In a statement released by the team, Landon had this to say about his return:
"I am very excited to be returning home to my teammates and the LA Galaxy. I would like to thank Bayern Munich for the opportunity to play with one of the premier clubs in Europe, as well as all their coaches and players for welcoming me into the Club," said Donovan. "Although the results were not what we had hoped for, the time in Germany still was very positive for me. I am fit, motivated, and excited to be coming back as a better, more experienced player."
Donovan, more often than not, says all the right things. This is no exception, and though it comes through the filter of the Galaxy themselves (and therefore shouldn't be taken as anything more than canned, prepared, team-approved sentiments), I wouldn't expect anything else, no matter the outlet.
Even when Donovan took a "shot" or two at MLS while whiling his time away on the bench at Bayern, his criticisms of the league were relatively mild (not to mention, spoken in German). He said nothing that those of us familiar with MLS didn't know already, and never did he whine about his situation in the U.S.
All the niceness leaves me a little wanting.
I know there's not much Donovan could have done differently. Because his form deteriorated during his league and Pokal Cup appearances, and because he was unable to transfer anywhere but Bayern Munich at the end of his loan period, the prudent thing to do was to play nice, suck it up, and head back to L.A. with a humble attitude and a stated level of "excitement".
Excuse me if I would have loved to read that Donovan said something a little more controversial.
Controversy garners attention. In the modern world, where the news cycle turns over so rapidly, controversy outlives all else. Controversy is cheap publicity, I've made it clear where I stand on MLS and cheap publicity.
Imagine for a moment that Donovan ripped MLS, moaned about leaving Germany, and vowed to get out of the States as soon as possible: would that have been so bad?
*UPDATE*I have to admit to reaching a bit here. I was originally going to compare the attitudes of Donovan and Beckham, with a "nice guys finish last" angle on LD. Half way through, I realized I couldn't really make that work that way I wanted, and I settled on what you see above. I realize it's a little out there that a supporter of the league would advocate any player, much less one of it's best, rip MLS. Maybe I'd just like there to be a little heat for MLS that doesn't involve overrated English asshats.
