Right Calf Strain Rules Donovan Out of Last U.S. Friendly on European Soil Before World Cup; Kickoff Set for 2:25 p.m. ET Live on ESPN2 and ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker
CHICAGO (March 16, 2006) — Two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Landon Donovan has been ruled out of the USA's upcoming friendly on March 22 against Germany after failing to recover sufficiently from a right calf strain. U.S. Manager Bruce Arena will not replace Donovan on the roster.
Donovan is likely to be sidelined 2-3 weeks, according to Los Angeles Galaxy team trainer Ivan Pierra. He suffered the injury during the Galaxy's 3-2 defeat in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals against Deportivo Saprissa on March 8 in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The 24-year-old has collected 25 goals and 22 assists in 77 appearances for the senior team, and is currently tied with Cobi Jones for the all-time U.S. assist lead. His 25 goals is good for third-place on the all-time U.S. scoring chart, behind Eric Wynalda (34) and Brian McBride (29). The leader in points for the U.S. the last three years running, he played in 16 of 18 qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, also a team best.
The U.S. team will arrive into Germany beginning March 19. Kickoff at the Westfalenstadion on March 22 is set for 8:25 p.m. local time (2:25 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2. Fans can also
follow live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.
The USA was drawn into Group E for the 2006 FIFA World Cup along with the Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana. The U.S. plays their opening match against the Czechs on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen before meeting Italy in
Kaiserslautern on June 17 and then finishing off group play against Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg. The U.S. has chosen the northern port city of Hamburg as their base of operations throughout the tournament.
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