» Oct. 30, 2002 - LANDON AND LEVERKUSEN: MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis and agent Richard Motzkin will fly to Germany next week for another round of discussions with Bayer Leverkusen officials regarding Landon Donovan.

The co-sharing loan arrangement between Bayer and MLS is about to expire. If he is to play in MLS next season, a new deal must be negotiated since Bayer retains his rights until at least 2005.

The European transfer window re-opens Jan. 1. If Bayer receives offers from foreign clubs, MLS might have to make a proposal to share Donovan's rights.

» Oct. 29, 2002 - CHICAGO - U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena has chosen a 23-man roster that will train in preparation for the international friendly against El Salvador on Sunday, November 17 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Fans can also follow the action live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics.

The United States has not faced an international opponent since the team’s historic quarterfinal finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in June. The team will train in the Washington, D.C. area beginning Nov. 10.

Youth is the theme in the U.S. training camp, with the average player age coming in just under 24 years old. During the 2002 World Cup, the team’s average age was 28. Eleven players will be in search of their first international cap against El Salvador, including high-scoring Revolution forward Taylor Twellman, who lit up MLS with 23 goals this year.

During the previous four-year cycle under Bruce Arena, 93 different players were given an opportunity to play with the national team, and the trend resumes again as 2006 World Cup qualifying begins in about 18 months.

"The challenge of building a team capable of qualifying for the World Cup begins again," said Arena. "There are a lot of talented young players with great potential in MLS, and over the next two years we plan to provide them with quality international experience in order to evaluate who can compete at the international level."

Four players from the U.S. World Cup side return to the nation’s capital, led by the strike force tandem of San Jose Earthquakes forward Landon Donovan and MetroStars forward Clint Mathis. Donovan scored two goals during the USA’s historic quarterfinal finish in Korea, including the second goal in the team’s 2-0 victory against Mexico in the Round of 16. Mathis netted one of the best goals of the tournament when he stunned the home crowd by giving the U.S. a lead against Korea in Daegu. The pair are joined by Chicago Fire midfielder DaMarcus Beasley and Colorado Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni, both of whom played in three games each during the World Cup.

All ten MLS teams are represented on the training camp roster, with the Columbus Crew and New England Revolution each contributing four players. The 2002 U.S. Open Cup champion Crew are led by forward Jeff Cunningham, who returns to the national team after helping the U.S. capture the 2002 Gold Cup in January, and MLS Rookie of the Year Kyle Martino. Twellman heads the New England contingent. The 22-year old forward tallied 52 points in his debut season to capture the MLS Budweiser scoring championship and lead the Revolution to their first-ever MLS Cup final. Returning to the U.S. fold is D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen, who has missed nearly two years of service with the national team after suffering a series of ankle injuries.

Tickets for the November 17 friendly, which is being presented to fans by Lego, range in price from $22 to $50 and are available now through all Ticketmaster outlets (D.C. 202-432-7328; Baltimore 410-481-7328; Northern Virginia 703-573-7328; out of state 1-800-551-7328). Discount rates for groups of 20 or more are available by calling the D.C. United ticket offices at 703-478-6600. Complete ticket information is available online at ussoccer.com.

The United States holds an 8-1-4 lifetime advantage against El Salvador, and has never lost a meeting on home soil. The Nov. 17 match will mark the first contest between the CONCACAF nations in Washington, D.C., where the U.S. has compiled an 8-3-3 record. RFK last hosted an international friendly May 12 of this year, when the USA beat Uruguay 2-1 during the "Nike Road to Korea."

The teams last met in a 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal earlier this year, with Brian McBride netting a hat trick en route to a 4-0 U.S. victory on January 27 at the Rose Bowl. The United States went on to capture the Gold Cup championship, beginning the impressive form that would carry through to Korea/Japan.

