Donovan inks new deal, Everton loan possible
December 17, 2009
Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan signed a four-year contract extension Wednesday with the Major League Soccer club, paving the way for a loan to Everton of the English Premiership.
Donovan, this year’s Most Valuable Player of the US league, is set to stay with the Galaxy through 2013 after scoring a team-high 12 goals this season and together with England’s David Beckham leading the team to the MLS Cup finals.
The Galaxy announced their captain would be allowed to pursue overseas loan deals provided he returns for the start of the 2010 MLS season on March 27. Donovan said he would not have signed a deal without that provision.
“I am excited to be able to pledge my future to the Galaxy by signing this new contract,” Donovan said. “This is a great day for me both personally and professionally.”
Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said that while no loan deal has been completed, one likely would be done with Everton from January to mid-March. Everton already features a top US talent, goalkeeper Tim Howard.
That would allow Donovan to get a first-hand look for at least 10 weeks at the talent he and his US teammates will face June 12 in their World Cup opener against England, while at the same time giving English talent a better look at the American playmaker whom Beckham knows well.
Beckham is on a loan deal to AC Milan that does not require his return until after the World Cup.
Donovan, 27, is not available for transfer, Arena said.
“He is our captain, our leader and the league’s MVP and we believe that Landon signing this new contract is a key aspect to bringing the Galaxy further success both on and off the field,” Arena said.
LOS ANGELES (AFP)
Tags: ac milan, bruce arena, coach bruce arena, contract extension, David Beckham, Donovan, England, english premiership, Landon, landon donovan, loan deal, loan deals, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, mid march, Milan, mls cup, mls season, new contract, new deal, paving the way, playmaker, s david, soccer club, tim howardRelated posts
More work needed for US to taste South Africa success
October 14, 2009
Landon Donovan likes what he sees from the US football squad after qualifying for the World Cup, but knows much more work is needed to make the most of their chances next June in South Africa.
Donovan, the all-time US scoring leader and a Los Angeles Galaxy teammate of English star David Beckham, said Tuesday it was difficult to compare US levels at this stage to the 2002 Cup quarter-finalists or the 2006 first-round flops.
“We’re pretty satisfied with where we are now and the hard work we’ve put in but I think we realize if we want to be ultimately successful in South Africa we still have some work to do,” Donovan said.
“OK, we’re there. Now how do we do everything we can to have success once we get there?”
Donovan will spark the Americans in Wednesday’s final North American hexagonal World Cup qualifying match against Costa Rica in the US capital. He feels he has made improvements on and off the field in the past three years.
“I’ve done a lot of that work already,” Donovan said. “I’m comfortable knowing I’m a different player and person than I was the last two hexagonals.”
The Major League Soccer standout said the North American league has already shown it can develop competitive talent.
“Our league can produce players that can play in the biggest tournaments in the world and I think we’ve shown that in the past two World Cups and this one,” Donovan said. “There’s not a vast difference.”
The next step is to win such a showdown. US coach Bob Bradley sees finishing first ahead of Mexico in the CONCACAF regional qualifying as a potential key to boosting the US seeding position for December’s World Cup draw.
“We don’t know for sure it will affect seeding but we believe that it could so in that regard it is important,” Bradley said. “We take a great deal of pride of being the best team in CONCACAF.”
So much so that Bradley is willing to risk top players even with a chance of injury or a red card that would bring a World Cup opener suspension.
“There are risks in the final game but this game is important,” Bradley said. “Of late, we’re very pleased with the way we’ve handled ourselves.”
Costa Rica qualifies for the World Cup with a victory but a draw or loss opens the door for Honduras, which must win at El Salvador to have a chance for the last automatic berth on offer from North America.
The same Hondurans who lost to the US team last weekend will cheer for the Americans against Costa Rica.
“We’ve got a job to do to put our best team out there,” US captain Carlos Bocanegra said. “It’s not fair for us not to go out there and give our best effort. If the situation was reversed we would be pretty angry.”
Costa Rica comes off a 4-0 blanking of Trinidad and Tobago in the first match under new coach Rene Simoes, a Brazilian who once guided Jamaica’s World Cup squad.
“Costa Rica is a talented team that hit a tough stretch in qualifying,” said Bradley. “Costa Rica’s big win has given life to their effort. We expect another big effort and we will prepare accordingly.”
