Target Man: Et Tu, Landon?

By Greg Lalas

The recent announcements that the LA Galaxy’s David Beckham is going back to AC Milan in the off-season and that the Chicago Fire’s Cuauhtémoc Blanco has signed with Mexican side Veracruz sparked all kinds of reactions. Some pundits questioned the distractive nature of the timing, coming right before the playoffs as they did. Others wondered about their choice of destinations: Will Beckham fit in Leonardo’s scheme as nicely as he did in Carlo Ancelotti’s? Blanco’s going to prep for the World Cup by playing in the Mexican second division? Really?

For me, the announcements raised a few other red flags. (Or red cards, if you will.)

First, when will the dominoes start to fall? The first one will most likely be Landon Donovan. He’ll want to go and someone will want to sign him. The question is whether LD’s loan will last for only two-and-a-half months or through the World Cup? If the former, then Galaxy fans don’t have anything to fret about. But if the latter, the Galaxy will be without their two marquee players for half the season. I wouldn’t want to be in the club’s ticket-sales office when all the complaining begins.

The second red flag concerns those World Cup-bound players who are not named Landon Donovan. If the off-season is so detrimental to “staying sharp,” then it makes sense that the likes of Jonathan Bornstein, Conor Casey, Chad Marshall, and Brian Ching need to be playing. (Two others, Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark, are out of contract at the end of this season, and from what I’m hearing, both are likely to sign contracts overseas in January.)

Then there are the non-Americans. I wouldn’t be surprised if Honduras captain Amado Guevara asks for a loan. If Costa Rica qualify, Gonzalo Segares and Carlos Johnson might demand off-season loans, too.

In short, how diluted will the first part of the 2010 MLS season be?

The third and last red flag harks back to something I heard again and again at the 2009 Confederations Cup: the fatigue factor.

Last summer in South Africa, exhaustion from a long domestic season was the excuse du jour for any poor performance. Italy used it after their collapse against Brazil (conveniently ignoring the fact that the vast majority of the Brazilians had just finished the exact same seasons). Both the Egyptians and Spaniards used it after falling to the United States.

Here’s the problem: Things will be no different in 2010. In fact, next year’s World Cup kicks off three days earlier than the Confederations Cup did. So isn’t post-season fatigue going to be an important aspect (read: excuse) this time around too?

In Beckham’s case, I know, England manager Fabio Capello has demanded he be playing in a top European league ahead of the World Cup (despite the fact that since joining the Galaxy Becks has not once looked off the pace when representing his country). If Becks wants to be part of the side, he has to join Milan, if only for appearances.

Blanco, too, seems to be appeasing his coach, Mexico’s Javier Aguirre, who wants to bring El Tri’s World Cup squad in early. (The $1.5 million salary doesn’t hurt either.) Odds are Chicago, or any other MLS team, would not release Blanco earlier than the 20-day limit mandated by FIFA.

But, really, by playing straight through the off-season and not giving their bodies a rest, aren’t Beckham, Blanco, and any others actually undermining their fitness by tiring themselves out? The more you think about these deals, the more you have to wonder: Does anybody win?
 
Greg Lalas is editor of the new Goal.com Magazine.

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