It hasn’t been the best of years for Landon Donovan, who was touted as the best player for the U.S. going into this summer’s World Cup disappointment. It’s been a lousy year for the 24-year old and his MLS club, the L.A. Galaxy, too. And the fans aren’t about to let him forget about that, either. When Donovan and the Galaxy recently traveled to play D.C. United, fans in RFK Stadium greeted him with mocking banners like this one: “World Cup match tix: $100. Airfare: $1,000. Landon in Germany: Worthless.” Donovan will be the first to point out how disappointing both he and the U.S. national team were in Germany. Aside from a decent performance against Italy, Donovan was almost invisible at the World Cup. In fact, he hasn’t scored for the national team since last July, spanning 17 matches. This season with L.A. he’s scored just seven goals in 18 games, and for the first time since 2001, he isn’t a finalist for the Honda Cup, the award given each year to the nation’s best player, an award he won in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The guy is down but not out. You can’t be out when you’re only 24, but there have been big questions about his heart and his mental toughness this year. Donovan has a chance to prove people wrong with the playoffs looming and a semifinal against Houston tonight in the U.S. Open Cup, which the Galaxy won last year. Tonight is the first of several chances Donovan has to salvage something from 2006. History always shows that you can’t keep a great player down. You heard it here, Landon: now is your chance.