Ecuador Friendly at Rent

[whaler11]

Per Wahl on twitter. Oct 10th

Against USMNT I guess I should point out.

 

[ZooCougar]

Nice!

 

[meyers7]

Very cool.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Saw it yesterday on the Outlaw's FB site. Very cool indeed. Now, how do I walk the misses into extending our trip to CT an extra day as we already have to be in the Valley for a wedding Saturday night.

 

[SAMCRO]

[

 

[RedGuerrUltra]

For anyone who hasn't heard: this will be Landon Donovan's last game for the national team. Should be quite a moment.

http://www.theamericanoutlaws.com/articles/tickets-usmnt-vs-ecuador
https://www.facebook.com/americanoutlaws
https://www.facebook.com/AOHartford

 

[Gurleyman]

For anyone who hasn't heard: this will be Landon Donovan's last game for the national team. Should be quite a moment.

He'll probably only play 15 minutes or so, since the Galaxy have a big game two days later. Enough to check in, check out and get the ovation. The Galaxy are right there in the race for the supporter's shield (regular season title). Donovan has been in top form in the last six weeks or so - he's tied for the MLS lead in assists now - so he'll be needed the full 90 in Dallas.

 

[whaler11]

He'll probably only play 15 minutes or so, since the Galaxy have a big game two days later. Enough to check in, check out and get the ovation. The Galaxy are right there in the race for the supporter's shield (regular season title). Donovan has been in top form in the last six weeks or so - he's tied for the MLS lead in assists now - so he'll be needed the full 90 in Dallas.

It's amazing isn't it? The United States having a team so good they could leave him home for the World Cup.

It's going to be pretty sweet having that moment at Rentschler. When the crowd gives him an ovation that JK can't ever get in the states.

 

[Gurleyman]

It's amazing isn't it? The United States having a team so good they could leave him home for the World Cup. It's going to be pretty sweet having that moment at Rentschler. When the crowd gives him an ovation that JK can't ever get in the states.

He's been the best player in MLS for the last six weeks or so, turning it up the most in the big games too (Seattle, DC United without Keane, down 3-1 at the half at Colorado). He's making up a lot of ground, but he could be in the MVP race with a couple more big performances. He probably won't get it with Keane on his own team and the fact that he started slow, but he's been the driving force behind the Galaxy's torrid play.

Impossible to know for sure if he could have made a difference in Brazil, but at least it puts to rest the notion that he had lost it and was only trying to get by on past laurels.

 

[ZooCougar]

He's been the best player in MLS for the last six weeks or so, turning it up the most in the big games too (Seattle, DC United without Keane, down 3-1 at the half at Colorado). He's making up a lot of ground, but he could be in the MVP race with a couple more big performances. He probably won't get it with Keane on his own team and the fact that he started slow, but he's been the driving force behind the Galaxy's torrid play.

Impossible to know for sure if he could have made a difference in Brazil, but at least it puts to rest the notion that he had lost it and was only trying to get by on past laurels.

It helps when Zardes is totally on fire. Another name to look for on the USMNT.

Too bad Landon couldn't play like this in the spring, otherwise he would have made the WC roster.

 

[ZooCougar]

It's amazing isn't it? The United States having a team so good they could leave him home for the World Cup.

It's going to be pretty sweet having that moment at Rentschler. When the crowd gives him an ovation that JK can't ever get in the states.

oh JK is plenty popular. It's only the you know who fanboys and Bruce Arena that spite him.

 

[whaler11]

oh JK is plenty popular. It's only the you know who fanboys and Bruce Arena that spite him.

I don't spite him, it's delightful to watch his Twitter account say nice things about Donovan.

You are missing it's actually the other way around - for whatever reason you've lacked onto a mocking hatred of the player.

 

[ZooCougar]

I don't spite him, it's delightful to watch his Twitter account say nice things about Donovan.

You are missing it's actually the other way around - for whatever reason you've lacked onto a mocking hatred of the player.

I think the next phase of Landon's life will see him really come into his own, perhaps hosting his own show on the Oxygen network.

 

[Gurleyman]

It helps when Zardes is totally on fire. Another name to look for on the USMNT. Too bad Landon couldn't play like this in the spring, otherwise he would have made the WC roster.

Almost everything the Galaxy generates lately runs through Donovan. He's on the ball on all the set pieces now (Ishizaki took them earlier in the year, but he's out of the 11) and he's shown consistent pinpoint accuracy (last game a set piece goal was called back for offsides and another resulted in a great save). Zardes scored twice, but the second was a tap in to an empty net after Donovan did all the work (with the help of a give and go to Keane, who read Donovan's run). The first was a clean look from the top of the 18 after Donovan drew 4-5 defenders on a counter and laid it off - took some quality finishing skill to bend it around the keeper but he didn't have a defender on him. When they beat the United 4-1 without Keane last week, Donovan set up all four goals with two corners and two through balls.

Truth be told, with all the evidence we now have at hand (strong play in 2013 with USMNT after coming back, strong play now), Donovan was more than likely holding back some in April/May MLS games, trying to make sure that he peaked for his last World Cup (and perhaps making sure he didn't cause his tendinitis to flare up again). With no World Cup, Donovan has now refocused and is peaking for the end of his last MLS season instead, and we're seeing the Donovan we would have had in Brazil. Whether that would have made a difference is pure guesswork - my guess is probably not (unless he could have delivered something on a set piece finding Gonzalez or Bradley instead of the ones we wasted under pressure against Belgium). Breaking down Germany is indeed a little different than breaking down Chivas.

 

[ZooCougar]

Almost everything the Galaxy generates lately runs through Donovan. He's on the ball on all the set pieces now (Ishizaki took them earlier in the year, but he's out of the 11) and he's shown consistent pinpoint accuracy (last game a set piece goal was called back for offsides and another resulted in a great save). Zardes scored twice, but the second was a tap in to an empty net after Donovan did all the work (with the help of a give and go to Keane, who read Donovan's run). The first was a clean look from the top of the 18 after Donovan drew 4-5 defenders on a counter and laid it off - took some quality finishing skill to bend it around the keeper but he didn't have a defender on him. When they beat the United 4-1 without Keane last week, Donovan set up all four goals with two corners and two through balls.

Truth be told, with all the evidence we now have at hand (strong play in 2013 with USMNT after coming back, strong play now), Donovan was more than likely holding back some in April/May MLS games, trying to make sure that he peaked for his last World Cup (and perhaps making sure he didn't cause his tendinitis to flare up again). With no World Cup, Donovan has now refocused and is peaking for the end of his last MLS season instead, and we're seeing the Donovan we would have had in Brazil. Whether that would have made a difference is pure guesswork - my guess is probably not (unless he could have delivered something on a set piece finding Gonzalez or Bradley instead of the ones we wasted under pressure against Belgium). Breaking down Germany is indeed a little different than breaking down Chivas.

That argument would make sense if he were playing like this during and immediately after the WC. His form didn't kick in until the All Star game.... really after the announcement.

When I saw him play in person in mid July he wasn't even close to being the best American on the field.

I am glad JK didn't take him. This is the USMNT, not the LDNT. He lacked the drive and JK sniffed it out and we were able to turn the page.

Also, some of the games LD has been kicking butt in have been against some bad competition. Chivas, a DC United that looked so inept that even with like 40 players behind the ball, they still couldn't defend.

The Galaxy looked like FC Barcelona against Chivas, which is the worst team in the Americas.

 

[ZooCougar]

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...y-we-remember-carlos-bocanegra-fight-and-fire

JK ought to call up Bocanegra too.