Willkommen Back!
How important is Landon Donovan to America’s success in Germany? The phrase “As Donovan goes, so goes the U.S.” has become a mantra among fans and media alike.
Legitimate or not, the notion the U.S. attack lives and dies under the hand of Donovan seems to have been borne out through qualifying. And one has a difficult time imagining scenarios for World Cup goals that don’t involve his influence. You have to wonder though: have we pinned our hopes to the right man?
Much has been made of Donovan’s escape from the Bundesliga, and I had promised myself not to rehash the juicy details of his “return” to the MLS. For those that may have missed it, however, a short recounting seems necessary: his girlfriend made him come home.
This may seem harsh, but let me draw a parallel. Imagine you are in a bar with any number of your closest friends. Your phone rings. It’s your girlfriend. You leave. Will they applaud your exit? Admire you for “choosing your own path”? Or will a blizzard of insults, jokes at your expense, and shoulder punches rain down on you like the Salmon of Capistrano?
And Landon Donovan didn’t leave a bar, he left the Bundesliga. Left a league with an average attendance of over 39,000 rabid fans per game, and the highest goals per game of any major European league. Along the way, he has sited the weather and the German playing style as reasons contributing to his departure; this is akin to complaining that the bar your drinking in doesn’t serve white zinfandel and refuses to accept Canadian money.