Galaxys' Donovan and Buddle Leave Los Angeles for U.S. World Cup Training Camp
May. 18th, 2010
Saturday's game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Toronto FC was supposed to be a celebration, a chance for Galaxy fans to see Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle depart for the U.S. World Cup training camp in style. What transpired instead was a muted performance by both players, and despite a late flurry by the home side, the Galaxy were forced to settle for an unsatisfying 0-0 tie.
The good news was that both players made it through the match unscathed. Given the almost unending string of injuries the national team has suffered, not to mention the massive role Donovan looks set to play in the side's fortunes in South Africa , the importance of this development can't be underestimated.
Yet from a performance standpoint, the match failed to live up to its billing, and it bore an eerie similarity to some national team games from the not-too-distant past. The Galaxy's passing was scattershot for much of the first half, making it difficult to create opportunities for Donovan and Buddle, who were paired together up top. This was partly thanks to a Toronto side that at last seems to be getting the hang of what coach Preki expects, which consists primarily of being tenacious, organized and difficult to break down. These traits helped TFC survive the double burden of travel and playing its third game in eight days.
But Los Angeles was its own worst enemy for reasons beyond an inability to connect on its passes. The Galaxy got little in the way of flank play, often because they simply didn't see the advanced positions taken up by the likes of Michael Stephens. Late in the first half, L.A. coach Bruce Arena decided the solution was to move Donovan back into a wide midfield position and use the flanks more.
"It was a good idea," Donovan said of the switch. "[ Toronto ] were pretty compact and pretty tight through there, so there was a lot of guys around me and Edson, and it made it difficult."
The increased emphasis on wide play eventually paid off midway through the second half, and the Donovan-Buddle partnership, which has bordered on the telepathic at times this season, crackled to life. Donovan sent an inch-perfect centering pass to Buddle in the 66th minute that he one-timed off the crossbar, and Buddle forced a fine save from TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei seven minutes later with a low drive.
The ability to replicate that chemistry at the international level will play a huge part in Buddle's fortunes in the next two weeks. The Galaxy forward's lone international appearance came back in 2003, and the hope is that, with Donovan's help, he can quickly adapt to the speed of the international game.
But Buddle isn't the only forward intimately familiar with Donovan's tendencies. Brian Ching was a club teammate of Donovan's for four years when the two were in San Jose , and they often have linked up well when playing for the national team. Herculez Gomez enjoyed his best MLS season for the Galaxy back in 2005, notching 11 goals when partnered with Donovan. That means all facets of Buddle's game will need to be razor-sharp for him to make the final 23-man roster.
"I just want to do the little things right," Buddle said. "I feel confident running around, and that helps with scoring. … I don't want to get overwhelmed by the whole experience. It's a big deal and a great opportunity. You just have to learn from quality players, and hopefully that will raise my game."
Donovan, of course, is a veteran of such gatherings, and he is a lock to appear in his third World Cup. As such, his goals for the next few weeks are centered less on making an impression and more on fine-tuning.
"I feel good, [but] there are some days that feel better than others," he said. "The key in the next few weeks for me will be to make sure I get a little rest, first of all. And then really rear up and get going so that by June 12 we all hit our stride."
If that's the case, the duo likely will have something to celebrate when it returns to the Galaxy.
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The Galaxy opened their stadium, the Home Depot Center on June 7. But in order for their home to be ready, the team had to play a record 8 games to start the season and failed to win a game. In fact, the Galaxy finish the season without a win away from home the whole season. After the season's final game, the Galaxy had the final playoff spot in the West. In their aggregate series with the Earthquakes, they seemed well on to vindication for the MLS Cup loss 2 years earlier as they held 4 goals to 0 lead midway through the 2 nd game. A thing happened as the Earthquakes scored four unanswered goals to force a tiebreaker. In that session, the Earthquakes' Rodrigo Farina score to send the Quakes onto the next round.
In 2004 Looking to return to the top, the Galaxy would go through a mediocre 1 st half of the season before 3 straight wins over the summer. But from July 14 on, the Galaxy won only 2 more games, one in September and one in October. The Galaxy had a record of 11-9-10, good enough for 2nd in the West and the playoff, remaining the only club in MLS to have a playoff spot in every year of league in the playoffs, the Galaxy withstood an early challenge from the Rapids to win the aggregate goal series, 2-1, scoring 2 times in Game 2. In the conference final, the Galaxy's season would come to an end in Kansas with a 2-0 loss to Arnaud and the Wizards.
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