U.S. National Team boss Bruce Arena has hinted that any detected distraction from Landon Donovan's club drama could see the attacker moved out of the starting lineup.
The squad have arrived in Birmingham, Alabama to prepare for the next step in World Cup qualifying, a Wednesday evening match versus Guatemala at venerable Legion Field.
Was the hot topic at practice the 2-1 loss to Mexico on Sunday? No, it was Donovan and his club woes and his confessed "rustiness" in the Mexico match.
Last week the rumor mill had Landon Donovan heading home to the Los Angeles Galaxy, apparently leaving Germany due to a lack of playing time with Bayer Leverkusen.
At a post-practice interview session on Monday, Donovan offered a no comment on his future plans, saying that he "is focused on Guatemala" and will wait until after the match to comment further.
When asked by a local television reporter if club issues were a distraction, Donovan curtly replied, "You are asking me about it, aren't you?"
Arena had this to say about Donovan's supposed lack of match form and reported homecoming.
"Landon has to say 'I don't feel rusty' because that is psychological," stated the coach. "It is not like Landon hasn't touched a soccer ball in 3 months, so he has got to have his mindset that he should get out there and play and have an impact on the game."
"I don't know and I don't really care at this point. His job is to get on the field and play. We can't be worrying about his club situation at this point and neither can he. That is the point."
"If Landon is more worried about other things, it is likely we have to make a change." |
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