USA Today on Landon Donovan

One of America’s more perceptive futbol journalists. Beau Dure, has a lengthy profile of Landon Donovan in yesterday’s USA Today. (No comments on our speed of motion please.)

Aside from the a vintage shot of Donovan with blond hair, I actually learned a couple of things about the front-runner for the Honda Player of the Year award. Like his divorce from Bianca Kajlich is amicable. And they can arrange custody of their dogs (oh for cute!).

But the fun part for me was the direct brush off of everyone’s favorite bomb-throwing futbol commentator, Eric Wynalda. I’ll let Dure tell it.

On the field, Donovan still has a few critics. Hall of Famer Eric Wynalda recently said on the TV show Fox Football Fone-In, referring to Donovan’s performance in the qualifier in Mexico, that Donovan tends to play well when the games are easy.

“I guess if Spain in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup is easy and Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup is easy, and all the goals he scored in MLS — if that’s easy, then a lot of those critics are right,” Klein says. “A guy of his caliber is always going to have his critics. For someone to criticize him for his play this year is a little bit mind-boggling.”

Donovan was more direct, though soft-spoken, in responding to Wynalda, whose national team scoring record Donovan broke. Donovan has 41 goals.

“I think everybody in the soccer world knows the jealousy issues that Eric carries,” Donovan says. “I don’t think two seconds about what Eric has to say.”

Wynalda declined further comment.

Smart guy, Wynalda. For once.

Read the story, it’s worth your time, even if just for the picture. And come back here to discuss it.

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Category: 2009 Season, Player News