Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan was handed the captain’s armband this MLS season by coach Bruce Arena. It was supposed to be his somewhat last hurrah after lashing out at David Beckham’s commitment to the team in Grant Wahl’s recently released book, The Beckham Experiment.

On Sunday Donovan, acclaimed as a penalty specialist for the United States men’s national team and at his club level, banged his penalty kick high over the bar against upstart Real Salt Lake; a team that qualified for the 2009 MLS playoffs on the final day of the regular season.

That penalty miss did not turn Salt Lake into MLS Champions for 2009, it not affected the overall outcome, it was also a pivotal miss from a player of Donovan’s media-created caliber.

Did the pressure get to Donovan, who has been in the past labeled as a choke master when it comes to big games? How did he disappear during the game as well?

The disappearing and choking acts from Donovan grows, which includes countless games from the 2006 FIFA World Cup performance in Germany, to his penalty miss in the SuperLiga Final between the Galaxy and Pachuca. The Galaxy lost that game as well which ended 1-1 in regulation and extra time.

So what seems to be the problem with a player labeled as the best player the United States had developed in this sport?

Yes, Donovan was not getting great service, but he was not even visible after his cross to Mike Magee for the opening goal and Galaxy’s only goal in the 2009 MLS Cup Final in Seattle.

The recently named MLS MVP, Donovan has no one but himself to blame for not constantly being a threat to the Salt Lake defenders. At a point in time during this game, one would have thought coach Arena substituted Donovan from the game, but he was there the entire 120 plus minutes in a pulsating final at Seattle’s Qwest field, home of the Seattle Sounders and the NFL franchise Seattle Seahawks.

The game had its moments with the near misses and also injuries to Salt Lake’s midfield orchestrator Javier Morales and Galaxy’s two stalwart’s goalie Donovan Ricketts and defender Omar Gonzalez.

Just as those injuries were crucial points and changing moments in the game, Donovan, the most recognizable American player who has been speculated to make a move to Europe during the MLS offseason, pulling a disappearing act was just as huge.

For a player voted the MVP for the regular season, when everyone, detractors and fans, expected the so more out of him, he proved his doubters right. Most times, at that level, players step their game up and prove the critics wrong; Donovan just added some spice to the position most have about him being able to handle the big stage.

Most European pundits have labeled MLS as the “Mickey Mouse league” that Beckham plays in, and it only hurts Donovan’s chances of making a push for a European club, at 27, to pick him up as the doubt continues to grow.

His disappearance from the game, when an injured Beckham with three injections in his ankle to reduce the pain was seem hobbling all over the field, only jabs at his status as a top player in the sport.

If Donovan could not perform at this stage, how can he handle the bigger lights of European soccer, where the attention is quadrupled compared to what we experienced in Seattle on Sunday?

If he did not have any sway or authority on the biggest game in MLS, how can he have any influence in Europe where the competition is tougher or the World Cup next summer in South Africa, where the entire globe will be watching every second of every game?

With what we witnessed on Sunday, the important debate is if Donovan can handle the pressure of a big game period and will his inconsistency persist as well?

Even if this is the last time he wears a Galaxy uniform, which most people doubt, this is the way a lot of fans in soccer will remember Donovan; He played in MLS Cup final with Beckham for the Galaxy against a team from Salt Lake. He was instrumental in the goal with his cross to Magee, disappeared afterwards only to reappear and miss a penalty against a smaller Nick Rimando.

Not a great way to go out for the leading scorer in US soccer history and the best player the United States has ever produced in the sport. Well only time will tell, he has a league option on his contract which MLS will probably exercise in 2010 since he is still the best American out there. Also the league will not allow him to go without getting something for him, but no club will pay top dollar (or Euro) for a player who cannot handle the big stage in MLS.