Another MLS star headed to Europe
Just weeks after loaning David Beckham to AC Milan, the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer have loaned the best American player on the planet, Landon Donovan, to Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga.
Donovan, 26, is expected to join the squad until at least the middle of March, with a longer-term deal subject to negotiation with MLS. He was the top scorer in the MLS regular season with 20 goals in 25 matches for Los Angeles and had been training with Bayern for the last week, impressing coach Juergen Klinsmann.
“Landon has a verbal agreement with MLS to play in Europe for two-and-a-half months, like Beckham’s,” Klinsmann said. “He’s made such a good impression here that we’ve agreed to talk to MLS. The goal will be to see if we can get him long term, at least until the end of the season.”
Donovan will travel with Bayern to Dubai on Jan. 1 for its winter training camp. Last week, he was named MLS’ Player of the Year for the fifth time. He is the U.S. national team’s all-time leading scorer.
“I need a fourth striker in the team and Landon will give us new possibilities in attack if someone is injured,” said Klinsmann.
This will be Donovan’s second stint in Germany, after spending parts of four years with Bayer Leverkusen. He didn’t make a very good impression in at Bayer. Donovan has one year remaining on his MLS contract at $900,000, which is chump change compared to what European stars make.
Donovan will join a deep stable of forwards that boasts Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Luca Toni.
“He is an incredibly fast player,” Klinsmann said. “He is a completely different type of forward from the ones we have here.”
Klinsmann also said that Donovan’s arrival doesn’t mean the end of Podolski’s stay in Munich, as has been rumored.
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