Well, that didn't take long. In his second game -- this time a friendly against Al Wheba in Abu Dhabi -- Landon Donovan scored for Bayern Munich. No need to rehash the whole Donovan story, but it's certainly a boost to his spirits to get a goal to his name at one of the world's best teams.
According to the match report, and a couple emails, it was a pretty nice goal where Donovan chested down a ball, turned and fired into the net. Unlike the previous game, Donovan only played 45 minutes and his goal came in stoppage time. No to jump overboard, but it's one thing to score against Al Wheba and another to do it against, say, Hamburg or Schalke. (Granted, the Bundesliga isn't exactly known for its defense as of late.)
Though he's still listed as returning to the Los Angles Galaxy in March, something says Donovan might extend his stay in Bavaria if he continues to impress. Bayern coach Jürgen Klinsmann has all but said Donovan is auditioning to replace want-away forward Lucas Podolski who's been heavily linked to a return to his previous club, Cologne. Though it might sound blasphemous, Donovan does have a somewhat similar skill set as Podolski.
Bottom line, with every performance like this -- especially with goals -- the window for Donovan to return to MLS closes ever so slightly.
Donovan Nets 1st Bayern Goal originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