The U.S. has posted an impressive 11-6-2 record in 2002, going unbeaten in the first five matches of the year in capturing the 2002 Gold Cup championship in February. The team’s performance reached a pinnacle during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, as the United States advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in 72 years. To obtain the full roster click here to go to ussoccer.com.

» Oct. 25, 2002 - San Jose Earthquakes Earn Berth to Play in 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup: The San Jose Earthquakes played the best in the region last season in the CONCACAF Cup and finished with a 3-1 record. They are going to be back in the tournament this season… which means you will get to see the Quakes in action against a top-flight opponent from the CONCACAF region. Let’s just see how the Quakes stack up! Something tells me it is going to be pretty darn good! The Quakes will play in their second straight CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2003, earning one of the four tournament bids allocated to U.S. Soccer by CONCACAF. The Earthquakes qualified for the spot by earning the second most points in the 2002 MLS regular season. The four U.S. Soccer Champions Cup positions go to the winner of the 2002 MLS Cup, the 2002 MLS Cup runner-up; the winner of the 2002 MLS Supporter’s Shield and the winner of the 2002 U.S. Open Cup final.

The Los Angeles Galaxy, who qualified for the tournament by winning the 2002 MLS Cup, and the New England Revolution, who qualified as the MLS Cup runner-up, will join the Earthquakes in the 2003 Champions Cup. With the Galaxy already earning a spot as the winners of MLS Cup and the Supporter’s Shield, the Earthquakes qualify thanks to accumulating the second most points in the league.

The Earthquakes participated in the Champions Cup in 2002 after winning the 2001 MLS Cup and advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating CD Olimpia of Honduras 1-0 away and 3-1 at home in the Round of 16. San Jose was defeated in the quarterfinals by Pachuca CF of Mexico on goal differential, losing 3-0 in Mexico at Estadio Hidalgo and winning 1-0 at Spartan Stadium.

» Oct. 25, 2002 - Donovan, Cannon and Ekelund Dribble, Pass, and Score: Quakes stars Landon Donovan, Ronnie Ekelund, and Joe Cannon were all involved in the 2002 Pepsi MLS Dribble, Pass & Score™ (DPS) national championships over the weekend at Gillette Stadium. Cannon and Ekelund were on hand Saturday, October 19 to congratulate the winners in each age group. Twenty-four kids representing 11 states across the country competed for the national titles of the DPS on Saturday. Donovan honored the winners of the fifth annual event at halftime of MLS Cup on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Nickelodeon Games & Sports (GAS) on-air host Mati Moralejo taped the finals on Saturday morning at Gillette Stadium and the event will be featured in a special DPS edition of GAS in November.

» Oct. 20, 2002 - L.A. Galaxy beat N.E. Revs for the MLS Cup: Carlos Ruiz netted a golden goal in sudden death overtime as the Los Angeles Galaxy captured their first MLS Cup championship with a dramatic 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The win silenced the MLS Cup record crowd of over 61,000 fans in attendance, capturing the Galaxy's first MLS title in four attempts. From www.mlsnet.com.

» Oct. 14, 2002 - Bayer Leverkusen is considering Donovan recall to revive sagging fortunes: Off to a miserable start in the German Bundesliga, moneyed power Bayer Leverkusen is considering recalling United States striker\midielder Landon Donovan.

Leverkusen, expected to annually compete for the Bundesliga title and European hardware, is off to a stumbling 2-4-2 start, its eight points placing the club 15th among 18 first-division teams. "I didn't make up my mind about it yet," Bayer coach Klaus Toppmöller told Kicker magazine about bringing Donovan back. "Fact is that we could have needed Donovan in the last weeks. We'll deal with this matter, talk with the guy and hopefully find a solution that satisfies everyone. The next weeks will decide."

Donovan, 20, a World Cup standout, is under contract to Leverkusen through 2007, but spent the last two seasons on loan to Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes. He signed his first professional contract with Leverkusen in February 1999, but the Redlands, Calif., native was eager to return to the States after seeing no first-team action in Germany.

