CARSON, Calif. – What's the word on Landon Donovan's knee injury? The LA Galaxy aren't saying.
Bruce Arena mouthed, “No update,” as he walked off the field, declining to speak to media, following the Galaxy's MLS Reserve League finale Friday. Donovan, who attended the game, was not made available.
The Galaxy captain suffered a knee injury eight days ago in a loss to Real Salt Lake, was sent home from the US national team camp following an MRI three days later, and saw team doctors upon his return to Los Angeles. The club knows the diagnosis and expected timeline, but has declined to acknowledge this – and likely won't until injury reports are due Tuesday.
Arena, the Galaxy's head coach and general manager, generally refuses to discuss injuries in any detail and has on occasion misled media about players' ailments.
With center back A.J. DeLaGarza out with a knee injury of his own, left back Todd Dunivant working his way back from hip and oblique injuries, and striker Robbie Keane's Achilles injury keeping him from Ireland's World Cup qualifying loss to Germany and perhaps Tuesday's qualifier at the Faeroe Islands, LA appear to be in an injury crisis heading into the season's stretch run.
The Galaxy (15-12-5) are fourth in the Western Conference and looking to climb to second or third to avoid the playoffs' wild-card round. They have regular-season games remaining next Sunday at San Jose and Oct. 28 against Seattle at the Home Depot Center.
DeLaGarza isn't expected back until November, but Dunivant has targeted the San Jose game for his return. Donovan's injury doesn't appear to be serious and he moved without any visible trouble at Friday's reserve game.
He was hurt falling hard onto his left knee after a challenge in the box from RSL defender Jamison Olave. He canceled a scheduled MRI last Monday to travel to Miami and join the US team after telling Jurgen Klinsmann his knee felt much better, but national team doctors sent him home after tests.
“I don’t believe it's anything serious. We will see him back again ...,” Arena said after Donovan's return last week. “We're hopeful it's nothing serious, and we're optimistic.”
Keane was held out of Ireland's 6-1 loss Friday to Germany after aggravating an Achilles injury during training with his national team. He has not yet been cleared to travel to the Faeroe Islands.
“I've had a problem with my Achilles for a while,” Keane told The Irish Times before the game against Germany. “I got a kick on it [Tuesday] in training, and it has swollen up. I've had a scan on it. ... It's a bit sore, but I hope to play.”
He told the Irish Examiner after the game that the Achilles felt “probably 80, 70 percent at the moment, so hopefully the next couple of days will make a big difference and I will be OK.”
