Just in case there was any doubt that Landon Donovan's impressive stint at the CONCACAF Gold Cup wouldn't translate to his play with the LA Galaxy, he put that all to rest with one of his best scoring performances in years. Donovan's hat trick in the Galaxy 3-3 tie with FC Dallas was his first multi-goal game in more than a year and it was his first three-goal performance since 2008.
Landon Donovan bags hat trick against FC Dallas
The result aside, Donovan’s individual performance has to be encouraging as it was his first game back from the Gold Cup.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
All three goals were vintage Donovan, with the first two equalizing the match and the other giving the Galaxy a short-lived lead.
On the first, he sped behind the defense, headed the ball ahead to beat goalkeeper Chris Seitz and then poked it into the goal just before Matt Hedges sent him crashing into the net. Donovan followed that up by lacing a left-footed shot from about 18 yards off a chested pass from Marcelo Sarvas. The final goal came when Donovan pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area and hit it just before George John could get there.
There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not Donovan’s early season hiatus was a much needed break or if it was a sign his heart was no longer in the game. This is just the latest piece of evidence that the time away was a good thing.
See More:
