The Bundesliga Is Back
…und now ist the time on Vorld Soccer Daily vhen ve dance!
Germany’s top flight returns after its winter break with plenty of interesting storylines. Can Bayern Munich repeat as champions? Does Cinderella’s slipper still fit Hoffenheim, even with star striker Vedad Ibisevic out for the rest of the season? Can Martin Jol do what Damian Comolli wouldn’t let him do at Tottenham and lead Hamburg to the Champions League? Can Werder Bremen somehow find its way back to Europe?
If you’re an American soccer fan, however, there’s only one real story in Germany right now — Landon Donovan.
The American striker, currently on loan from the L.A. Galaxy, has scored four goals in five friendly matches for Bayern Munich this month, and head coach Juergen Klinsmann seems very interested in keeping him around for at least the rest of this season. After years of living comfortably in L.A., Donovan finally seems interested in proving himself on the European stage, and so far, he’s delivering.
The question remains, though — can he deliver in a European club match that counts? We could find out today, when Bayern takes on Hamburg. (2:30 PM ET, GOLTV) Donovan seems likely to play at least 20-30 minutes in this match. If he manages to score, perhaps we can finally say our little Landycakes is all growns up…
Let’s just hope that if Donovan does pan out in Germany, the Galaxy won’t get greedy and try to force him to come back for another MLS season. An MLS without Donovan is preferable to an MLS with an angry, embitted Donovan who would rather be in Germany.