The captain of the Los Angeles Galaxy and the US Men’s National Team is human after all. After playing 270 minutes in the span of a week, Landon Donovan sat out Wednesday’s practice as the team prepared for it’s ten day road trip involving a stop in DC, Toronto, and Chicago. It’s likely Donovan could come off the bench in DC, which would mean the Galaxy would be without two of their normal starting midfielders. Chris Birchall will miss Saturday’s match with a red card suspension.
↵↵↵“Landon’s getting a little rest,†Arena said after Wednesday’s practice. “He had a long week last week, with two international [games] and the Philly game. He doesn’t need to be out here.â€
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It’s best to err on the side of caution early in the year. Landon Donovan is crucial to the LA Galaxy attack, but DC United isn’t Real Salt Lake and he could certainly benefit from a little R&R. Of course, it’s only Wednesday, and Landon Donovan could well be out with the Starting 11 on Saturday.