Donovan has stated plainly that he is quite happy in San Jose and not anxious to return to Leverkusen. where he is under contract until 2007. He and his agent Richard Motzkin have made it clear he will return to Bayer only if he is virtually guaranteed a place on the first team.

Reportedly, Donovan, Motzkin and MLS representatives will travel to Germany early in November to seeking resolution of the situation. Since the player's contract belongs to Leverkusen, he will have to abide the club's wishes or he and\or MLS will face a costly buyout. On the other hand, since Bayer will pay Donovan a far greater salary than he receives in the U.S., it makes no sense for the team to bring him back if he's not slated for some serious playing time.

"We have a full understanding for Donovan, regarding both human and sportive aspects," Bayer general manager Reiner Calmund added "Either the status quo remains and Donovan stays home. . . Or he's getting a quasi-guarantee for the starting lineup. It only makes sense to have him back if the coach can assure to a large extent that he's going to play." From www.soccertimes.com.

» Oct. 8, 2002 - Donovan named U.S. Player of the Year: LOS ANGELES-- Landon Donovan was named the winner of the 2002 Honda Player of the Year Award during a gala luncheon today in Los Angeles.

Donovan, 20, became the youngest winner ever of the most prestigious honor in U.S. professional soccer following a nationwide vote of American sports journalists. He will now have his name added to the coveted Honda Player of the Year trophy and will receive a new Honda Accord EX V-6 Sedan. Additionally, $5,000 will be donated to the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) on Donovan's behalf by the American Honda Motor Company, Inc. Continued @ www.ussoccerplayers.com.

» Oct. 5, 2002 - Hometown to honor Donovan: The City of Redlands, California will honor one of its most famous citizens with a ceremony for U.S. Soccer Player Landon Donovan on November 2.

The local American Youth Soccer Organizaion, Los Gauchos club soccer and the city of Redlands will combine to honor Donovan on that Saturday, according to Redlands Mayor Kasey Haws.

The Redlands City Council approved the idea, which Haws broached after the 2002 World Cup where Donovan scored two goals. Donovan attended Redlands and East Valley High School where he was a Parade All-American before linking up with the United States under-17 team residency camp in 1998.

Donovan recently finished his second season with San Jose Earthquakes with seven goals and three assists. The team was eliminated in the first round of the MLS Playoffs by the Columbus Crew last week.

Donovan is one of the three finalists of the Honda U.S. Player of the Year that will be announced on October 8.

Among the scheduled celebrations include a 12 noon PT start at Moore Middle School. Matches will be suspended for one hour in order to honor Donovan, who will answer kids questions, play against a group of six-year-olds and will be honored with a city proclamation.

At 7 p.m. at the University of Redlands, Donovan will appear in a charity match ($5 adults, $2, 18-under, $10 for teams in uniform) with a collection of Los Gauchos and AYSO players. The opponents will be members of the U.K. International, a soccer-training organization that specializes in coaching youth teams throughout Southern California. From www.ussoccerplayers.com.

» Oct. 2, 2002 - U.S. to face El Salvador on Nov. 17: (Oct. 1, 2002) -- The U.S. national team will play El Salvador on Sunday November 17 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C., according to the Washington Post. Sources confirmed to the newspaper that the game will be shown live at 3:00 p.m. E.T. on ESPN. Full article @ www.ussoccerplayers.com.

» FRANK YALLOP, JOE CANNON AND WADE BARRETT STRONG CANDIDATES FOR MLS YEAR-END AWARDS - SAN JOSE, CA (September 30, 2002) - The San Jose Earthquakes concluded a strong 2002 campaign this past weekend, a season which was highlighted by the exceptional performances of Aquafina Goalkeeper of the Year candidate Joe Cannon and ADT Defender of the Year candidate Wade Barrett as well as the steady leadership of 2001 MLS Coach of the Year Frank Yallop. Full article @ www.sjearthquakes.com.