The Galaxy is poised to trade its leading player, Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz, to FC Dallas so that it can acquire U.S. national team standout Landon Donovan from Bayer Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga.
Official announcement of the stunning double play could come as early as today but is more likely after this weekend's round of World Cup qualifying games.
Ruiz, who knows of the impending trade, is in Guatemala City for Saturday's qualifying match against Trinidad and Tobago. Donovan leaves Colorado Springs, Colo., with the rest of the U.S. team today for Sunday's qualifier against Mexico in Mexico City.
Doug Hamilton, the Galaxy's president and general manager, would not confirm Thursday that Donovan would be coming to Los Angeles, but sources told The Times that the 23-year-old midfielder could be in a Galaxy uniform in time for the team's April 2 Major League Soccer season opener at Columbus.
"As a general policy, we don't comment on speculation or rumors," Hamilton said of a Kicker magazine article published in Germany on Thursday that reported Donovan was returning to MLS.
"I have not seen the Kicker article, but I have been made aware of it," Hamilton continued. "I don't think it quotes anybody from Germany or the player or the player's representatives, so for me those are all just rumors."
Galaxy Coach Steve Sampson was not available to comment Thursday, a team spokesman said.
Donovan, the U.S. player of the year for the last three years and possibly the sport's most accomplished American, spent the last four seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, and won MLS championships with San Jose in 2001 and 2003.
He announced in November that he would return to Europe for a second stint with Bayer Leverkusen, which holds his contract.
Since rejoining the Bundesliga club in January, however, Donovan has played only sporadically, most often off the bench, and experienced what Kicker described as "an athletic Waterloo" with what the magazine termed "his totally ineffective performance in the Champions League against Liverpool."
The article said the 3-1 home loss in that March 9 game had devastated Donovan. "Within two weeks, he lost all inspiration," Kicker said. "He will continue his career in the USA."
If so, it will be in Los Angeles.
"If you're asking me if a player of his quality would be available in our league, yeah, we'd probably try to make a run at him," Hamilton acknowledged. "Pending cap issues and other things, sure."
