I am no different than you (if you like the US men's national soccer team), I have bitched about Landon Donovan-the face of the team-for much of the last decade. I finally realized something though after watching him score his first goal with Everton on Wednesday vs. Sutherland: it's time to love Landycakes.
He came onto the scene with the national team in 2002 and what a run as they advanced out of the group stage and beat bitter rival Mexico in the round of 16, to make it to the final eight before losing a classic to Germany.
Donovan had two disastrous stints playing on loan in Germany and each time he came slinking back to the US where he dominated the MLS like LeBron in the NBDL. Meanwhile, the turd sandwich submitted by the entire US team in the 2006 World Cup didn't help to build Donovan's national profile shall we say.
Oh well, he's a nice player who will never do anything outside of the US and except for a few World Cup games and qualifiers against the assorted garbage in CONCACAF.
As Lee Corso would see (assuming he knows what soccer is), "not so fast my friend." Donovan still plays for the LA Galaxy but his most recent loan to Everton-a middling team in the English Premier League-and performance last summer in the Confederations Cup is proof that Landon is a new man.
No longer does he crumble on the big stage against the quality opponents. He was the US' best player last summer vs. superpowers Spain and Brazil (ever heard of them?). And when the US plays at Mexico, who do the Mexican fans hate the most? Landon Donovan. They wouldn't hate a scrub so our neighbors to the South might be onto something.
So while players like Clint Mathis, DeMarcus Beasley and Eddie Johnson have caught our eyes for a fleeting moment, its time to give it up for a guy that has kept working and is proof that there are good American soccer players scattered around the world.
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