Landon Donovan will return in the nearish future, perhaps

In the wake of the United States’ loss in Honduras, the calls for Landon Donovan’s return to the national team grow stronger. Any return to the Stars and Stripes, however, would be proceded by a return to the LA Galaxy. And how is that going? Well…

The Los Angeles Times’ Jim Peltz caught up with Bruce Arena who offered a few quick thoughts on his wayward player.

“We expect to have Landon back in the near future, and by that I mean I would hope over the next couple of months we have that whole thing settled and he’s back on the field playing for the Galaxy,” the coach said, following it up later with “I think the time off has been good for [Donovan] and he’s going to be eager to get back on the field.”

That’s not exactly the most ringing endorsement for a return now is it? He may be back in a couple months and he’s probably eager to be back on the field. We assume Donovan will play at some point during the year, but shouldn’t there be some more concrete timeline by now? (Maybe there is and we’re not privy to it, but still…)

The MLS season starts in less than a month, so Donovan is almost certainly out for the opening game if one believes Arena’s timetable. That, in turn, would likely mean that he won’t play in the qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico. If Donovan skips the qualifier at Azteca, you really have to wonder if he’s ever going to make a return to the red, white, and blue.

(h/t @grantwahl and @ecauich)