Landon Donovan

Landon Donovan

File:LandonDonovan.jpg
Personal information
Full name	Landon Timothy Donovan
Height	5 ft 8 in (173cm)
Position(s)	midfielder/forward
Team information
Current team	Los Angeles Galaxy (captain)
Number	10
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 June 2006

Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982 in Ontario, California) is an American soccer player, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer as well as for the United States national soccer team.

Biography

Landon is the son of Canadian Tim Donovan and Donna Kenney Cash. Donovan grew up in Redlands, California, and attended Redlands High School before transferring to Redlands East Valley. Landon signed a professional contract with Bayer Leverkusen in February 1999 at the age of 17, shortly before playing in the U-17 World Championship, where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

Donovan could not break into the first team with Leverkusen due to age restrictions and, unhappy with his situation in Germany, was loaned to the San Jose Earthquakes, playing in Major League Soccer, for the 2001 season. In MLS, Donovan had immediate success, leading the Earthquakes to MLS Cup championships in 2001 and 2003 and becoming one of the most recognizable faces of soccer in America. In four years in the league, he scored 32 goals and 29 assists in league play, and 10 goals and six assists in the playoffs. Donovan was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2003.

After starring in the 2000 Summer Olympics, he earned his first cap for the U.S. National Team on October 25, 2000 against Mexico, scoring on his debut. He was integral to the United States' run to the quarterfinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan, scoring two goals. Through the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he has amassed 84 caps for the US, scoring 25 goals, including a rare four-goal game against Cuba in 2003. On April 11, 2006, Donovan became the United States' all-time assist leader with 23 when he set up Ben Olsen. The previous all-time assist leader was Cobi Jones.

On June 3, 2004, Bayer Leverkusen announced that Donovan would return to the club in 2005, and Landon followed suit, announcing his return to Germany on November 23, 2004. He then became the first man to be named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year two years in a row, taking the award for that year.

In early 2005, Donovan put in decent performances, but ultimately failed to impress. Most notable was a performance in the away fixture of UEFA Champions League against eventual champion Liverpool, where a Donovan turnover allowed a Liverpool forward to score one of three in a 3-1 loss. Donovan stated his intentions to come back to MLS, and club officials respected his wishes. However, because San Jose had traded away part of Donovan's allocation, a return to San Jose was not possible. One week before the start of the season, Los Angeles traded leading scorer Carlos Ruiz, a striker, to FC Dallas to get on top of the allocation pecking order and signed Donovan, a midfielder, on March 31, 2005.

In his first season with the Galaxy, Donovan scored 12 league goals and 10 assists and added four goals and an assist in the playoffs as the Galaxy won the MLS Cup (his third MLS championship to date). Ironically, the winning goal was scored by a Guatemalan, Pando Ramirez, brought in to partner with Carlos Ruiz but relegated to the bench by Donovan. Donovan's playoff goals made him MLS' all-time leading scorer in the playoffs with 14. He was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI after the season.

Many soccer critics have critized Donovan for returning to MLS, as he is perceived to be not up to the rigors of European soccer [1], although he has expressed interest in playing in England someday. He was also criticized for his poor performance on the US national team at the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany.[2]

When Donovan returned to the Galaxy after the 2006 World Cup, new head coach Frank Yallop awarded him the Los Angeles captaincy, taking over from Peter Vagenas, still active with the Galaxy.

Donovan currently resides in Manhattan Beach, California with his fiancée, actress Bianca Kajlich.

Club history

• Bayer Leverkusen (1999-2001 & 2005)
• San Jose Earthquakes (2001-2004) (loan)
• Los Angeles Galaxy (2005-present)

Career statistics

Club career

(correct as of 4 July 2006)

All-Time Club Performance

Club	Season	Domestic			Domestic Cup		Playoffs		Continental		Total
		App	Goals	Assists	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Los Angeles Galaxy	2006	9	4	4	-	-	-	-	2	1	11	5
	2005	22	12	10	3	2	4	4	-	-	29	18
	Total	31	16	14	3	2	4	4	2	1	40	23
Bayer Leverkusen	2004-05	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	9	0
	Total	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	9	0
San Jose Earthquakes	2004	23	6	10	3	1	2	0	1	0	29	7
	2003	22	12	6	1	0	4	4	2	1	27	16
	2002	20	7	3	2	0	2	1	2	1	26	9
	2001	22	7	10	2	0	6	5	-	-	30	12
	Total	87	32	29	8	1	14	10	5	2	112	44
Career Totals		125	48	43	11	3	18	14	9	3	161	67

International career

National team	Season	Caps	Goals
United States	2000-06	84	25
	Total	84	25

See also

• List of current MLS players

External links

• Landon Donovan's U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Landon Donovan Fan Listing
• Landon Donovan Fan Site
• Leverkusen who's who
• Landon Donovan articles on Yanks Abroad