Rumor Links Donovan To Paris Saint-Germain

You've probably heard the rumor by now that the LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan has been linked to Paris Saint-Germain. What you probably haven't heard is that virtually every report (including this one) is just a recap of a blurb from French website 10 Sport.

But even 10 Sport only mentions that he is about to be engaged with the club (which could mean talks have begun), a far cry from being close to a signing - assuming this rumor has any truth to it.




A move to the French league, even if its just a loan for one season, would probably be a good way for Donovan to stay tuned up for next year's World Cup. After seeing how effective Charlie Davies has been at Sochaux, there may be other French teams now interested in signing one of the available US strikers. All that said, until you see another original news source or a quote from someone in Donovan's camp, don't hold your breath.

Beckham's First Red Card in MLS

And to think he had the guff to criticize the referee for this sloppy studs-up challenge on Pete Vagenas:

Beckham Fine: A Whole $1000 MLS? Really?

So, MLS has decided to fine David Beckham a whopping $1,000 for taking the bait from jeering fans and exchanging words and gestures with them (of a less-than-gentlemanly nature).

I for one am glad to see this kind of passion coming from these MLS fans, who care enough about their club to be bothered by the way Beckham has disrespected the Galaxy over the past year. At the same time, its nice to see Beck's lacing up his "I-give-a-crap" boots for a change (glad they got packed in the luggage from Milan). How about more of that fire this year David, especially since you've missed 17 games and you're all rested up from your vacation with the Mrs? With Da Bruce at the helm and the Galaxy firing on all cylinders, how about winning a trophy or two?

All this said, if MLS wants to fine a player for misconduct, it should be commensurate with their salary in order to send the right message. A $1,000 fine sure packs a punch on those young players who are living in their cars (since their salary already puts them below the poverty level) but for Becks, come on. He can probably find that much loose change under the cushions of his couch.

Then again, if Beckham is half the cheapskate Donovan seemed to indicate in Grant Wahl's new book, perhaps MLS knew what it was doing on the level of the fine. But on whether he should have been fined in the first place, I'm not sure Becks, nor the fans (except the one who jumped down from the stands), really crossed the line.

The more you look at the videos, the more you see that this was nothing more than the kind of exchanges you see between fans and players in stadiums all over the world. We're seeing electric atmospheres in places like Seattle and Columbus (to name a few) so let's hope the league does not stifle the spirit they've worked so hard to build. This entire episode leaves me asking the same question LFV pal Phil Schoen asked recently; Is MLS Ready For The Passion?

Classic: Politi on Beckham

With all of the hoopla surrounding Beckham's (reluctant) return to the LA Galaxy, here is one observer who can see through the smoke and call this one like it is.

Thanks to New Jersey reader Marc S. for passing this one along.

Galaxy Acquire Trinidad International Chris Birchall

CARSON, Calif. (Wednesday, July 8, 2009) – The LA Galaxy today agreed to terms with Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Chris Birchall. The 25-year-old received his P1 Visa on Monday and will officially be added to the club’s roster upon the receipt of his International Transfer Clearance (ITC), which cannot happen until the transfer window re-opens on Wednesday, July 15. Therefore, the first game for which Birchall will be eligible to play for the club is July 16 at New York . Per team and league regulations, details of the contract were not released.

“Chris is a player that I’ve tracked for a number of years,” Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. “He is an experienced midfielder with good qualities on both sides of the ball who I feel he will be able to contribute immediately as we push for a playoff position.”

Prior to joining the Galaxy, Birchall had spent his entire club career in the England with the exception of a short loan stint in Scotland during the 2007/08 campaign. Born in Stafford , England , Birchall began his club career with Port Vale, playing nearly 80 league games. He made his debut for the club during the 2001/02 season and spent five seasons at Vale Park before being sold to Coventry City in August 2006.

Birchall went on to score twice in nearly 30 games during his time with Coventry City, while also enjoying loan spells with St. Mirren in Scotland and Carlisle United. In January 2009, Birchall signed a contact through the end of the season with Brighton & Hove Albion of England’s League One. He helped the club avoid relegation, playing in nine games in the midfield as Brighton finished three points clear of relegation to League Two.

