CARSON, Calif. – No game nor foe is more important than any other, everyone in MLS will tell you, but Landon Donovan knows that the LA Galaxy's match with the New York Red Bulls is going to be pretty special.
The Galaxy star, who is retiring at season's end, will face off against French great Thierry Henry, likely for the final time, and that's a meeting worth watching.
“I think sometimes we forget how special his career's been,” Donovan said ahead of Sunday's showdown at StubHub Center (8:30 pm ET; ESPN2). “When you're caught up in the moment and you're caught up in the next game, you just see him as an opponent that you're trying to figure out and stop, but when you think about it historically, it's pretty special that we get a chance to play against him.
“I'm certainly not in awe of him [while we're] playing, but when you step back before or after the game and look at what he's done, it's pretty amazing. It's special that we get to play against him.”
Donovan, 32, has just four MLS games, plus playoffs, plus one US national team game (Oct. 10 vs. Ecuador in East Hartford, Conn.), left in his playing career. Henry, 37, has said he'll decide whether he soldiers on once the season has concluded.
This could be one of the last chances to see either on the field, certainly against each other.
“Hopefully, it's not the last time,” Donovan said. “Hopefully, they see us again [at the MLS Cup final] in December.”
Donovan has been at his best, certainly an MVP-caliber performance, since announcing last month that he would retire at season's end, and it has helped spur the Galaxy (15-5-9) to some of their best soccer, ever. Henry, whom many speculate will hang up his boots in December, also has been outstanding for New York (10-8-11), which is in what appears to be a five-team fight for the final three Eastern Conference playoff spots.
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Donovan says Henry deserves some of the credit for the season Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips, MLS's Golden Boot leader with 24 goals, is putting together.
“Clearly, Bradley Wright-Phillips is sort of unstoppable right now,” Donovan said. “We're going to try to stop him, and I think people sort of, if you can even say this, are overlooking the way Henry's played and the service he provides Wright-Phillips. ... It's one of those things where I think Henry still draws so much attention, that it gives Wright-Phillips the opportunity to just float, get in good spots and get in front of the goal.
“He doesn't have to do a whole lot else on the field. ... Everything he touches turns to gold, so you can't give him a chance. The goal is going to be to prevent service from Henry and other around him, and don't give him a chance to get a shot off.”
Donovan announced his retirement one day after the MLS All-Star Game in Portland, in which he replaced Henry during the MLS stars' victory over Bayern Munich. Henry said after Donovan revealed his plans that it was “pretty special” sharing that moment with him.
“When you think about the MLS and when you think about U.S. soccer, you think about Landon Donovan,” Henry said. “The amount of games he’s played for the national team, the amount of goals, what he represents for [Americans] is a symbol.”
Donovan has similar praise for Henry.
“I think he's meant a lot to French football, he meant a lot to Arsenal, and he's meant a lot to the Red Bull,” Donovan said. “He's brought them back to prominence after a long time of not being really prominent on the national scope. It's been impressive what they've done there with him, and I'm going to try to enjoy the last encounter.”
