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Landon Donovan Profile |
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Birth Date: March 4, 1982
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Birth Place: Ontario, California, USA
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Birth Name: Landon Timothy Donovan
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Height: 5'8"
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Biography |
Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982 in Ontario,
California) is an American soccer player, who currently
plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer as
well as for the United States national soccer team.
Landon is the son of a Canadian Tim Donovan and Donna Kenney
Cash. Donovan grew up in Redlands, California, and attended
Redlands High School before transferring to Redlands East
Valley. Landon signed a professional contract with Bayer
Leverkusen in February 1999 at the age of 17, shortly before
playing in the U-17 World Championship, where he won the
Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
Donovan could not break into the first team with Leverkusen
due to age restrictions and, unhappy with his situation in
Germany, was loaned to the San Jose Earthquakes, playing in
Major League Soccer, for the 2001 season. In MLS, Donovan
had immediate success, leading the Earthquakes to MLS Cup
championships in 2001 and 2003 and becoming one of the most
recognizable faces of soccer in America. In four years in
the league, he scored 32 goals and 29 assists in league
play, and 10 goals and six assists in the playoffs. Donovan
was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2003.
After starring in the 2000 Summer Olympics, he earned his
first cap for the U.S. National Team on October 25, 2000
against Mexico, scoring on his debut. He was integral to the
United States' run to the quarterfinals of the 2002 FIFA
World Cup in Korea/Japan, scoring two goals. Through the
2006 FIFA World Cup, he has amassed 84 caps for the US,
scoring 25 goals, including a rare four-goal game against
Cuba in 2003. On April 11, 2006, Donovan became the United
States' all-time assist leader with 23 when he set up Ben
Olsen. The previous all-time assist leader was Cobi Jones.
On June 3, 2004, Bayer Leverkusen announced that Donovan
would return to the club in 2005, and Landon followed suit,
announcing his return to Germany on November 23, 2004. He
then became the first man to be named U.S. Soccer Athlete of
the Year two years in a row, taking the award for that year.
In early 2005, Donovan put in decent performances, but
ultimately failed to impress. Most notable was a performance
in the away fixture of UEFA Champions League against
eventual champion Liverpool, where a Donovan turnover
allowed a Liverpool forward to score one of three in a 3-1
loss. Donovan stated his intentions to come back to MLS, and
club officials respected his wishes. However, because San
Jose had traded away part of Donovan's allocation, a return
to San Jose was not possible. One week before the start of
the season, Los Angeles traded leading scorer Carlos Ruiz, a
striker, to FC Dallas to get on top of the allocation
pecking order and signed Donovan, a midfielder, on March 31,
2005.
In his first season with the Galaxy, Donovan scored 12
league goals and 10 assists and added four goals and an
assist in the playoffs as the Galaxy won the MLS Cup (his
third MLS championship to date). Donovan's playoff goals
made him MLS' all-time leading scorer in the playoffs with
14. He was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI after the
season.
Many soccer critics have criticized Donovan for returning to
MLS, as he is perceived to be not up to the rigors of
European soccer, although he has expressed interest in
playing in England someday. He was also criticized for his
poor performance on the US national team at the 2006 World
Cup Finals in Germany. With the completion of the 2006 World
Cup Finals, Donovan had not scored for the national team in
17 straight matches.
When Donovan returned to the Galaxy after the 2006 World
Cup, new head coach Frank Yallop awarded him the Los Angeles
captaincy, taking over from Peter Vagenas, still active with
the Galaxy. Donovan currently resides in Manhattan Beach,
California with his fiancée, actress Bianca Kajlich. |
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Other Information |
Engaged to Bianca Kajlich
Captain of Team USA.
Los Angeles Galaxy forward and captain. |
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GO USA!!
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