David Beckham claimed that departed L.A. Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit was "comfortable with the players," but Landon Donovan was "less inclined to buy into that line of thinking," writes Grahame Jones. The forward spoke of being disrespected by Gullit, while acknowledging the difficulties for first-time foreign coaches of taking on a team in Major League Soccer.
Donovan said his relationship with Gullit "was actually better toward the end. Initially, he was a little hard on me. I was always fine with that as long as it was respectful. At times it was a little disrespectful and that bothered me. But I think he figured out that as long as he treated me respectfully he could say things to me and I would get on with it."
It had been hard for Gullit to adjust to the ways of MLS, Donovan said, because "if you've been in a certain way of soccer for 40 years and you come somewhere where you can't get the players you want, you can't do the things you want, you don't have an unlimited budget, you have other issues around you that affect things, then it makes it very difficult."
Donovan also talked about a possible third stint in Europe. "I've had in my mind for a while now that if I have an opportunity, a real opportunity, a good opportunity, to go somewhere, that I would examine it," he told Jones. "But I'm having my best year ever, so I don't really want to leave." If he did, "England is easiest because of the language barrier, but I would be open to going anywhere. But that's in the future, if it comes about."