Monday News and Notes: Tough End to '09 for Donovan

Here are some Monday evening news and notes for you:

PK miss ends stellar year for Donovan
For those of you who did not see the MLS Cup final last night, it was an unfortunate way for Landon Donovan to end what has been the best year of his career. The USMNT star stepped up to the penalty spot after extra time and proceeded to sail his shot well over the crossbar. The Galaxy went on to lose in the shootout, in what could potentially be Landon Donovan's final game in MLS.

It's been an incredible past couple months for the Galaxy captain, who has scored 18 goals and assisted on 16 others with club and country. Donovan was named MLS MVP for the first time in his career, while also adding another Honda Player of the Year award and the title of Player of hte Decade to his resume. Had the US won the Confederations Cup, Donovan very well could have added two more trophies to his mantle, with the winners' medal and maybe even the Golden Ball. Overall, it's been another spectacular year for the California native, and his play has certainly caught the eye of the international soccer community.

So it was certainly a tough way for Landon to end 2009 on Sunday night, missing from the spot and watching RSL celebrate the title. Hopefully it has no affect (and I don't think it will) on Donovan's confidence as he potentially pursues a move to Europe and leads the USMNT in the buildup to South Africa.

FIFA calls executive meeting
Sepp Blatter and company will hold an emergency meeting on December 2nd to discuss, amongst other things, the France-Ireland controversy and the match-fixing scandal in Europe. While it does not appear that FIFA has changed their stance on a potential replay of the second leg of the playoff, it is also not yet known what exactly the desired outcome is of this meeting beyond simply discussing the controversies. There has been a lot of outrage over this game, and FIFA surely would like to do something to quell that anger and clear their own image after many have said that FIFA wanted France in the World Cup finals.

Beyond the whole Thierry Henry incident, the FIFA executives will also discuss betting irregularities in lower division competitions across Europe, as well as fan violence that surrounded both Egypt-Algeria fixtures from the last week of qualification.

Findley and Beckerman instrumental in RSL victory
Gold Cup standout Kyle Beckerman and national team prospect Robbie Findley were the key contributors in Real Salt Lake's first MLS Cup title, as the two helped turn the game around in the second half and take control. Beckerman showed a lot of poise in the midfield, distributing well and breaking up a number of Galaxy attacks. Findley, meanwhile, only added to the desire of many USMNT fans to see him called up to the senior squad, as he scored a goal and created several quality chances with penetrating runs and speed. The Oregon State product should get his opportunity in January and could very well be Bob Bradley's answer at striker.


Well that's it for now. If you'd like some extensive analysis on the MLS Cup Final, head over to Match Fit USA, where USSD has also posted a small guest piece.