After his scintillating hat trick against D.C. United at the weekend, L.A. Galaxy striker Landon Donovan has Germany on his mind again, writes Andrea Canales. After two unsuccessful spells at Bayer Leverkusen earlier in his career, the U.S. national team's all-time record goalscorer can't help but think that now, at the peak of his career, would be a good time to quiet the skeptics who reckon he doesn't have the bottle to succeed anywhere but Major League Soccer.

David Beckham called Donovan's performance on Saturday "exceptional. When he runs at players and when he runs off the ball, no one can get near him because he's too quick." Galaxy coach Bruce Arena praised his "excellent performance," but says he has to play up to his ability. "He's a goalscorer; he's a very good passer; he's a good team player," Arena said. "We need to get all those qualities out of him. The goals are great and all. What we need to see is consistency from here to the end of the season."

Canales says that German champions Bayern Munich reportedly inquired about Donovan earlier this year, although the player has previously mentioned moving to a club in Spain or England. But he likes the sound of Bayern Munich and playing for Jürgen Klinsmann. "That's one of the best teams in the world," said Donovan. "As of now, I've got to worry about what's going on here, but if January rolls around and there's interest, and the league is willing to discuss it, I would be excited to talk about it."

Donovan added that such a move would depend on the league and the Galaxy allowing it to happen, "but if a team like Bayern Munich came calling, you don't really turn them away without thinking about it." At 26, Donovan recognizes that he's at the peak of his fitness. "Physically, I feel I'm as good as I'm going to be," he said. "After the next few years, I'm probably going to start declining a little."

 

 

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