Bayern Munich's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann gave Landon Donovan the nod to get in a high-pressure match with 15 minutes left in regulation. Bayern was down 0-1 and was not only putting the game at stake, but also the lead in the Bundesliga table. Maybe not the ideal situation for Landon to showcase his talent, but on the other hand, maybe he's mature enough to desire this type of adrenaline rush.
It appeared that Donovan was a bit nervous at first, letting a couple of balls slide through his feet. But he quickly got into the game, just as Bayern was applying high pressure on HSV's end and began distributing the ball well through the right side of the pitch. He even managed a shot with goal direction which was deflected by one of HSV's defenders. The only shame during Donovan's official Bayern Munich's Bundesliga debut was teammate's Tim Borowski's bitter recrimination towards the American for a slightly inaccurate pass which ended out of bounds.
In all accounts, given Donovan's mere 15 minutes of play, he had a decent game. Bayern was downed 1-0 by HSV in the start of the Bundesliga's second half of the season, and also was displaced from first place by Hamburg. Should Donovan continue to get minutes, he should prove to be a nice addition off he bench for head coach Klinsmann. The big question remains whether Landon will continue in the Bundesliga beyond his ten-week loan term, or ultimately make the trip back to Los Angeles for the start of the MLS season on March 19th.
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