Landon Donovan could again test his skills in Germany
SOCCER
The Galaxy forward, selected the best player of the U.S. national team for a fifth time, is trying out for a spot on Bayern Munich. He played in the Bundesliga two previous times.
Galaxy forward Landon Donovan should have been in Los Angeles on Tuesday, picking up his fifth Honda Player of the Year award for being the best player on the U.S. national soccer team.
Instead, the poster boy of American soccer was 5,964 miles away, trying to show Bayern Munich that he now has what he didn't have before -- the fortitude that it takes to survive in the rough and tumble of the Bundesliga.
Donovan is essentially trying out for a spot on the four-time European and 21-time German champion.
In his corner is Juergen Klinsmann, the former German national team coach and Newport Beach resident who is Bayern's coach.
Klinsmann knows Donovan's ability as a player, including his blistering pace and his deadly finishing. What he needs to see are the intangibles -- the willingness to rebound after being knocked silly by a defender, the ability to fit into a constellation of stars rather than being the lone star orbiting David Beckham.
For its part, the Galaxy said simply that Donovan "will train . . . for the next 10 days . . . and is expected to return to Los Angeles later this month."
The buzz at the 18th annual Honda Player of the Year luncheon in Los Angeles today, however, was whether Donovan -- whose award was accepted by his wife, actress Bianca Kajlich -- could make the Munich move permanent.
"When you hear Landon speak of late, you get the sense that he feels the need for a new challenge," said Bob Bradley, the U.S. national team coach. "That's certainly important for him and important for our national team, so I think we just need to see how it all plays out."
Alexi Lalas, who until August was the Galaxy's president and general manager, said Donovan, 26, had been talking all season about a change of scenery. "I think that this has been on his mind," Lalas said. "Obviously, there's a relationship with Juergen, so there's an understanding of what they're getting."
Lalas said there had been interaction during the summer international transfer window between Donovan and Bayern Munich, but no move came about.
Instead, the striker stayed with the Galaxy and ended up as Major League Soccer's leading goal scorer in 2008, with 20 goals, further enhancing his prospects of a desired move to Europe.
"If you're going to go to Germany, you might as well go to the super club," Lalas said. "It shows also his commitment to going to Europe that he's going over there on trial. If it ends up being Germany, he could do much worse."
