Monday update
Donovan's ugly mess, Green returning to Furth, a USL goalazo, & more
June 18, 2018
5:25 AM
Yes there were some other news stories regarding American soccer over the weekend, but Donovan was once again the top story.
Donovan and Mexico
It was a wild weekend for Landon Donovan and just about all of it was ugly. It all started with this
The tournament is here! USA fans, our team may not be in Russia, but our neighbors to the south are. So join me and their proud #sponsor @WellsFargo to cheer on our other team, Mexico @miseleccionmxEN. ¡Vamos México! pic.twitter.com/YIifLGCT0D
— Landon Donovan (@landondonovan) June 16, 2018
This then lead to former teammates like Carlos Bocanegra, Herculez Gomez, and Cobi Jones calling him out for such an opinion. Unfortunately, Donovan’s response was this.
You grew up in SoCal and owe much of your soccer skill to playing with Mexicans. Your father is of Mexican descent (??????????). Look around our country, are you happy with how we are treating Mexicans? Open your mind, stand for something & remember where you came from ??????? https://t.co/1oOD3asfDk
— Landon Donovan (@landondonovan) June 16, 2018
To echo Gomez, this was a terrible take. Bringing politics and race into a rivalry is nonsense. There are plenty of good reasons for American fans to respect Mexico and Mexican people while having a strong dislike for its national team. In soccer, it is perfectly legitimate to have a rivalry with another country while not having it be racial. Donovan injected race and hit Bocanegra with a low-blow when it was completely uncalled for.
Current and former great U.S. national team players like Bocanegra, Beasley, McBride, Meola, Harkes, Reyna, Pope, Hejduk, and Cherundolo have all played in extremely intense games against Mexico and probably all have justifiable negative views towards the Mexican national team. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s a rivalry. Donovan made it personal, political, and racial when no one else was.
Donovan is free to cheer for whatever country he wants at the World Cup. He’s also free to cheer for nobody. But the pushback he is getting on this is completely deserved. On top of it, to bring in a sponsor’s name to boost his decision makes it seem commercial and almost as if his allegiance is bought and paid for. The optics of it all were terrible.
In other news, Club Leon parted ways with Donovan making him a free agent.
Donovan is the all-time greatest U.S. national team player. Nothing can change that. His reputation, however, took a hit over the weekend. It’s disappointing to American fans to see such an iconic figure make such a statement at a time when the team is at a low-point and watching the World Cup at home.
Green returning to Furth
After a loan last year from Stuttgart to Greuther Furth, Julian Green finally had his first full season at as a first team professional. He played over 2000 minutes and scored three goals, including the goal that secured his team’s status in the 2.Bundesliga.
Over the weekend, it was announced that Julian Green, 22, would transfer to Greuther Furth on a two-year deal.
Jetzt ist es fix: @J_Green37 kommt vom @VfB zur Spielvereinigung. Der Offensivspieler hat einen Zweijahresvertrag bei uns unterschrieben: https://t.co/D42O437lTn pic.twitter.com/LUeCgE2BsZ
— SpVgg Greuther Fürth (@kleeblattfuerth) June 17, 2018
Johnson’s goalazo
In the USL, this goal from Phoenix Rising forward JJ Johnson over the weekend is incredible.
Holy #&$* @reggae_j11 #RisingAsOne pic.twitter.com/vpIbijvq3O
— Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) June 17, 2018
Krexit: Kreis out in Orlando
This is of little surprise, but Orlando head coach Jason Kreis was fired on Friday after a dismal run of six straight losses. While still in a respectable sixth place, it appeared as if the club had given up on him during a 3-0 loss to a woeful Montreal.
After leaving Real Salt Lake, Kreis has seen his career take a nosedive. He lasted just one season at New York City FC and then was unable to get Orlando on the right track.