An established international, Birchall has appeared 32 times for Trinidad and Tobago , scoring four times. Eligible to play for the country as his mother was born there, Birchall helped T&T reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the country’s first-ever appearance in the tournament. He scored in a 1-1 draw with Bahrain in the first leg of the two nation’s World Cup Qualifying playoff in November 2005. The Soca Warriors won the second leg 1-0 to book their spot at the World Cup.

Birchall played in all three of his country’s games at the tournament, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in each. This year, he has played in four of Trinidad & Tobago’s five CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, starting three of the matches.

Donovan to wrap up Munich tenure and rejoin Galaxy in MLS

Bob Wagman has a great piece on Landon Donovan's return to MLS over at Soccer Times. Chcek it out here.

Arena: That's Madness!

You've got to hand it to LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, who is not one to sit quietly and let the Beckham circus distract his new club any further.

Beckham To Stay With Milan Until July

The LA Times' Grahame Jones is reporting that the LA Galaxy has reached a deal with AC Milan to extend the loan until July, when Beckham would rejoin his team in LA.

The agreement will give Beckham a chance to stay in England coach Fabio Capello's scheme while compensationg the Galaxy and their sponsors in the process.

Whether the Galaxy can improve over last year's embarassing run while missing its most expensive player for half the new season remains to be seen. I for one don't think he'll pull on a Galaxy jersey ever again. Don't be fooled folks, this is something akin to a separation agreement awaiting a final divorce.

Read more about it here.

Given how hollow Beckham's previous words and promises to MLS and LA Galaxy fans are ringing these days, you've got to wonder when the Rossoneri faithful will discover that his only loyalty appears to be to no one but himself.

Comments and Predictions

I'm still in the songwriting mode these days (since it pays much better than soccer writing) so once again, I'll let some musicians help out with a few predictions and comments.

What will David Beckham be doing this year?



What do you make of recent reports that Vincenzo Bernardo is not committed to playing for the US U-20s?



What Are Your Thoughts On the New MLS Season?


Will Freddy Adu Ever Get A Start With AS Monaco?


DISCLAIMER: Letters From Vagabondia non hosta alcun video pubblicato su di esso. Tutti i video pubblicati sono caricati da amanti di calcio su siti di video hosting come Youtube e Dailymotion ed ubicati dunque su siti esterni a Letters from Vagabondia. Letters From Vagabondia non è responsabile del contenuto di tali siti web. I video appartengono ai loro creatori ed essi ne sono responsabili.

Beckham: No News Is Good News

This afternoon in Serie A, David Beckham played a lackluster 90 minutes for Milan in their 1-0 win over Cagliari with Clarence Seedorf providing the game winner in the 65th minute.

Becks may not be quite ready to stay on in Milan unless he works on his Italian. During today's match, he was often heard calling out "Change!" in English while bewildered teammates weren't sure what he was saying.

Beckham also got into an injury time scuffle with a Calgiari 's Michele Fini knocked over Milan keeper Abbiati and then elbowed Beckham in the head. Becks was substituted in injury time and was seen holding an ice pack above his right ear as time was called.

After the match when asked about his possible transfer to Milan, Beckham told Sky Calcio, "No news is good news...but I do hope to stay in Milan. Talks are still going on and I hope things work out." When asked whether his England place was at risk if he stayed on with the LA Galaxy, he replied: "Of course, people have said that but I've been at the Galaxy for a year and still managed to be in the England team...but I really hope to stay here."

Beckham's transfer status will be decided by Friday

As I sit here watching David Beckham play in the England-Spain match, Bob Wagman has posted a great update on the likely endgame in the current Beckham transfer saga.

Bayern Stomps Stuttgart In German Cup Quarterfinal

Bayern Munich put the league on notice that they are taking no prisoners when Bundesliga play resumes this weekend after tonight's 5-1 thrashing of VFB Stuttgart in a German Cup quarterfinal match. Bastian Schweinsteiger opened up scoring for Bayern with a 14th minute goal followed two minutes later by Franck Ribéry in the 16rth for a 2-0 lead. Just before halftime Luca Toni scored to send the team to the locker room with a 3-0 lead.

In the second half, Schweinsteiger scored a 55th minute another goal on a penalty for a 4-0 lead, and five minutes later a shell shocked Stuttgart side saw Zé Roberto make it 5-0. American Landon Donovan came on in the 69th minute for Luca Toni and almost made it 6-0 a few minutes later with a shot that went just wide.