WASHINGTON (AFP)
Tags: bob bradley, captain Carlos Bocanegra, coach bob, concacaf, Costa Rica, David Beckham, Donovan, El Salvador, final game, football squad, Honduras, improvements, Jamaica, landon donovan, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, match, Mexico, North America, North American, pride, qualifying for the world cup, quarter finalists, Rene Simoes, soccer standout, South Africa, star david, teammate, trinidad and tobago, U.S., Washington, world cup opener, world cupsRelated posts
Beckham set to return to AC Milan
October 9, 2009
LA Galaxy are close to agreeing a loan deal for England midfielder David Beckham to return to AC Milan in the January transfer window.
Tim Leiweke, the chief executive of AEG, which owns Galaxy, said they were aware that a move would help Beckham improve his chances of featuring in next summer’s World Cup.
Leiweke said that the 34-year-old needs a year of solid football to boost his bid to reach the World Cup.
“We have a deep appreciation of what he is doing over here with his national team,” Leiweke said at the Leaders In Football summit at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
“I wanted him to know that we will support him so we are going to lend him out.”
Galaxy want Beckham’s loan deal sorted out soon so he can concentrate on a title challenge with his club.
“We want to get it done, for him and for us, because we have work to do over the next few weeks and I don’t want any confusion,” Leiweke said.
“It’s the same with Landon (Donovan), there are a lot of rumours of whether he is staying or going. We’re going to clear that up in the next two weeks because we want the team to be focused.”
Leiweke is also hoping Beckham can attract other big names to the club.
“If we don’t have a player like David going around telling every other great player that we’re co-operative and it’s a great place to play and ‘you really should go and do this’, if we don’t have him as our ambassador, then we’re never going to get other players to take that kind of risk,” he said.
“That is the battle for us. We can’t do this with one guy.”
Although Leiweke is happy to loan Beckham to a European club prior to the World Cup, he is confident the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star will see out his contract with the Galaxy.
Beckham signed a five-year deal when he joined the Californian club in 2007.
Leiweke said: “We know he has to be playing in Europe leading up to the World Cup. That has been made clear to us, and we are going to support that.
“He will be somewhere come January and we will see him back in July.
“We have a contract and despite people thinking we’re going to sell him, we’re not. David is going to finish his career with the Galaxy.”
LONDON (AFP)
Tags: aeg, ambassador, californian, chief executive, co operative, confusion, David, David Beckham, Donovan, England, Europe, la galaxy, Landon, landon donovan, loan deal, london, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, midfielder, Milan, real madrid, rumours, stamford bridge, summit, tim leiweke, World CupRelated posts
US men gather before World Cup qualifying push
October 6, 2009
US soccer players began training camp work on Sunday for the final two North American qualifying matches for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, pivotal matches at Honduras and at home against Costa Rica.
The Americans lead the six-team CONCACAF qualifying table with 16 points after five wins and a draw in eight starts with Mexico on 15, Honduras on 13 and Costa Rica on 12 points.
US players will face Honduras, 8-0 in home qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup, on Saturday at San Pedro Sula and face Costa Rica at Washington, site of the most US triumphs, on October 14 in the qualifying finale.
Three North American squads will advance to South Africa while the fourth will face the fifth-place team from South American qualifying in a two-leg playoff to decide another spot in next year’s global football showdown.
One US victory would secure a sixth consecutive berth for the Americans at the World Cup but the three points figure to be hard earned.
“These are hugely important games for us,” US coach Bob Bradley said. “We have been preparing this group for the last three years to be ready for these situations and we are confident in our ability to get the results we need to achieve our goal of qualifying for South Africa.”
The 22-man US roster includes forwards Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Jozy Altidore of Hull, goalkeeper Tim Howard of Everton, midfielder Clint Dempsey of Fulham and defender Oguchi Onyewu of AC Milan.
MIAMI (AFP)
Tags: ac milan, africa world, berth, bob bradley, Clint Dempsey, coach bob, Costa Rica, Donovan, finale, fulham, Goalkeeper, Landon, landon donovan, los angeles galaxy, Mexico, midfielder, san pedro sula, soccer players, South Africa, tim howard, training camp, Washington, World CupRelated posts
Clark has a blast in US win, T&T eliminated
September 10, 2009
PORT OF SPAIN – Ricardo Clark scored the game-winning goal for the United States, which defeated Trinidad & Tobago, 1-0, at Hasely Crawford Stadium on Wednesday night.
