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Rejoice, L.A. Galaxy Fans: Landon Donovan Going Nowhere

Big couple days for Major League Soccer – first Thierry Henry joins it, now Landon Donovan’s not leaving it.

MLS commissioner Don Garber, at least, sounded dead-set against the idea of letting Donovan leave the L.A. Galaxy:

“He’s become a real soccer hero. MLS needs soccer heroes, and we have a great American soccer hero playing for us in LA, holding the torch for the sport in our country, and that’s very important. I don’t believe that it’s something we can do without.”

Donovan himself weighed in too, though his take was somewhat less encouraging for MLS fans:

“Right now, I want to be in America. If there’s something serious to look at, then I will. I never say never to anything. But for now, I’m very excited to be home.”

We’re torn as to what would be better for American soccer – its most iconic player staying home, or going off to Europe and thriving against the world’s best. (Donovan struggled in two go-rounds with German clubs, but performed well for the English Premier League’s Everton on loan earlier this year.)

Maybe the loans are the way to go. It’s as close to the best of both worlds as we’ll get – our top players play here most of the time, but also get a chance to showcase their skills against higher levels of competition. And Garber didn’t rule out future loans.

These loans, combined with the MLS’ acquisition of foreign stars like Henry and David Beckham – even if they’re on the downside of their careers – are probably the league’s best strategy for maintaining fan interest and staying in the news. And if they can do that, the World Cup will only get bigger in the U.S. And since the World Cup produces moments like this, we’re all for that.

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