Finally, in the 85th minute Stuttgart's Mario Gomez (a previous Bayern transfer target) saved some honor for the Swabian side with a goal to cut the deficit to 4 at 5-1 - a score which stood until the final whistle.

Beckham: Just Let Him Go

I've been wondering when (depite the drumbeat of reports from Europe) people back home would finally realize that David Beckham really wants to stay in Milan. Now it seems they are waking up to it and none too happy.

Perhaps it was too much to load onto one man's shoulders -to popularize the game in a vast nation of 300 million people. Perhaps MLS and others close to the league lost some perspective in overplaying Beckham's star power. One popular media outlet even had a special "Beckham Watch" feature on its web page which just looks strange when you consider that even at the height of Michael Jordan's dominance of the NBA, you would never see such a thing.

For Beckham himself, its obvious that he still dreams of playing at the highest levels and his aspirations to earn England some silverware remain unfulfilled. Perhaps he went for the big paycheck in LA but then did some soul searching and remembered that he had some unfinished business. He obviously believes he can't achieve those goals by playing in MLS or he would not have gone to Milan with the intent to seek a longer term stay.

I truly believe cutting Beckham loose will allow the league and its fans to focus on the fundamentals; attractive, compelling soccer featuring exciting young players who want to be there. Cutting Beckham loose will allow the spotlight to shine where it should; on exciting young players like Kenny Cooper, the dean of US keepers - Kasey Keller, or the return of "Big Cat" Tony Sanneh.

For LA fans who were hoping for a turnaround under new coach Bruce Arena, the realization that they stand to lose Beckham and perhaps Landon Donovan (to Bayern Munich) this year may be too much to bear. The league would do to take some of the money they'll save on Beckham's massive salary and bring home DaMarcus Beasley, buy a few quality foreign players, while paying rookies enough so they won't need to live in their cars.

Still, its a shame that AC Milan couldn't at least have a dialogue on this with the LA Galaxy, instead of communicating to them indirectly through the press - something that happens all too often in Europe these days. Arena seems none too amused in remarking to the LA press that “I'm not sure it's appropriate for club officials at the biggest clubs in the world to make comments without having made contact with us. If I had a player on loan then I wouldn't be talking about acquiring him unless I had spoken to the club."

Here in Bella Italia, Danny Szetela played the final seven minutes last night in Brescia's 0-0 draw with Sassuuolo. Brescia is now third in Serie B with 38 points, just one behind second place Livorno and two behind leaders Bari.

Beckham Wants To Stay In Milan

So, I started out this sunny Napoli morning as usual; with a cup of coffee and a copy of La Gazzetta dello Sport, and there on the front page was the headline: Beckham Forever: He's fallen in Love With Milan and Doesn't Want To Return To The USA.

Of course sensational headlines are the norm over here so I had to turn to the three page spread on this topic (that's right, three pages) to find out how much substance there was to it. After all, the only other real news they could talk about was last night's Copa Italia snoozer between Lazio and Torino (especially now that the Kaka transfer spasm is over).

In between snippets of how Beckham is taking Italian lessons must be an indicator he wants to stay (nevermind that understanding his teammates may be the reason) , there were some indications that AC Milan may indeed want to keep him. Club administrator Adriano Galliani made it clear that they see Beckham first as a player, claiming he is "not just a beauty figure."

Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti has been starting Beckham in the team's two league matches so far this year where he has proven he still has the pace, touch, and vision to contribute to the side.

And not only the print media but also Italian television today seems filled with Beckham-mania, with unattributed reports that Beckham is willing to take a pay cut (from his cushy deal with MLS and the LA Galaxy) in order to play for Milan and increase his chances of playing in the 2010 World Cup. Its all laughably ironic because Beckham is the only player for whom a move from MLS to Europe would mean a pay cut (OK, that may apply to one other Galaxy player).

Beckham's loan deal ends in March and his deal with MLS lasts until 2011. He does however have a clause in his contract which would allow him to move elsewhere during the 2010 winter transfer window of 2010 but by then he may be too old, at almost 35.

And while Beckham may be falling in love with Milan, he is also winning fans over both on and off the field. Most recently, he won praise for visiting former AC Milan striker Stefano Borgonovo yesterday at his home. Borgonovo is suffering from the paralyzing illness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the team stays in close contact with him. Remarking on Beckham's visit, Ancelotti told Gazzetta that "David has a golden heart."