The victory temporarily puts the Americans atop the group with 16 points from eight matches, while the Soca Warriors dreams of back-to-back World Cup bids were dashed with the loss.
Clark, who was moments away from being replaced by Stuart Holden, struck for the game-winning goal in the 62nd minute, taking a pass from Landon Donovan and firing the ball to the left of Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Clayton Ince from 25 meters.
Two minutes later, Carlos Edwards nearly equalized for the Soca Warriors, but his rocket from distance was knocked away by United States goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Holden connected with Donovan, who nearly added a late insurance goal. But his chip from in front of goal sailed over the crossbar in the 89th minute.
The United States was lucky to not be down a goal at halftime as the Soca Warriors caught the Americans sleeping in the defensive third on a few occasions.
In the 29th minute, Cornell Glen got in behind the USA backline off a bouncing throw-in and had U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard beat. But the San Jose Earthquakes striker put his lob off the crossbar and the visitors dodged a bullet.
Moments later the Americans pushed up the field and Jozy Altidore, who fended off Trent Noel, unleashed a blast from 30 meters out that Ince pushed aside.
In the 38th minute, Howard was again pressed into action, diving to his right to parry away Noel’s free kick from 26 meters. Four minutes later, Noel had another set piece from almost the identical spot on the field. But this time he put his attempt wide of the near post.
In the opening minute of first-half stoppage time, Altidore played a clever one-two with Donovan and the United States’ all-time leading scorer was one-on-one with Ince. But the T&T keeper kicked out his right leg to insure the game remained scoreless heading into the half.
It was a sloppy performance by the United States, especially in the defensive third, but the Americans leave Trinidad & Tobago with three critical points. Both teams return to World Cup qualifying in a month. Next up for the United States is a meeting with Honduras in San Pedro Sula, while the Soca Warriors will look to pick up the pieces in Costa Rica. Both games will be played on Oct. 10.
Tags: backline, Carlos Edwards, Clayton Ince, clever one, Costa Rica, Crawford Stadium, crossbar, Donovan, four minutes, free kick, Glen, Goalkeeper, hasely crawford stadium, holden, Honduras, Howard, ince, insurance goal, landon donovan, noel, port of spain, Ricardo Clark, san jose earthquakes, san pedro sula, soca warriors, stoppage time, Stuart Holden, t amp, tim howard, time leading scorer, Tobago, Trent Noel, Trinidad, U.S., United StatesRelated posts
Revenge for Gold Cup on the mind of the United States
August 11, 2009
Only 17 days after it was routed by Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, the United States gets a chance for redemption and revenge where the stakes are higher — World Cup qualifying.
The Americans will visit Mexico in a qualifier at Estadio Azteca on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ll be ready,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “It’s 90 minutes and it starts over.”
The fourth-place and underachieving Mexicans (2-0-3, six points) desperately need a victory over the second-place Americans (3-1-1, 10) to remain in contention for three automatic berths for South Africa. The fourth-place team will meet the fifth-place South American side for a World Cup spot.
It doesn’t sound like the U.S. will need much motivation.
“If they think the next game is going to be like this, they have another coming,” forward Brian Ching said two weeks ago on the day of the Gold Cup final, a 5-0 loss to Mexico.
“It’s not going to be hard to carry over those emotions,” Ching said. “Standing on the field there, watching them accept the trophy, it’s pretty much etched in the back of my mind for a long, long time to come. I’m not going to need any more motivation than that.”
Bradley agreed.
“When you have a game that feels like this at the end you don’t forget it,” he said. “It something on the inside we’ll talk about and be honest about.”
The United States will bring in its first choice side team for this encounter, essentially the same one that reached the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa in June instead of the internationally inexperienced side in the Gold Cup.
The American team includes 17 players from that Confederations Cup squad, including the starting lineup of the team that stunned then top-ranked Spain 2-0 in the semifinals. Midfielder-forward Landon Donovan, who played his best soccer in South Africa, midfielder Clint Dempsey, the Bronze Ball winner there, and Tim Howard, the Golden Glove winner as the best goalkeeper in the tournament, are among the key U.S. players.
The United States has never won at Azteca. It’s lone point in Mexico City came in a 1-1 qualifying draw in 1997. But the Americans are vying for more than just a point this time.
“We’re confident we can play with any team in the world,” Donovan said. “It’s no longer good enough to be competitive. It’s not about getting a point.”
