American Player Rankings: Donovan moves up to number two in the rankings

Landon Donovan has done plenty in his time at Everton to jump over Brad Friedel to second on the list.

Feb 14, 2012 10:01:00 PM

By Allen Ramsey

More On :  Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Sacha Kljestan, Brad Friedel, Landon Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra, José Francisco Torres, Tim Howard, Maurice Edu
What more can you ask of a player on loan than what Landon Donovan has done for Everton in his latest stint in England? Another week brought another assist out of the winger and Toffee fans will not be at all happy to see the Galaxy star jump back across the pond.

Donovan has said he'd be open to a permanent move to Everton, and I'm sure the club would love to see him, but the truth remains that he's coming back to MLS next week. That makes these rankings much harder than they need to be.

In his time in England, Donovan has proven once again that he fully deserves to be listed among the best players the USA has ever produced. Though he's not scoring goals, he's creating them with more regularity than ever, and he's doing it against some of the top defenses in the world.

But what happens when he comes back to MLS, and how will that change his standing in the rankings?

With what Donovan has shown in England it's easy to see him coming home and running wild in Major League Soccer. He is arguably the most talented player still close to his prime that the league has to offer, and his team should be the clear favorite to repeat as MLS Cup champion with the amount of talent on the squad.

Naturally, the expectations will be high. But Donovan has a tendency to coast through parts of the MLS season, and with the playoff system the way it is, there's really no reason for him not to. That tends to lead to long spells of him not being productive, and when players aren't as productive in MLS, it leads to questions popping up about how good they really are.

With that said, Donovan's stock right now is about as high as it can be, and he'll have plenty of matches with the USA to keep his name right at the top of this list as long as his form doesn't dip too drastically in the long summer months of MLS.

1. Clint Dempsey

Age: 28

Club: Fulham
 Position: Midfielder

Last Week: 1

Comment: Dempsey keeps his place up top. While Donovan has been creating goals left and right, Dempsey's been finding the net himself just as often. Hopefully the two will be able to see the field together for the USA soon.
2. Landon Donovan


Age: 29

Club: Everton
 Position: Midfielder

Last Week: 3

Comments: Donovan jumping Friedel into the second spot on the list seems an easy choice.
3. Brad Friedel

Age: 40

Club: Tottenham
 Position: Goalkeeper

Last Week: 2

Comments: Nothing against Friedel to make him drop. He's still a top 'keeper and still very much deserving of a spot among the top three on this list.
4. Tim Howard

Age: 32

Club: Everton
 Position: Goalkeeper

Last Week: 4

Comments: Howard stays at four, but there's reason to wonder how good his record would be if he got the same goal support at Everton that Friedel gets at Tottenham.
5. Michael Bradley

Age: 24

Club: Chievo
 Position: Midfielder

Last Week: 5

Comments: Bradley's club is dipping in form and he could suffer from that in the rankings if things don't turn around.
6. Sacha Kljestan

Age: 26

Club: Anderlecht
 Position: Midfielder

Last Week: 6

Comment: Kljestan is steady as can be and deserves his spot at six. He's the most likely candidate to jump Bradley if Chievo can't start winning.
7.  Carlos Bocanegra


Age: 32

Club: Rangers
 Position: Defender

Last Week: 7

Comments: Bocanegra's club went into administration this week. That has nothing to do with his play, obviously, but could have a big impact on his future.
8. Maurice Edu

Age: 25

Club: Rangers
 Position: Midfielder

Last Week:  8

Comments: There's plenty of reason to believe, with the recent trouble at his club, that Edu could be headed for greener pastures this summer.
9. Jose Torres

Age: 24

Club: Pachuca
 Position: Midfielder

Last Week: 9

Comments: No reason to drop Torres out of the top 10 right now. He's finding the consistency that made him of the top players on Jurgen Klinsmann's watch-list when he first took over the USA job.
10. Jozy Altidore

Age: 22

Club: AZ
 Position: Forward

Last Week: NR

Comments: Altidore is fresh off a two-goal week and back in the top 10, but the spot is as up for grabs as ever.

Follow Goal.com on Twitter

Follow Goal.com on Facebook
 
play pause open close
Inside Goal.Com
  1. SCHAERLAECKENS: Chelsea pragmatic approach may be the way forward SCHAERLAECKENS: Chelsea pragmatic approach may be the way forward

    It may not be the most attractive brand of soccer, but sometimes that doesn't matter.

  2. RIGG: Bridesmaid Robben again feeling the failure after PK miss RIGG: Bridesmaid Robben again feeling the failure after PK miss

    Arjen Robben has consistently fallen on the wrong side of the line between success and failure in the last three years.

  3. ISOLA: Italy is rolling the dice by calling up Balotelli ahead of Euro 2012 ISOLA: Italy is rolling the dice by calling up Balotelli ahead of Euro 2012

    Balotelli has been added to Cesare Prandelli's provisional 32-man roster ahead of Euro 2012, but will the Manchester City striker behave himself?

  4. NIKE SOCCER: Time is running out to sign up for 'The Chance' open call NIKE SOCCER: Time is running out to sign up for 'The Chance' open call

    Hurry up and claim your spot in Dallas, Los Angeles. New York and Washington, D.C. while they last!

  5. VERTELNEY: MLS hopes to become goal-line technology pioneer VERTELNEY: MLS hopes to become goal-line technology pioneer

    Never afraid to try out new innovations, MLS is hoping to gain worldwide attention by becoming one of the first adopters of goal-line technology