MVN - Most Valuable Network

NY Times interview with Landon Donovan — and video links

excerpted from GOAL Blog of the New York Times, (Bold links via MLSnet)

“(For the Galaxy this season,) Donovan has been the catalyst on offense, scoring eight goals to lead the league going into the first weekend of May. His closest competition (Alejandro Moreno of Columbus and Kenny Cooper of F.C. Dallas) each has four goals.”

“For his play during April,

Donovan was named the league’s player of the month.”

“Donovan scored a hat trick last week against the Galaxy’s local rival, Chivas USA, and there is already chatter that if he keeps up his torrid pace he could challenge the M.L.S. record of 27 set by the Tampa Bay Mutiny’s Roy Lassiter in 1996. Goal-scoring forwards require service out of the midfield; Lassiter had it in the form of Carlos Valderrama (17 assists in ‘96), and Donovan also has in Beckham.”

but let’s go back in time a bit…

“It was late in 1999 when Landon Donovan helped the United States under-17 national team to its best showing in the FIFA U17 World Cup — a fourth-place finish in New Zealand.”

“The senior national team had a new coach, Bruce Arena, and preparations were under way for the qualifying games that would later lead to the United States’s advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Arena was asked at the time if he could foresee Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, two stars on that under-17 team, playing for the American team in the 2002 World Cup. Arena, ever guarded, expressed skepticism that players so young could endure the crucible of playing on the international stage.”

“Donovan turned that skepticism on its ear in 2000. After scoring a goal and playing a leadership role for the United States Olympic team at the Sydney Games, he earned his first national team cap for a so-called friendly against Mexico on Oct. 25, scoring a goal in a 2-0 victory and being named the Man of the Match. He became the sixth American player since 1985 to score a goal in his first appearance for the national team.”

Related VIDEO - Interview clip: his Player of the Month honor for April

also, more QUOTES,  fans write on match where he scored hat trick, in

GALAXY v CHIVAS USA: Superclasico - A Supporter’s view - both sides

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