Besides the Mexicans, the United States must overcome altitude, smog, mid-afternoon heat and 105,000 partisan fans at Azteca.
“It’s not that you worry about those issues,” Donovan said. “These are realistic issues. If you walk around Mexico City for a few minutes, you’ll get tired.”
Donovan and company face a more difficult challenge. They must run around Azteca for 90 minutes.
By Michael Lewis
Tags: automatic berths, azteca, back of my mind, ball winner, best goalkeeper, bob bradley, brian ching, Clint Dempsey, coach bob, concacaf gold cup, Donovan, fifa confederations cup, golden glove, long long time, mexicans, Mexico, mexico city, midfielder, six points, South Africa, South American, Spain, starting lineup, tim howard, U.S., United States, wednesday afternoonRelated posts
Beckham makes low-key return to MLS
July 17, 2009
David Beckham’s return to Major League Soccer was a low-key affair, the star midfielder barely factoring into the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls.
Playing in a stadium nearly three-quarters empty, Beckham looked sluggish, making no significant crosses, taking no free-kick opportunities near the goal and not even taking all of the Galaxy’s corner kicks.
It was Beckham’s first MLS match since the finish of the Italian League season on May 31.
The 34-year-old former England captain had been loaned by the Galaxy to AC Milan with the proviso that he return for the entire 2009 MLS season, but he got his stay in Europe extended.
Some fans clearly still felt the lure of his fame, angling for pictures when he did take a corner kick, but many booed when Beckham came out of the match in the 70th minute.
Not only was Beckham’s belated return to the MLS seen as a slap in the face to US football, but a squabble with Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan has further sullied his return.
Beckham appeared to go out of his way to be friendly with Donovan, who criticized his teammate in a book published this week, charging Beckham failed to give his all for the Galaxy in the latter stages of their disappointing 2008 campaign.
Beckham and Donovan, who has resumed his role as captain after the armband was stripped from the Englishman, shook hands and embraced prior to Thursday’s kickoff.
Whether Beckham will be able to smooth things over with US fans, however, remains to be seen.
The Galaxy drew a crowd of 66,237 for their 5-4 win at the Red Bulls two years ago, the largest football crowd at Giants Stadium for a US league game in 27 years.
Attendance dropped to 46,754 for last year’s 2-2 draw and fell by 50 percent to 23,238 Thursday. While the turnout was low, it was still more than double the Red Bulls’ previous home average this year of 11,385.
The Galaxy said Thursday that their upcoming exhibition against AC Milan at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles is sold out.
Alecko Eskandarian, Donovan and Eddie Lewis scored first-half goals for the Galaxy, who are battling for an MLS playoff berth.
Juan Pablo Angel scored on an 87th-minute penalty, but failed to convert another in the 90th minute for the MLS-worst Red Bulls.
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AFP)
Tags: ac milan, corner kick, David Beckham, Donovan, Eddie, England, england captain, Europe, football crowd, giants stadium, home depot, home depot center, italian league, juan pablo angel, landon donovan, latter stages, league game, Lewis, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, Milan, MLS, mls season, New Jersey, New York, new york red bulls, proviso, RUTHERFORD, slap in the face, squabble, three quarters, U.S.Related posts
Beckham dedicated to US impact and World Cup dream
July 16, 2009
David Beckham swears he is back with the Los Angeles Galaxy to help boost football in the United States even though his desire to play for England in the 2010 World Cup might draw him back to Europe.
The 34-year-old midfielder who spent six months on loan to AC Milan this year spoke here on Wednesday ahead of his first match of the season with the Galaxy, which faces Major League Soccer strugglers New York Red Bulls on Thursday.
A whirlwind media blitz to launch his third partial season in a row included Beckham saying he is committed to giving his best for the Galaxy this season and sees no need to apologize to supporters of the MLS club.
“Not at all,” he said. “I’ve been very dedicated to the Galaxy, dedicated to the fans. I’ve always been very positive and very honest with my play here and when I went to Milan I explained to everyone the reason behind me going.
“I always said to the manager and the players that I would be coming back. Maybe one or two didn’t believe me but at the end of the day I’m here, I’m committed to the team and we’ll see what the first game back will be like.
“I don’t feel like I owe an apology, but I don’t know.”
Beckham is expected to buy out his US contract or secure another loan deal for a European club, possibly AC Milan again, once the MLS season ends in November.
