31
May

2013 Gold Cup USMNT Provisional Roster released

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The provisional roster has been released for the US Men’s National Team heading into the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Keep in mind that this roster is provisional; the 35 players will be whittled down to a final 23-man roster by June 27th.

Notable inclusions: Landon Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra

Notable exclusions: Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey

Whoever Jurgen Klinsmann picks for his final roster, he likes the team’s chances:

12
May

Watford’s last second goal in 97th minute after Leicester’s PK miss

You have to see it to believe it. In the npower Championship playoffs, Watford and Leicester City were tied 2-2 on aggregate, with Leicester ahead on away goals. In the 97th minute, Leicester earned a penalty kick and looked to put the tie on ice.

Cue the dramatic music.

After Leicester’s Anthony Knockaert penalty attempt was denied not once, but twice by keeper Manuel Almunia, Watford then charged up the field like bats out of hell. In a span of twenty seconds, they delivered the goal that put them through to the Championship final for a chance at Premier League promotion.

Absolutely incredible. Reminiscent of Landon Donovan’s 2010 World Cup goal vs Algeria, this is why we watch the beautiful game.

To get a look from every angle of the moment, watch Sky Sports’ Johnny Phillips go nuts as it happens:

26
Mar

President Barack Obama welcomes LA Galaxy to the White House

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President Barack Obama welcomed Landon Donovan and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates to the White House on Tuesday honoring the MLS Cup champions’ second consecutive league championship.

Obama honored the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, whose Stanley Cup was on display in the East Room. He also welcomed the LA Galaxy, the championship Major League Soccer team.

26
Mar

Landon is back!

After a long sabbatical from soccer, Landon Donovan has finally rejoined the LA Galaxy on their trip to the White House.

Image via @LAGalaxy

Image via @MarceloSarvas

The team had a morning training session, and then went off to the White House where President Obama will honor the two-time defending MLS Cup champions, along with Stanley Cup champions LA Kings, in a special ceremony.

Image via @LAGalaxy

22
Mar

Donovan enjoying time off … in Madison?

Photo courtesy of @23botter

The United States men’s national team hosts a crucial World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica Friday night. With numerous injuries plaguing Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad, you would figure Landon Donovan - USA’s all-time leader in goals and assists - could step in to help his country earn a World Cup bid, right?

Guess again.

The LA Galaxy star, currently on an organized sabbatical, was spotted in Middleton, Wis., earlier this week playing pickup soccer at an indoor facility and wearing, of all things, a University of Wisconsin soccer T-shirt.

Read more here.

1
Dec

Landon Donovan’s curtain call?

By: Jamie Trecker

Carson, Calif.

Landon Donovan went from goat to hero in the space of an hour Saturday afternoon, rescuing what had been a lackluster performance with a game-defining penalty kick. For long stretches of the match, the American star had played with his head down and what seemed like a heavy heart, summed up in an atrocious 13th minute miss. With time and space, and off a fine ball served by Robbie Keane, Donovan inexplicably missed the target with a chance that it would have been easier to simply put on frame.

The final months of this season have been strange for Donovan, a player once considered the golden boy of the American game. So much had been heaped on his shoulders over the years – the endorsements, the responsibility of winning big games for the national team, and in many ways, the spirit of the modern American game itself. This year, the toll that pressure took surfaced in a series of interviews Donovan gave late this MLS season, where he indicated he was considering walking away from the game entirely.

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