The question remains however, whether Beckham still has a heart for LA and whether new coach Bruce Arena can count on his return at the end of March (along with Landon Donovan, currently on loan to Bayern Munich).

During a time of economic downturn, it may not be a bad move for MLS to unload his massive salary bill, so long as they reinvest some of it in exciting young players who can capture fans' imagination. I'd be happy to see Beckham move on if it improves the league's balance sheet and allows them to bring DaMarcus Beasley back home, keep Donovan in the league, pick up a few youngsters from Boca Juniors and Independiente, and start to pay rookies more than garbage collectors.

Copyright Chris Courtney 2008

Donovan Does It Again!

Landon Donovan made a substitute appearance in Bayern Munich's friendly against FSV Mainz tonight, scoring just ten minutes after stepping onto the field. Then in the 90th minute, he scored again! That makes three winter friendlies in which Donovan has scored a total of four goals for the Bavarian giants - a strong statement that he plans for this stint in Germany to be much different than previous ones.

Just five days before their German Cup match against VFB Stuttgart, Bayern appears to be firing on all cylinders, putting five past Mainz in a 5-0 romp.

And as promised earlier, here is a better rundown on the match from our man in Germany, the one and only Keith Richardson, an old friend from my Germany days. Keith, a fellow Nuernberg fan, used to be part of the cabal of expats covering Americans Abroad for Soccer Times (along with Harris King, Mark Flannery, and others). More recently, Keith is the English language translator for Borussia Dortmund's official website while readers who hang out on BigSoccer probably know him better as Footyfan1

Take it away Keith...

By the time Landon Donovan entered the match in the 60th minute, Bayern was already ahead 2-0 through goals from Germany international striker Miroslav Klose in the 4th minute and Italy international striker Luca Toni in the 55th minute.

Let me note now that I am not a big Landon Donovan fan. I’m one of the few USA fans who still have a hard time with the way Landon’s first two tries here in Germany ended. However, some of the guys over at BigSoccer have convinced me that I should finally totally forgive him. Which I am working on, but I can’t say I’m a fan.

Now, given my feelings, it should not be a shock to anyone that the first thing I noticed when Landon entered the match is how much shorter he was than every other player on the pitch. But I also knew what Landon lacks in physical stature, he more than makes up for in talent and hustle. I may not be a fan of his, but I certainly have an open mind and I am fair whether dishing out praise or criticism.

Having said all of this, you will understand why I was laughing my head off on the 70th minute of the match when Landon scored on a HEADER of all things after a cross from Italian Massimo Oddo out on the left wing. Oddo’s cross went over Bayern’s Germany international midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger in the middle of the Mainz penalty area. And before you ask, no, not all of Bayern’s players are internationals, but the majority of them are! Anyhow, as the ball flew over Schweinsteiger, Landon was behind him unmarked and Landon then put a perfect header into the left corner of the Mainz goal to give Bayern a 3-0 lead.

Two minutes later, the aforementioned Schweinsteiger raised Bayern’s lead to 4-0 after simply tapping the ball in from about eight yards out after a nice cross from Bayern’s Germany international midfielder Tim Borowski.

In the 82nd minute of the match, Donovan, who has had quite impressive performances in his test matches for Bayern, put the ball in the back of the Mainz net once again. However, before he could even begin to celebrate, he noticed the lineman’s flag up. The call was a tight one, but television replays confirmed the call was correct.

However, on this night, Donovan was not going to be denied his second goal. Just before the end of the 90 minutes, a pass was pulled back to Donovan who had just entered the Mainz penalty area. Landon put a blast straight at Mainz goalkeeper Christian Wetklo. However, the shot was so hard, that Wetklo, despite getting his hand up in time, allowed the ball to deflect off his hands and just behind him before he could slap it back into play. The Mainz defense played on as if the ball never crossed the line, but the same linesman who denied Donovan goal glory in the 82nd minute made it clear that the ball did indeed cross the goal line after deflecting off Wetklo’s hands.

Shortly afterward, referee Dr. Jochen Drees sounded the final whistle sealing Bayern’s 5-0 victory at Mainz.

