MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- It was the perfect scenario for Landon Donovan. The all-time leading scorer in U.S. history was set to earn his 100th cap at Wembley Stadium against England.
But then a groin strain sidelined him from not only that match, but the U.S. national team's next highly anticipated match, as well -- at Spain on Wednesday.
"Candidly I was looking forward to playing those two games more than any other game I've looked forward to in a long time," Donovan said. "Maybe in hindsight I probably should have just stayed back and let it rest the whole time, but the idea that I could play at Wembley against England and play in Spain against Spain was exciting and I wanted to do everything I could to make that happen, but it just didn't happen."
Donovan is back. While he's not 100 percent, the Los Angeles Galaxy attacking midfielder wasn't limited in the U.S. training session Friday at Montclair State University and should be healthy enough to reach that milestone Sunday against Argentina in a friendly at Giants Stadium.
"As you see, he trained today," national team manager Bob Bradley said. "We are hopeful that he'll be able to play. A final decision wont be made until game day, but the signs that he'll be able to play I think are good."
Sure earning his 100th cap at Wembley would have been special. But doing it at Giants Stadium in front of more than 70,000 fans against the No. 1 team in the world isn't too shabby, either.
"It's not on my mind anymore," Donovan said. "Because it worked out the way it did and I could have played England, that was exciting. Now I just want to get back on the field. I miss being out there."
Playing three of the top teams in the world over an 11-day span is not an ideal situation. But the chance to play No. 11 England and No. 4 Spain in Europe and top-ranked Argentina at Giants Stadium turned out to be an offer Bradley couldn't refuse.
"When these games came up, it didn't look likely that there could be all three," he said. "At one point they said there was a 10 percent chance of this one, a 20 percent here and a 20 percent there. We end up with the trifecta. I don't think anyone planned that part out, but they're too good to turn down."
And the anticipation of facing an Argentina side featuring some of the greatest players in the world certainly helps alleviate any of the jetlag the team might be feeling after losing 1-0 to Spain Wednesday night.
"When you're playing against the No. 1 team in the world you're going to have some adrenaline, you're going to be pumped up to play," Freddy Adu said. "We're talking about it all the time. We know it's a great opportunity."
The U.S. couldn't have asked for a tougher three games leading up to its World Cup qualifying, which begins June 15 against Barbados at The Home Depot Center. Argentina crushed CONCACAF powerhouse Mexico 4-1 in front of 68,489 fans at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego Wednesday night.
"The more that we see those type of teams," Clint Dempsey said, "the better we're going to be."
On Friday, Bradley named a 19-man squad that will take on Argentina, most of whom were in Santander a few days earlier. Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan and Donovan were the only additions from the team that played against Spain, replacing Josh Wolff and Carlos Bocanegra.
"They have a ton of good players," said Kljestan, who tries to model his game after Argentinean great Esteban Cambiasso. "I'm really looking forward to testing myself against these guys and see how I match up."
Bradley said he initially planned on calling Jozy Altidore into his squad for this match and it could have served as a final farewell for the 18-year-old forward after MLS and Villarreal of La Liga agreed in principle to a transfer fee for the soon-to-be-former Red Bulls forward.
But a left ankle contusion Altidore suffered in training Monday on the same field at Montclair State and didn't practice the rest of the week. He also didn't dress against Chivas USA Thursday night.
"He's got a lot going on right now," Bradley said of Altidore. "We were thinking he'd be with us for the Argentina game and then he would go with us to begin in terms of preparation for the first Barbados game. Certainly the Argentina game is now out and then we'll assess everything and see where it fits in over the next few weeks."
While Altidore will miss playing at Giants Stadium perhaps for one last time, one former MetroStars midfielder will get a chance to return to his former haunts.
"For me, it's awesome," said midfielder Michael Bradley. "I was born in New Jersey, have lived here for a long time, still have a lot of friends, know a lot of great people who live here. To be around for a few days and to be able to play against a team like Argentina at Giants Stadium, you can't ask for anything more."
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