CARSON, Calif. – Landon Donovan is still ways away from top fitness, but LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena believes that the Galaxy midfielder made significant strides forward this week.
Donovan went through his first full week of training with the squad ahead of the Galaxy’s clash with Sporting Kansas City on Sunday. The 34-year-old Galaxy legend ended his retirement a week earlier and went seven minutes in Los Angeles’ 4-2 victory over Orlando City SC.
“Landon is beginning to look like a soccer player again. It’s encouraging,” Arena said. “Let’s be serious, he’s a very talented athlete both physically and technically, and in time, it’s going to come around. The sharpness is getting better. I’m encouraged by what I saw this week.”
Just days after describing himself as the “slowest” player on the field against Orlando City, Donovan echoed Arena’s sentiment but admitted that he’s not ready to declare when he'll be back up to full speed.
“I’ve learned a long time ago not to put timelines on things. I want to get better all the time, but I’m nowhere near ready to really contribute real minutes,” Donovan said. “The good thing is that everyone gets pushed a little bit, and that’s good. If guys know that there is competition and people are pushing them that helps everybody. The guys that are playing have done fantastic. I want to help them, and I want to get better.”
