Landon Donovan says he is highly unlikely to join up with Everton for yet another loan spell during the MLS off-season. He won’t be going anywhere else in January, by the sounds of it.
The L.A. Galaxy man and U.S. national team all-time leading scorer said so Saturday morning on the Soccer Today radio show/podcast.
“The chances of me playing again this off-season are very slim,†he said. “I’ve had, not since this January but last January [2011], a total of two weeks off. My soccer enthusiasm is not as high as it was two years ago. I’m kind of ready for a break when this [MLS] season is over.â€
The rest of the interview is here. Donovan’s interview begins around the 34-minute mark.
Donovan made the comments on the show and podcast that that I co-host along with ESPN’s Marc Stein. When I heard Donovan talking about it, a lot of things suddenly made sense.
The Galaxy attacker keeps scaring everyone with retirement talk. More than once this year, U.S. Soccer’s all-time leading scorer has said the competitive fires simply do not burn with the same white-hot intensity as before.
U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann says it’s natural for a player to have these ebbs and flows in professional enthusiasm over a long career, and likes to remind everyone that Donovan signed his first professional deal when he was just 17. And fair enough.
But how about this as a theory: Maybe Donovan just needs a break. Perhaps the man just needs some time away from the game to re-supply the competitive stores. Could that be it, I asked him?
“It’s possible. That’s why I’m really focused on doing my best this year and finishing up the year and then reevaluating. It could very well be. I’ve been out the last 10 days with this [hamstring] injury and I’m already chomping at the bit to get back on the field again, so that could very well be the deal.â€
Donovan also revealed:
Due to that injury, he’s still iffy for tonight’s contest at the Home Depot Center against FC Dallas. (That match kicks off at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network).
Also, as Donovan evaluates everything and considers his future, he will, indeed, think about his chance to become Major League Soccer’s all-time leading scorer
and all-time assist leader. If that happens, there’s a reasonable chance that Donovan could be the only person to ever hold both titles – and wouldn’t that be something?