But he noted that not even that will assure him a place in England manager Fabio Capello’s squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa.
“The England manager has made it very clear to me I need to be playing at a European level,” Beckham said. “I?ll always regret it if I didn?t do everything to give myself the chance to be involved in that.”
Beckham said he jumped at a chance that any player would have taken when AC Milan came calling.
“I was given to chance to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world,” Beckham said.
“If you ask any player in any league in the world, if they were given the chance to finish the season with one of the biggest clubs in the world, they would have said, ‘Yes.’
“I’m a very honest person. If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be here. I’ve always been committed to every contract I’ve ever had, and that hasn’t changed.
“If people want to question my commitment and my professionalism, the fact I’m willing to travel thousands of miles to play for my country says it all.”
The Galaxy have missed the playoffs for the past four seasons but at 5-3 with nine drawn are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff hunt. That, not dealmaking for Milan, is what Beckham says is now on his mind.
“I’m not even thinking about that. I’m back with the Galaxy,” Beckham said. “I have to think about the rest of this season and reaching the goal we want to reach which is the playoffs and hopefully further.
“I’ll worry about whatever else happens once the season’s ended but it’s important that people realize I’m here to play for this team.”
Beckham and Landon Donovan, the Galaxy scoring leader with six goals, have talked and eased tensions that were high after excerpts of a new book quoted Donovan ripping Beckham’s effort.
Beckham said Donovan was unprofessional for not talking to him first.
“He apologized for everything that went on and the position we were in,” Beckham said. “We’re both men. We don’t take it onto the field. That’s when it will disrupt us.”
Donovan said he regrets not talking to Beckham first about his complaints.
“He’s a good man and he cares about this team,” Donovan said. “It was a frustrating time last year but we are completely past it this year and I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be a lot of fun.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AFP)
Tags: ac milan, apology, David Beckham, desire, Donovan, England, england manager, Europe, fabio capello, first game, landon donovan, loan deal, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, match, media blitz, midfielder, Milan, MLS, mls club, mls season, New Jersey, New York, new york red bulls, RUTHERFORD, six months, South Africa, U.S., United States, Western Conference, World Cup, world cup finalsRelated posts
Beckham and Donovan settle squabble
July 14, 2009
English football icon David Beckham and Landon Donovan practiced together for the first time this season on Monday, saying their war of words is over as they settle down to focus on football.
Beckham said he and Donovan had a good talk before he rejoined the Los Angeles Galaxy for his first workout as the English midfielder prepares for his return to Major League Soccer on Thursday against the New York Red Bulls.
Galaxy manager Bruce Arena, who formerly coached Donovan on the US national team, was also involved in the talk, which came after Donovan criticized Beckham in comments from a book about Beckham that will be on shelves Tuesday.
“I’m not going to talk about what was said,” Beckham said. “That was between me, Landon and the manager.”
Beckham had criticized Donovan at a public appearance on Saturday as “unprofessional” for going public with his problems before speaking to him.
“I said the other day everything that was needed to say,” Beckham said.
Donovan had already said he had regrets for not speaking with Beckham first and repeated that sentiment on Monday.
“We’re getting past it. We’re moving on,” Donovan said. “There are a lot of things I regret. I regret the way that I went about this process and I also regret some of the things I said.”
Donovan indicated that he was not shocked when the excerpts from “The Beckham Experiment” published last week in Sports illustrated caused a stir.
“There were no surprises,” Donovan said. “I’m generally a pretty honest person, but that doesn’t mean I need to share things with everybody.”
Beckham and Donovan handled inter-galactic matters without incident at practice.
“I don’t know if it’s buried or not, but for them to carry any of that is silly,” Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein said.
Beckham went on loan to AC Milan for five months of last season and will meet his former Italian side here on Sunday in an exhibition match.
“It’s going to be strange, funny and exciting,” Beckham said. “It’s good when teams of that class, and the players that they have, come over. It’s about preparing yourself and it’s about also the excitement of having such great players here.”
Beckham, who can buy out the remainder of his US contract after this season, said that talks about a return to AC Milan will begin in the next few months.
“Obviously Milan expressed that they want me to go back so I don’t see any reason why that would change,” Beckham said. “We’ll have to wait and see. I hope to be going back there.”
The Galaxy, on a three-match win streak, has a record of 5-3 with nine drawn for fifth in the Western Conference and hope that Beckham’s return can help the team reach the playoffs after missing out the past three seasons.
