All week, the hype leading up to Saturday's California Clasico surrounded Landon Donovan's return to San Jose. Ultimately, however, Donovan was nothing more than a bit player in the final production.
The Los Angeles Galaxy's defense stole Donovan's spotlight as defenders Michael Umaña and Tyrone Marshall knocked balls into their own goals in a wicked three-minute span in the second half, and the San Jose Earthquakes went on to beat the Galaxy 3-0.
Still, for Donovan, playing against the Earthquakes in Spartan Stadium was awkward.
"It's strange. You're warming up on the other side of the field; you're in a different locker room," Donovan said. "Nothing about it felt like San Jose. It was like being in another road hotel, another road field."
From the moment he stepped onto the field, Donovan was pelted with boos. Jeers rained down from the crowd every time Donovan touched the ball and particularly when he took the Galaxy's corner kicks. Fans raced down toward Donovan, smacked the walls and yelled at the Galaxy striker every time he walked toward the corner.
"Some of the things they said are a bit nasty but consider the source I guess," Donovan said of the sometimes profanity-laced outbursts from fans. "That's OK with me. They pay for their ticket so they can do what they want."
Galaxy coach Steve Sampson said that such a response from visiting crowds is reserved for special players.
"That kind of reception is out of respect for the player that he is," Sampson said. "He's earned that respect. The fans here in San Jose obviously feel like they've lost a great asset."
Donovan was not involved in a lot of the Galaxy's attack. Lined up as a left-sided forward to start the match, Donovan eventually floated over to the center, but often the Galaxy's midfielders had problems getting service into Donovan and fellow striker Naldo da Conceicao.
"I felt like I could get him isolated a bit more on the flanks, get him isolated 1-v-1 instead of being in the middle part where San Jose congests the field," Sampson said. "I don't think we did as good a job as I would have liked to find him in the first 20 minutes of the game."
It seems this season that as Donovan goes, so do the Galaxy. Still, for Donovan to shoulder the blame match after match is "what he wants," Sampson said. "He wants that responsibility. He wants to be a player that wants to make a difference in this country. Every single game he has to show up and give the kind of energy that will allow him to be that kind of player."
But for critics to point fingers at Donovan every time the Galaxy loses is unjust and unrealistic, Sampson said.
"He's only human. He can't do it every single game for the U.S. national team and for the Galaxy," he said. "He's given the Galaxy a great effort and I'm very proud of that."
Despite all that, the Galaxy was hanging with San Jose until the 65th minute, when defender Umaña tapped a ball back to goal moments before colliding with Galaxy 'keeper Kevin Hartman. The ball slowly rolled into the goal and gave San Jose a 2-0 lead. Three minutes later, Marshall tried to clear a San Jose cross away to safety but instead headed the ball past Hartman and into the goal.
What made the sequences more difficult to handle was what happened prior to Umaña's own goal. The Galaxy had no fewer than five attempts at goal -- with Kirovski having three of them -- yet the ball somehow did not go into the net. San Jose defenders stacked along the well stopped the ball from going through before finally launching the ball out of the area.
"To not be able to put that in the back of the net and then to take an own goal right after that, I think was the difference in the game. If we put that ball in the back of the net, it changes the whole dynamic of the game," Sampson said. "To make two silly mistakes in the back, we just can't afford to put that kind of pressure on ourselves."
"Maybe it's a karma thing," Donovan said. "I don't know what the deal was but it wasn't going to happen."
Before the game even started, the Galaxy suffered a severe loss. Team captain Peter Vagenas injured himself during pregame warmup and was unable to play. Sampson replaced Vagenas, who had started all 14 games thus far, with Naldo and dropped Kirovski into the midfield.
"It's unfortunate. Your captain, your playmaker gets injured in the warmup," Sampson said. "That was very disappointing. A lot of the rhythm of our game is dependant on Pete."
Now, the Galaxy must prepare for life without Donovan. The U.S. international will join national team camp early this week for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and could miss all of July with the national team. For Donovan, though, it's quite a personal relief.
"You never want to leave on a losing note but I need to get away," he said. "I've had three weeks of Saturday-Wednesday and I just don't want to see a soccer ball right now. I need to spend some time at home, which I will in the next couple of days, and then focus on the Gold Cup."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