I don’t have any problem in saying that my Man of Match was indeed Landon Donovan. Donovan kept up his string of good performances for Bayern, now having scored at least once in Bayern’s last three test matches. Landon has showed hustle and desire for Bayern. He hasn’t faced 1st Bundesliga level competition yet, but Bayern’s last two matches, against 1. FC Kaiserslautern this past weekend and Mainz tonight were against top 2nd Bundesliga sides who are both in contention for promotion to the 1st Bundesliga for next season.

With Lukas Podolski’s downturn, if Landon Donovan can continue the impressive performances he has been turning in when Bayern starts German Cup, Bundesliga and Champions League competition, Bayern may have a pretty tough decision to make when Landon’s loan expires in March.

Donovan's First Goal:



And the Second:

Donovan, Bayern Win In Bamberg Snowball Match

After all those years in sunny southern California, Landon Donovan may have forgotten just how cold and snowy it can be when German football enters orange ball season. If practicing all week in the cold and blowing snow wasn't enough top remind him, playing the second half of a friendly today at Regionalliga side Eintracht Bamberg should have done the trick.

Playing in front of 15,000 hearty Franconian fans in a snow-filled Waldstadion von Weismain, Bayern showed up missing six key players due to illness injuries including Mark van Bommel, Franck Ribéry, Lukas Podolski, José Sosa, Lucio, und Toni Kroos.

The match started 30 minutes late after the Bayern team bus got caught in a traffic jam caused by the heavy snowfall but that did not stop Luca Toni from tossing a few snowballs at teammates during warmup.

The poor field conditions made it difficult for either team to put together any fluid passing. Nonetheless, Bayern did get some good chances early while Bamberg barely threatened FCB's goal. After 27 minutes Tim Borowski finished a good combination with Miroslav Klose to open up a 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later Bayern's Phillip Lahm slalomed the defense well and finished well to stretch the margin to 2-0.

Donovan came on as one of five subs in the second half paired up front with Luca Toni. Donovan helped to set up a 50th minute chance which Toni could not convert and the two combined well on the sloppy field throughout the half. Bayern's third goal came when a clearance from Bamberg keeper Stephan Kurz' clearance found the feet of Klose, who hammered it home for a 3-0 lead. Bamberg managed one more scoring chance in the 71st minute which was well saved by Joerg Butt to preserve the win.

After the match, Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann remarked to the German media that "Above all, it was a big adjustment for Landon Donovan and Luca Toni to play on the snow."

Game Stats:

1. FC Eintracht Bamberg 0 FC Bayern 3 (0:2)

1. FC Eintracht Bamberg: Essig (83rd Horcher) - Pickel, Bechmann, Grasser, Stumpf - Dennerlein, Kaiser, Dotterweich, Zang, Deptalla - Heyer

FC Bayern Munich: Rensing (46th Butt) - Oddo, Van Buyten (46th Donovan), Demichelis (46th Breno), Lahm (46th Lell) - Altintop , Ottl, Zé Roberto (46th Schweinsteiger), Borowski - Toni, Klose

Official: Georg Schalk (Augsburg)
Attendance: 15,000
Scoring: Borowski (27th), Lahm (35th), Klose (54th)

Donovan Scores in Bayern Friendly Win

Bayern Munich won its second straight winter break friendly last night, beating Al-Wehda 3-1 in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Making his second appearance for the Bavarian juggernaut, American Landon Donovan came on as a second half replacement for Luca Toni at forward.

Goals by Frank Ribery and Tim Borowski in the first half had the visitors up 2-0 before Al-Wehda's Al-Kuwaikabi made a brilliant carry through the Bayern defense to slot home a 53rd minute goal to make it 2-1.

Both sides produced more scoring chances as Donovan had a few shots go wide in the 50th and 66th minutes. In the 59th minute, he made a dangerous header which glanced off the woodwork. It was not until injury time that Donovan sealed it for Bayern, collecting a high ball 16 meters out with his back to the goal, then quickly turning and firing a hard shot low and left past the keeper for his first goal in a Bayern jersey.

One bit of concern for Bayern was the apparent injury of Mark Van Bommel in last night as he limped off the field with a knee inujury. But, not long after the team landed in Munich this morning, it was confirmed that his injury is not serious and that he'll only miss 3-4 days of training.

Donovan and Bayern will now resume training in icy Bavaria in preparation for their German Cup match against Stuttgart on the 27th, followed by a match at Hamburger SV on the 30th.

