Submitted by Robert Daeley on Sat, 2010-03-13 10:12.
Landon Donovan’s possible final game with Everton FC ended in a 2-2 draw at Birmingham City today. He came on in the 67th minute for Nigerian striker Ayegbeni Yakubu, who had scored one of the Toffees’ pair. Unfortunately, Everton let a two-goal lead slip away, losing a chance to make up ground on the team directly above them in the League standings.
Whether or not this actually is Landon’s last Everton fixture, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena expects his star back in Los Angeles right away. This despite the MLS players voting to strike if a new agreement can’t be reached with owners by March 25th. Not that there’s ever a great time to strike, but for a league still struggling for respect in the US, it seems like a particularly inopportune time.
Everton seriously want him back. We’ll see how it plays out.
David Moyes says there’s an outside chance that Landon Donovan’s stay at Everton could be extended.
The American international’s loan deal from LA Galaxy expires after Everton’s Premier League visit to Birmingham City next weekend, but Moyes revealed on Friday that there is a chance that the 28-year-old could remain on Merseyside beyond that date.
On Friday, David Moyes, Everton’s coach, revealed that the club has been in contact with MLS and with the Galaxy with an eye to extending Donovan’s 10-week loan spell, perhaps until the end of the English season in May or perhaps longer.
“I am keen to keep Landon and it sounds initially in America that they might say yes,” Moyes told the BBC. “I have not got that confirmed yet. I can’t say exactly if that’s going to happen. If we can make it happen, we will.”
Practice and warmup games for the World Cup start in late May.
UPDATE 2
The official LA Galaxy blog has today’s comments from coach/manager Bruce Arena regarding Landon’s situation. Sounds like he’ll be back with LA unless there’s a lockout:
Los Angeles Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena said the club is not interested in extending the loan of Landon Donovan to Everton of the English Premier League, despite reports that the Toffees will pursue such an arrangement.
Pat Fenlon has added quality to an already star-studded Bohs squad
What to do when the ‘big club’ keeps getting bigger?
As managers across the spectrum of the newly named Airtricity League felt the pinch of tightening belts pre-season, they must feel an extra little sting every time they bring themselves to look at the list of players at Pat Fenlon’s disposal this year.
The Airtricity League has thrown title-holders Bohemians a sporting challenge by matching them with Premier Division new boys and FAI Cup-holders Sporting Fingal in the opening match of the new league season.
The tie is all the more intriguing as it could mark ex-Bohs star Glen Crowe’s return to his old stomping ground with a team that could compete with Bohs for the league titlle. Sporting Fingal won promotion last season after defeating Bray Wanderers in a play-off.
On the evening of Saturday, 6th September 1890, in the Gate Lodge at the North Circular Road entrance to the Phoenix Park, a small group gathered. Mostly young, and mostly students, they were intent on forming a club in the “new” football code, soccer, the Bohemian Football Club.
And here is the 2010 squad saying hello:
UPDATE 3/5
The Bohemians win Game #1, defeating Sporting Fingal 1-0.
@bohsofficial: 3 points for bohs and the season is off to a winning start
David Moyes’ resurgent side came from behind, as they did against Chelsea, to deservedly seal only their second league win in their last 30 meetings with United.
Dimitar Berbatov’s 16th-minute goal looked to have paved the way for United to turn up the pressure on pacesetters Chelsea at the top of the table - but Everton had other ideas as they took another major scalp to emphasise their recent improvement.
Landon acquitted himself well. EvertonFC.com: Match Report
Soon [Phil] Neville denied [Wayne] Rooney when the ex-Everton man had rounded Tim Howard but the Blues were playing the better football and excellent build up play saw Landon Donovan presented with an opportunity eight minutes before the break. The American scuffed the ball though and the chance was gone.[…]
Sir Alex Ferguson made a couple of changes midway through the half and but it was Rooney and Fletcher who had the next couple of efforts on goal.
Soon Moyes made a change of his own with Gosling replacing goalscorer Bilyaletdinov, the switch meaning Donovan could play behind Saha.
What a change it was! The American sent Pienaar to the byline and his cross was excellently converted by the man fresh from the bench with 14 minutes remaining.
American players, once dismissed as merely athletic and eager role players on the old continent, have been heading across the Atlantic in their numbers of late. It seems Europe - and her biggest leagues - are increasingly recognising the value of the USA’s ever-improving talent pool. Join FIFA.com for a closer look at an intensifying migration of Americans abroad.
FIFA.com looks at the latest in a growing batch of USA internationals heading overseas to test their mettle in the world’s most competitive leagues.