Galaxy's Donovan Has H1N1 Virus
It's unknown if Landon Donovan will play Saturday against Seattle.
Updated:
I'm told by reporter Phil Collin who is out at the HDC that David Beckham didn't attend today's Galaxy practice. Hmm, there wouldn't be one rule for him and another for the rest of the team would there?
Collin says Coach Bruce Arena said whether Donovan plays Saturday will be a game time decision.
Wonder if they'll hand out free surgical masks to the first 10,000 fans through the gate for the game against the Seattle Sounders emblazoned with the phrase "Landon Donovan is sick"?
Update 2: From the Galaxy press release:
"Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena has instructed Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Chris Birchall to take the day off to recuperate from their recent international trips and to prepare for Saturday's match against the Seattle Sounders FC at The Home Depot Center."
Update 3: Donovan may play Saturday.
Yet more updates: The U.S. Soccer response.
Finally, here's a non-swine flu related (mostly) pre-game analysis.
Galaxy old boy Pete Vagenas is looking forward to the game.
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Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Considering that many health authorities have tended to treat this virus by quarantining any individual who contracts it, I think it would be highly unlikely that they would allow Donovan to play on Saturday. How would they handle the risk of him coming in contact with other people?
Which also begs the question, have all of the other members of the team and Galaxy staff been tested? Did they all travel together with Donovan when they returned to the US from Mexico City?
We would have blown Mehiko away if he was @ 100%.