Forget Beckham, Watch The Brazilians

It seems much of the English speaking soccer world is working itself up into a lather over whether the ageing David Beckham will play for AC Milan on Sunday against AS Roma. Beckham, on loan from the LA Galaxy, sought out the loan to stay sharp in order to stay in England manager Fabio Capello's future plans.

The real story behind tomorrow's match in the Stadio Olimpico is not Beckham but the chance to see a large portion of the Brazlian national player pool on the field at one time with 13 of them suiting up for the match. Add that to a mix of top talent from Italy and elsewhere and you're in for some attractive attacking soccer. If he sees the field, Becks better have his wheels on, lest he be left in the dust.

On the AC Milan side, you could see Dida in goal, Kaka and Emerson in midfield, with Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato up front in the attack (all served by Italy's "Brazilian" Andrea Pirlo).

With a whopping eight Brazilians in the lineup, AS Roma features an all-Brazilian goalkeeping corps of Doni, Julio Sergio, and Arthur. The defense is anchored by Juan and Cicinho with the recently-recovered Taddei and Filipe in midfield plus possibly Julio Baptista up top at forward.

Both teams need a win as Milan is sitting in third place on 33 points and needs to secure at least an automatic Champions League spot.

10th place Roma, with 23 points, has struggled with consistency this year. Now, with their talisman Francesco Totti out with a hamstring injury for at least the next month, they'll need to dig deep to top Milan tomorrow. The Rossoneri will need to overcome a road losing streak that has not seen them win away from home since a 1-0 win over Atalanta on October 26th.

But Roma is always tough to beat at home, having lost only once this season. Plus, with Milan missing mainstays defender Alessandro Nesta and defensive midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, I've got to give the edge to the Giallarossi.

(Full disclosure: I'm a former resident of a Roma neighborhood in Rome and my friends would beat me senseless if I predicted any other outcome).

Don't have the game on TV? Follow along here.

Donovan's Situation At Bayern Looking Up?

We've all had our questions about how Landon Donovan will fit into the scheme at Bayern Munich when his loan starts in January and the picture may be getting clearer. As it turns out, an unfortunate injury to Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez, who tore a muscle in 2-0 win over Schalke last weekend (in which he scored), may end up impacting Donovan's playing time at Bayern.

The Munich giants have had their eye on Gomez for some time and the word in town was that the club would pick him up in January and simultaneously dish off Lukas Podolski to his old club, 1FC Koeln. Now, its not clear if Gomez will be in any kind of condition for a January transfer so the Donovan loan is looking more like a prudent move and less like an experiment. Depending on Gomez' condition, Bayern (not to mention Real Madrid), may now need to wait until the summer transfer window, soon after Donovan heads back to LA.

What this means for Donovan is that he'll more likely spend his loan period in the striker rotation behind Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose (who will likely need some rest during Champions League weeks). If Gomez had entered the mix, Donovan would have quickly found himself as the number four striker in the mix, provided he continued to outshine Lukas Podolski in practice. So, if Donovan shows up ready to play, he stands a good chance of getting some meaningful playing time. We'll see.

Bayern To Take Donovan On Loan

Bayern Munich has announced they will take the LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan on loan until the middle of March. Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann told the Munich press that "Landon made a good impression in the last ten days and we've agreed a deal with MLS for a loan starting on January 1st until the middle of March." Klinsmann did add however that the club is interested in hanging onto the California born forward until the end of the season since they need a fourth striker to fit into the scheme with Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and Lukas Podolski.

"For me its a perfect setup. I can go into the second half of the season with four strikers." said Klinsmann. He went on to say; "With Landon. I have another top man in my back pocket and he'll travel with is to out training camp in Dubai on January 2nd."

Despite taking Donovan on loan, it looks like Bayern will keep the unhappy Podolski, at least until the end of the season. Remarking on the decision, Klinsmann stated that Podolski will "need to deal with it."

According to Klinsmann, what sold Bayern on Donovan was his speed (which he called "unbelievable")and strength in one-on-one situations. In the coach's words "He is completely different from our other strikers so this will make our attack harder to deal with."

What do you think? Will Donovan get meaningful playing time, ride the pine, or become a breakout star? Have your say here by leaving a comment or vote in the poll (to the left of this article).

*Special thanks to Germany based Vagabond Keith Richardson for contributing to this report.