Mark’s Mayhem
All I want for Christmas is for Landon to be happy…the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder/forward is heading to Everton on loan after signing a four-year extension with the Galaxy that supposedly doubles his $900,000 a year salary.
Not a bad gig if you can get it!
Not only does Landon get to stay in LA and play for Bruce, he also gets to test his mettle against some of the best players in the world in the EPL for two and a half months.
Wait, stop! There’s the kicker (pun intended)…two months? How will he prove himself or disprove himself in that amount of time? Well, he can disprove himself by not playing well and not getting on the team sheet or by playing the “pointing game” (remember his infamous performance against Liverpool in the Champions League when he spent the game pointing his teammates to play the ball anywhere but to his feet?).
If he does play well will Everton want to pony up what will surely be an astronomical asking price by MLS? Likely not…so who benefits from all of this?
Landon does…he always does.
He can go play there knowing that he has a great contract and a cush gig with the Galaxy that he NEVER has to worry about. Can you imagine NEVER worrying about your spot in the team? Everyone wonders why Landon won’t go to Europe for real (a ten week loan deal is not for real, it’s a training stint)…he has it too perfect in Los Angeles and he must be credited, to an extent, for putting himself in that situation.
I just don’t want to hear that he is the best American player ever or anything else insane like that. He’s not and he’s never proven that he can play an effective full season in Europe, which is the true testing ground.
I want Landon to do well at Everton. I want Everton to want to keep him and buy him from MLS and for Landon to stay there and gut it out and prove once and for all if his name should be used right alongside some of the best players in the world.
But it’s not up to any of us…it’s up to him.
Mark Lincir is the Editor-In-Chief of 90:00 Soccer Magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]
Mark,
I totally agree with your statement, “I just don’t want to hear that he is the best American player ever…”
Landon needs to not only prove himself on the club level but take his talents to the national level and show the world what he he made of in South Africa.
I think Clint Dempsey and Brian McBride have proven through their success in the EPL that (although they play different positions) they are more refined players and can challenge for the best American player title.
2cents. Go LEEDS.