ALLSTON, Mass. – The LA Galaxy trained on Saturday on the campus of Harvard University in their final preparation for Sunday’s match against the New England Revolution.
The training session lasted for a little over an hour in sweltering low-90 degree temperatures on the turf field at Soldier’s Field soccer stadium.
A few notes from training:
DONOVAN BACK TO HIS OLD SELF?: Landon Donovan is feeling a little bit more like his old dynamic self lately. Just a day after being named to the U.S. National Team’s preliminary roster for the 2013 Gold Cup, Donovan admits that he finally feels like he’s back to the player that has led the Galaxy to back-to-back titles.
“I feel like I’m back,” said Donovan. “I feel like I’m in moments, at my best, and last week I felt like even though I didn’t contribute on the score sheet, I feel like it was my best and my most complete game, so I feel like I’m back.’
After his stellar performances against Sporting Kansas City in April and Philadelphia in May, Donovan talked about the need to string together consistent performances. Now as he prepares to play his ninth game this year, he feels that consistent play has arrived.
“It’s there now,” said Donovan. "The Vancouver game was poor, the Philly game was pretty good for the most part, I felt pretty good in the New York game, I just wasn’t very effective, and in the Seattle game I felt great. It’s there now, the confidence is there, the comfort is there, and I’m ready to break out.”
SARVAS SHINES: Marcelo Sarvas is quickly becoming one of the LA Galaxy’s primary contributors.
Until now, he’s done so with little acclaim, despite leading the team in assists with four and being a major cog in the midfield for LA. Earlier this week, however, Sarvas gained some praise from MLSsoccer.com, who named the Brazilian to their “Halfway All-Star Team,” which left the Brazilian beaming.
“I’m happy. I think that every soccer player plays to win games and win titles as well as to be recognized wherever you are, whether you are in Brazil, the United States, England or whatever," said Sarvas. "I’m happy to have the recognition. It’s my second year in this league and it is a big prize for me.”
ROGERS MOVING ALONG: Robbie Rogers went 28 minutes in LA’s 2-0 U.S. Open Cup defeat on Wednesday, but he admitted that he was pleased with his fitness after Saturday’s training session.
“Today I felt really good. I feel like those minutes that I got on Wednesday, really pushed me along,” said Rogers. “I’m going to continue to need minutes like that, so it’s unfortunate that we don’t have any more Open Cup games, but I’ll find them somewhere else.”
The training session also marks Rogers’ first week with the club, which has been a calm one despite the media scrutiny on his status as the first gay male athlete in a major American professional sports league.
“I forgot what it was like being in the hotel with the guys and all that stuff, but it’s actually more relaxing then being at home for me at the moment, just because of the craziness,” said Rogers. “Now I’ve had some time to just sit on my bed and chill, so it’s been really nice.”
