Galaxy thrilled to have Donovan back
Teammates praise imminent return of 'best player in league'
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Donovan, who had been on loan with Bayern Munich since January, is scheduled to make his first training appearance with the Galaxy on Tuesday, just two weeks before the MLS regular-season opener against DC United on March 22 at the Home Depot Center.
"I am very excited to be returning home to my teammates and the LA Galaxy," Donovan said in a statement released by the team. "I would like to thank Bayern Munich for the opportunity to play with one of the premier clubs in Europe, as well as all their coaches and players for welcoming me into the club. "I am fit, motivated and excited to be coming back as a better, more experienced player."
Donovan, who turned 27 on Wednesday, scored a career-high and MLS-high 20 goals in 2008. He played in five Bundesliga games and made one DFB Cup appearance. He scored four goals with Bayern, including two against German second-division club Mainz 05 in late January, but had difficulty getting worthwhile playing time with the likes of strikers Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose and Ivica Ollic ahead of him.
Donovan's fate with the German club, however, may have been sealed in mid-February when Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was quoted as saying, "Donovan is an interesting player. If you have a Klose, a Toni and an Ollic already under contract, than we believe that fourth player should be a young player with good prospects."
The Galaxy, on the other hand, was more than happy to have him in camp. "It's good to have him back. He's the best player in this league," midfielder Dema Kovalenko said. "We've missed him."
Kovalenko, acquired from Real Salt Lake in late January, said it never was much fun facing the 5-foot-8, 158-pounder. Donovan, he said, had a habit of lulling opponents to sleep.
"He could be nonexistent for 20 minutes, then in the next 10 minutes he could score two or three goals," Kovalenko said. "He scored 20 goals last year. Not many guys can say that."
Defender Todd Dunivant said the club's fortunes revolve around Donovan, who has 52 goals and 40 assists in four seasons with the Galaxy. "He's the key to this team," Dunivant said. "He's been here for a long time, he's won championships and is the best player on the U.S. national team. He's obviously a guy you want on your side, someone we look to for leadership. He's a difference-maker. He's going to be a huge asset for this team."
Thursday's announcement brought an end to at least one ongoing drama for the club, which also has been trying to reach an agreement involving David Beckham, currently on loan with AC Milan. It was reported a few days ago that Beckham will be staying with the Italian club through the end of the Serie A season and not return to the Galaxy until mid-July, but the deal has not been finalized. Donovan, on the other hand, will be back early next week.
"It's pretty exciting," Tristen Bowan said. "Landon is a good guy and a great competitor, and I've learned a lot from him. I'm looking forward to see him back and getting in the groove of things."
Head Coach/General Manager Bruce Arena wouldn't go so far as to say he feels a sense of normality returning to the franchise, but he did sound a little more upbeat on Thursday. "Certainly it's real positive," he said of Donovan's imminent return.
"Obviously the quality of our team changes considerably and the personality of the club changes considerably. Bringing Landon back is a boost. He is arguably the best player, if not one of the best players in MLS. Obviouusly there is a sense of relief knowing we're getting a player like Landon back here. Whether there's normalcy around here I'm not sure of, but I do think we're steadily moving along and getting our feet on the ground and heading in the right direction. We're doing everything we can to get the team ready for March 22."
Larry Morgan is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
