and go to the World Club Cup, he’ll stay through the end of the Season and move to Everton next January.
I wonder what would happen if Moyes left? Would Donovan still have the love for Everton?
Concacaf Champions League? Against the likes of tegres and guadalajara? Or Uefa champions league against the likes Barca and bayern? Playing in a league against ManU and Man City or in a league against Houston Dynamo (and im from houston!)
You tell me which competition is higher.
That’s so totally not fair….
Everton wouldn’t stand a chance.
So funny to see stuff like this written when 90% of MLS teams wish they had even the type of resources an Everton or any EPL team does. Everton is always involved in the transfer window and usually for millions.
LanDiva, he loves the sun too much. 2 years, gimme a break, in 2 years you will not be the same player
Donovan should definitely return to the MLS and bring half of the EPL with him!!
This is one of the reasons I think our loan deals are silly. It’s become apparent to me that the best possible outcome for the league is a mediocre stint where they’d never be invited back. If they get hurt like Gonzo, that sucks. If they do well like Becks or Henry or Landon, they immediately start moaning for a transfer or more loans, which undermines league credibility and threatens to drain talent. So the best outcome from the league’s POV is they don’t wow the loan team but show back up in shape. Which is nuts.
I know Klinsi is promoting this sort of moonlighting but he signed a lucrative LA contract through the end of 2013. As with Cameron, another guy who recently signed a MLS re-up, it doesn’t seem right to sign a deal here and then everyone wants to talk about you going abroad. Make a decision.
I think MLS needs to end the loan deals at the high end of the roster and move to acting like an adult, self-sustaining league. The EPL does not loan out its stars, unless there is an injury rehab or out-of-favor situation where they can’t actually use a player. They may ship out players for loans to work on form and fitness, but it’s peripheral kids they want to see get PT, not the Franchise. I don’t think it makes LA or MLS look better to have this sort of “I’d really rather be at Everton and the EPL” kind of implied diss going when all this effort has gone into improving our own league to close the gap.
Too bad Everton doesn’t have money!
IDEA OF THE YEAR!!! awesome. Make it happen, Commish Don.
Well, thanks for that scintillating revelation, Walter Cronkite. I’m waiting with baited breath for you to cover it on your own blog.
Yup, that is a win-win for Donovan and LA.
Off topic but this Zenit-Benfica finish was just off-the-chart wild. Blunders, brilliant plays, the announcer is almost crying about how bad the keeper for Zenit has been. Awesome.
Is there any chance that with Donovan’s success, Henry’s play at Arsenal, etc., that down the line- and please, I KNOW we’re not there yet, I’m not suggesting we are- that there could be a precedent for MLS being a league with quality players who are expected to show up in other countries on loan spells as impact contributors on a regular basis? Really, if they could live and play in the US and then still count on the opportunity to show their skill in England, etc., would Americans HAVE to go overseas to get respect? Just wondering if there’s the possibility that this kind of performance might really be the start of a new way of existing for American internationals… one day down the line.
Well deserved. Without LD, Everton would be 15th in the league at best.
LA would have no trouble finding a 3rd DP to replace him and sell jerseys.
I figured Ives wouldn’t have anything up about the Crew’s major announcement at 2:00.
well deserved!
From the quote he gave, it doesn’t seem, as SBI writes, that he is committed to the Galaxy to the end of his contract. He said he has two years left on the contract, and that he will see what happens after this coming year. That sounds like he might want a transfer away before the contract is up, which might be good for the galaxy too.
He’s killing it in one of the best leagues in the world; I can’t believe that he wouldn’t want to stay. I can’t believe that he hasn’t, yet.
Concacaf Champions League? Be the first MLS team to win it? Possibly the second straight year an MLS club in the final? He has a few things left to do, but his legacy is still sealed.
Brilliant!
I think LA should play Everton without Landon and the winner gets to keep him permanently.
Eh… needs more confidence.
Get out of LA! There is NO reason to stay.
LD has proven that he has what it takes to perform at the highest levels. I wish a permanent transfer deal could be arranged for the summer of 2012 or January of 2013.