LOS ANGELES (AFP)
Tags: ac milan, bruce arena, chris klein, David Beckham, Donovan, english football, English Premier League, five months, football icon, honest person, italian side, Landon, landon donovan, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, midfielder, Milan, MLS, New York, new york red bulls, public appearance, regrets, sentiment, shelves, sports illustrated, U.S., war of words, Western ConferenceRelated posts
Beckham fires back at “unprofessional” Donovan
July 12, 2009
England star midfielder David Beckham ripped Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan as unprofessional ahead of his return to the Major League Soccer squad on Monday.
US star Donovan criticized Beckham as stingy, selfish and a poor captain in book excerpts published last week in Sports Illustrated, with Beckham answering Saturday that Donovan should have come to him with the complaints first.
“It’s unprofessional in my eyes,” Beckham said. “In every soccer player’s eyes throughout the world it would be unprofessional to speak out about a teammate, especially in the press, and not to your face.
“But I’m going to turn it on a positive spin because that’s what this needs. In 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism.”
Beckham rejoins the Galaxy for practice on Monday ahead of his return match Thursday in New York and a home exhibition July 19 against AC Milan, the team for which Beckham was loaned for five months during the Italian season.
“It’s important to get this cleared up and I will be speaking to Landon… over the next couple of days,” Beckham said. “Me and Landon will talk, but that will be a private conversation.”
Donovan told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that he wished he had spoken to Beckham rather than reveal his feelings to a reporter.
“I’m not going to apologize for the way I felt,” Donovan said. “What I feel badly about is that I should have been a man and told David how I felt as opposed to telling a reporter.
“Obviously, the lesson I learned is that it’s not something that needs to be public. It’s something we need to figure out within the team and it will get solved.”
Beckham said he does not see any problem in working with Donovan, whose finishes would be vital to Beckham’s precision centering kicks.
“I’m personally very professional when I am on the field,” Beckham said. “I don’t care what people say about me off the field Once I’m on the field I’m professional and if there is a chance for him to score, I’ll be giving him the ball.”
The book, “The Beckham Experiment”, hits shelves on Tuesday. Beckham said that he will not be among those reading it.
“This is an unofficial book that I have not participated in,” Beckham said. “I haven’t sat down one to one or spoken about the book so there is not comment where I have sat down with the journalist. There are many unofficial books that have been published about me, so this is just another one on the shelf.”
Donovan said that reading the book would provide a better context for his criticism.
“What you don’t get from reading a few excerpts and what you do get from reading the whole book is that we all want David to be here, we all want him to succeed, and he wants to succeed,” Donovan said.
“Something happened at some point last year where a switch went off, and that’s what I want to talk to him about, and we’ll figure that out man to man.
“I think David’s going to come back and play well regardless of what happens. I think he’s motivated. I think he seems like he’s rejuvenated and he’s excited to come back.”
Beckham could buy his way out of his US contract after the MLS season but said he would seek a loan to AC Milan again if need be so he could be fully prepared to play his best for England in next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
“To be involved in the World Cup and to be involved with this England squad, I have to give myself the chance to be at that top level,” Beckham said.
“I’ll do that personally and anything to do that. It’s just saying that for the moment, this is what I need to do. It doesn’t mean I’m running away from a project I believe in.”
Beckham hopes to help the Galaxy improve from their fifth-place standing in the Western Conference and reach the playoffs after missing them for the past three seasons.
“That’s the important part. Now we want to move forward,” said Beckham, who expects little trouble adjusting to his MLS return.
“It isn’t going to be difficult because we’ve got talent on our team,” he said. “It’s just about confidence. It will be different coming back, but I don’t see any problems.”
Beckham arrived in Los Angeles late Friday and stayed awake until 5 in the morning to visit with wife Victoria, his first visit with his family in six months.
On Saturday, Beckham and French legend Zinedane Zidane played with youth in a ceremony to launch a program to create youth football fields.
LOS ANGELES (AFP)
Tags: 17 years, ac milan, book excerpts, couple of days, David, David Beckham, Donovan, England, england star, English Premier League, five months, home exhibition, italian season, Landon, landon donovan, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, los angeles times, Major League Soccer, midfielder david beckham, Milan, MLS, New York, private conversation, professionalism, return match, soccer player, soccer squad, South Africa, teammate, U.S., Victoria, Western Conference, World CupRelated posts
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