By any measure, Landon Donovan has already had a very successful year. There was the perception-altering loan to Everton in January, the Supporters Shield-winning campaign with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and of course, those three goals at the World Cup.
He's played 51 games this year. He's exhausted. In a Wednesday conference call, he admitted that recovering physically and emotionally from the World Cup, then pouring himself into the remainder of the MLS season wasn't easy.
"Physically you have to get your body to a place where you're able to sustain the rest of the year," he said. "I had to be smart about it, and fortunately I've had the experience of having gone through this twice before, and (L.A. coach Bruce Arena) has the experience with me and knowing what my body needs."
The challenge is "keeping myself sharp while not wearing myself out," Donovan said.
It also helps to have something to play for. Goals have a way of infusing a bit of energy into tired legs.
It's been a while since Donovan won a league championship. He was 23 years old when the eighth-seeded Galaxy roared to the 2005 MLS Cup title following a .500 regular season.
"I won the championship two out of my first three years (with the San Jose Earthquakes) and then three out of my first five years, and at that point I almost assumed that was normal and that was just the way it went," he said in response to a question from FanHouse.
The next five years featured plenty of ups and downs, to say the least. Donovan swung from American soccer anti-hero in 2006 to the man who inspired this in 2010. He went from feeling agitated and marginalized by David Beckham to wearing the captain's armband and forging a dynamic partnership with his famous English teammate. He got married, got separated, became a household name, led the U.S. to the Confederations Cup Final, missed the MLS playoffs three straight years then missed a penalty kick in last year's MLS Cup Final.
He grew up a whole lot. In short, 2005 feels like a lifetime ago.
That's why a fourth MLS title would be so meaningful, and with that trophy lying just 180 minutes away, Donovan has found renewed energy.
"My perspective has absolutely changed," he told FanHouse. "As you get older and play longer and realize how difficult it is for those things to happen, you appreciate it more.
"Last year gave me a lot of appreciation for what it takes mainly because I was the captain, and I was so tuned into this team. You know what goes on behind the scenes. You know what it takes ever day. You know it takes 22, 23, 24 guys throughout the year to make it happen.
"My level of appreciation has gotten a lot deeper and greater and I realize that you don't know what your team is going to look like in the future. We assume our team will still be competitive year after year, and with Bruce here it's going to help that, but you never know. And if you have a team that's this good and has a realistic chance of winning it, you want to take advantage of it."
That urgency prevented any post-World Cup malaise, Donovan said.
"There can be a tendency to have a letdown. But for me, playing soccer is deeper than that now. It doesn't mean every week that I'm perfect and I bring the perfect effort every time. But I try to be completely committed every time I step on the field now," he told reporters.
"Honestly, it was a challenge for me because the easy way would have been to say, 'You know what? I've had a great year. I went to Everton. Things went pretty well there. I had a good World Cup. Who cares about the rest of the year?'" he said.
"That was a challenge that I wanted to take on and make sure that I kept driving this team forward and got us back to the playoffs and got us into the position we're in Sunday."
On Sunday, the Galaxy host FC Dallas in the Western Conference Final. The winner will advance to the league championship game in Toronto on Nov. 21. While Donovan will be gunning for his fourth title, Dallas hasn't advanced beyond the semis in its 14-year history.
FanHouse asked Arena about the resolute defensive performance by Donovan and David Beckham in the conference semifinals against Seattle, and the coach said that his veterans had the experience, the will and the energy in reserve to take the Galaxy to Toronto.
"I think they're doing the things that are required of any player on the field. David and Landon are no different than any other player. The realize some of the challenges and responsibilities they have during these matches. We don't let them off the hook, like anybody else. The reason that Landon and David are great players is because they're great competitors as well," Arena said in response.
"They're competitive guys," he continued. "When they step on the field, they step on the field to win. For a team to be successful, you have to have 11 players give the kind of effort that's necessary to win."
Donovan had every excuse to downshift a gear or two when he returned from South Africa. But he has one very compelling reason to push through until the end, and that's a championship that certainly will mean more to him than any other.
November 11 2010 Last updated at 12:20 PM ET
Landon Donovan Relishes Championship Chase
By Brian Straus
Senior Soccer Writer
Read More: MLS English Premier League U.S. Men's National Team FC Dallas Los Angeles Galaxy Real Salt Lake Seattle Sounders FC Bruce+Arena, David+Beckham, Everton, Landon+Donovan, MLS+Playoffs, MLS+Playoffs+2010
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