Landon Donovan was named Honda Player of the Year earlier today for a record fifth time. He gets a brand-spanking new car along with the honor of being named top U.S. player.
It's really an award that should have gone to another player, though. Tim Howard had an impressive year with the US national team while Donovan's year was just average by his standards.
Perhaps that's the problem. Donovan has set such high standards that when he throws in an average year, or rather when he does not stand out, it seems like he's off. He had three goals and two came in World Cup qualifying victories. Alone those statistics are impressive, especially when one of the goals came in the game that sent the U.S. through to the Hexagonal.
And when a player like Howard comes up and does well, especially with a performance he had against Argentina, it seems as if he deserves it because the top dog was just okay.
Next year's award, however, will probably be different. The U.S. will participate in the Hexagonal and the Confederations Cup. Strong performances in both will likely be enough to clinch the award.
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2 comments:
I too think Howard should have won, but Landon winning isn't all that bad. Granted, he didn't score as many goals this year, but his presence on the field always made a MAJOR difference in how the US team played. They are a vastly different team when Donovan is out there.
There's more to it than scoring goals.
boy wont that look good when MLS puts him on the transfer market.
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