Donovan: Heart, Brain, Legs, or All Three?

I'm mainly throwing this out there because a couple people already have, specifically, Nick Green (regularly of Daily Breeze fame) for USSoccerplayers.com and Blue Blooded Journo. I'll let Green frame the argument...

"On Tuesday, L.A. fans had the opportunity to see how a Galaxy team sans Donovan plays, and it wasn’t pretty."

"Until Donovan arrived an hour or so into the US Open Cup qualifier against the New York Red Bulls, the Galaxy appeared rudderless. They could barely get out of their half of the field, especially during the first 45 minutes."


...and, from Blue Blood's preview to this weekend's Galaxy v. Revs matchup, the charge appears in bold:

"However, Steve Nicol's boys won't have Clint Dempsey to tip the scales this year as they take on Landycakes and some other superfluous players going through the motions until Beckham arrives in a few months."


So, how much truth is there to that statement? Before answering, check out what former U.S. Men's coach Bruce Arena adds to the conversation:

"'The National Team isn’t that good without Landon Donovan (either),' was Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena’s curt observation on the matter."


Any thoughts on this? While I think Blue Blood is having a little fun with the opposition, Green's piece lays out a pretty clear case that the Galaxy wins or loses by Landon's play. Is it so bad as all that?

My answer: it certainly bears watching this year. And the June/July nexus will provide an excellent time for assessment.

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