L.A. loves Landon
Although Guillermo Barros Schelotto remains the prohibitive favorite to win the league's MVP award, the scintillating form that Landon Donovan continues to show has me thinking the outcome of the race might not be so clear cut as it once was.
Donovan's hat trick against D.C. United on Saturday, which earned him his fourth Player of the Week award of 2008, took his season's tally to 19 goals in just 20 games. Add to that his eight assists and, statswise, the Galaxy man has no equal peer, not even Columbus' Argentinean talisman.
Should the Galaxy make the playoffs -- an occurrence which, given the fact they failed to win a league game for more than three months, would be something close to miraculous -- then Donovan could pick up the MVP award as well as the golden boot.
In the longer term, the wider implications of Donovan sustaining his form will likely be renewed attempts to sign him by European clubs and, this time, unlike earlier in his career, the timing could be perfect.
Bayern Munich wanted him in the summer and, come January, the German champions are likely to come knocking again. Fellow Californian (sort of) Juergen Klinsmann has had a mixed start to his time in charge at the Allianz Arena, thanks in no small part to the indifferent form shown by his strikers. Luca Toni has three goals -- the same number as midfielder Tim Borowski, who has yet to start a game this season.
Meanwhile, in between sulks about his unhappiness at the club, Lukas Podolski has found the net twice, while Miroslav Klose has a solitary penalty to his credit. It's not difficult to see why the addition of a dynamic option such as Donovan appeals to Klinsmann.
Cynics point to Donovan's previous spells in Germany as being evidence that he is not the right fit for the league, but there is a big difference between playing as a barely-out-of-his-teens youngster at Bayer Leverkusen and as a 26-year-old at Bayern Munich.
In addition to Germany, there will be plenty of interest from England and possibly Spain, too, among Europe's elite leagues. No matter where he is courted most, the time is right for Donovan to make his move. He has the game and the maturity and, with the right choice of club, would be poised to elevate himself into the upper echelons of the all-time greats of American soccer.
D.C.'s dire situation
Donovan sure caught D.C. at the right time. The capital-city club is struggling manfully, but the strain of a ridiculous schedule is becoming increasingly difficult to bear, to the point where any hopes that Tom Soehn's side might have of adding further silverware to the U.S. Open Cup are looking more and more forlorn.
Three weeks ago, I wrote that by being dumped out of the CONCACAF Champions League at the qualifying stage, New England and Chivas had enhanced their MLS postseason prospects. A number of readers suggested that there was no excuse for the embarrassing nature of those exits and that MLS has suffered a hit to its image as a result.
I agree that, through the displays of New England and Chivas, as well as Toronto, which was eliminated in Canadian qualifying, the league is not getting much in the way of kudos from the wider world. However, it is hard to blame the clubs who have invested so much in the regular season for maintaining that as their primary focus.
Meanwhile, D.C.'s world tour makes its next MLS stop in Dallas on Saturday. United has never lost at Pizza Hut Park. If Soehn can find 11 fit bodies, he desperately needs to extend that run if a playoff run is going to be made.
Well played, forgotten man
After a nomadic few years that, since he left Columbus, have seen him playing for Colorado, Salt Lake and Toronto, it seems that Jeff Cunningham might finally have found a new home in Dallas. The Hoops couldn't be happier to lay out the welcome mat.
Four goals in six games have established Cunningham as a genuine goal threat for the Pizza Hut Park side and the additional source of offensive firepower has eased a burden on Kenny Cooper's broad shoulders that was becoming increasingly heavy.
After humbling Chicago on Sunday, FCD now has three straight home games in which it can step up its playoff push. Schellas Hyndman's powerful "CC" front line is beginning to show its horsepower at the right time.
A thing that made me go hmmm ...
Can the Wizards keep their magic going all the way to the postseason? Back-to-back 2-0 wins have revitalized Curt Onalfo's side, which is high on confidence heading into its final five games, three of which are at home.
Anchored by a back line that mixes the experience of goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and Jimmy Conrad with the youth of Tyson Wahl (third year), Michael Harrington (second) and Jonathan Leathers (rookie), Kansas City's offense has found form at the right time, thanks in no small part to a number of moves made by its coach and front office.
Bringing Josh Wolff back from Germany was a no-brainer, but the decisions to trade for Herculez Gomez and Abe Thompson led to the intriguing transactions that have provided a burst of momentum to the Wizards. Such is the impact that these midseason acquisitions have had that the team's DP, Claudio Lopez, cannot currently get a place in the starting lineup.
Two good results don't guarantee anything, of course, and given that they followed just one win in the previous seven matches, Onalfo needs to harness this form for a good while longer. Still, for Kansas fans, the yellow brick road to the postseason just got a bit shorter.
Andrew Hush
