Landon Donovan may be headed back to the MLS. He won’t be out on the pitch, but the all-time leading goalscorer for the U.S. Men’s National Team could be returning to the studio - at least, according to Sports Illustrated writer Richard Deitsch.
Deitsch tweeted this out just a couple of days ago:
Soccer fans: Would not be surprised to see Landon Donovan joining Fox's soccer coverage very soon.— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) February 17, 2015
It was then reported by Rachel Bonnetta on MLS Now that rumors are swirling surround Landon Donovan’s return to television with FOX Sports:
Rachel Bonnetta, new host of MLS Now, reported Tuesday that Donovan could be headed to FOX Sports (Photo: MLS Now)
Now don’t get us wrong, we’re Landon fans as much as the next guy, but watching Alexi Lalas and Landon Donovan together on television is not the ideal broadcasting team we had in mind. For those who don’t know what we mean, here is a spot-on parody of the two after this past year's World Cup:
If you watched the 2014 World Cup, you know that Alexi Lalas clouded ESPN’s soccer coverage thanks to his attitude. Specifically, the amount of times Lalas disagreed or argued with foreign analysts was unsettling (players, incidentally, who were much better than he was like Michael Ballack and Steve McManaman). Frequently, he provided insight to things that didn’t require insight. Case in point: “The problem with going forward is making sure you don’t get caught going back.” Ground-breaking analysis, really.
Landon, on the other hand, struggled to create an on-air presence and was almost robotic at times during his segments. Not to mention, the first thing he did after he was hired by ESPN was bash Jurgen Klinsmann which created more media chaos. Donovan even admitted to rooting against the U.S. in the World Cup. He later came to his senses.
So, in the aftermath of Richard Deitsch's tweet last week about Donovan's potential appointment to the FOX Sports, reactions have been mixed:
@NickChavezMLS @futbolMLS @landondonovan @FOXSports Oh stop, are you trying to ruin my day? Could Fox coverage really get more annoying?— MC Bousquette (@MC_Bousquette) February 18, 2015
Oh god please no. RT @richarddeitsch: Soccer fans: Would not be surprised to see Landon Donovan joining Fox's soccer coverage very soon.— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) February 17, 2015
RT @richarddeitsch: 'Soccer fans: Would not be surprised to see Landon Donovan joining Fox's soccer coverage very soon'. Polishing a turd?— Matt Gallo (@MattGallo4) February 17, 2015
This is all speculation, of course. After all, it is only two weeks since Donovan posted on his Facebook page that, "retirement is everything I could have hoped for" and that he has "never been more happy." He also said he has been traveling, has enrolled back in school and even got engaged to girlfriend Hannah Bartell.
So who knows if LD is eyeing a comeback to the game of soccer. If so, we hope to see some measuable improvement to his on camera style - although, to be fair, the last time he was in front of the camera it was in an awkward position having just been cut from the USMNT. A retired, more relaxed Donovan could be just what U.S. Soccer fans need...which is a counterbalance to the stylings of one Alexi Lalas.
