Landon Donovan couldn't wait for the Galaxy's preseason camp to begin, and now he can't wait for Monday, when the team will begin working with the ball.

“This is the first time I can remember where I had enough time to really get antsy to play again,” said Donovan, who had offseason loans the past two seasons, to Bayern Munich and Everton. “And we haven't technically started with the ball yet, but I'm excited to be back, to see new faces and to start up again, and that hasn't happened in awhile.”

The Galaxy opened camp Monday at Home Depot Center, the first week devoted to fitness and gym work, starting preparations for the March 15 MLS opener at Seattle.

Here are six questions with Donovan:

What was it like to actually have an offseason?

“It was nice. A little bit of traveling, a lot of rest. I'm so used to going all the time that it was almost difficult to relax. You want to find something to do, and you almost have to force yourself to relax.

“My body, actually until probably last week, there were still some spots that hurt. I knew [taking the offseason off] was the right decision. But I also knew it was the right time to come back when I watched the U.S. [play Chile on Saturday night at Home Depot Center], and it was just killing me to be on my couch watching.”

It's a very different attack the Galaxy have, with Edson Buddle and Tristan Bowen gone and Juan Pablo Angel, Chad Barrett and Adam Cristman arriving. Your thoughts?

“There's no question that losing Edson hurts. It's going to be up to a lot of us to make up for his production. We're obviously all very happy for him, and to see him score in his first game [for FC Ingolstadt] is great. Moving forward, I think Bruce did a great job of bringing in at least three guys who are going to really compete and do a good job for us.

“Juan Pablo's resumé speaks for itself. Adam Cristman was always a guy that I liked when he played for New England early on, and he's had a tough time with injuries. And Chad is a guy I think needed a fresh start. You could tell he was probably a little stale in Toronto. I think with Bruce [Arena, the head coach] and the atmosphere we have here, he's a guy who's going to do really well for us.”

Is this a more dangerous attack than last year?

“I think we're deeper up front than we were last year. We were just overly dependent on Edson last year, and, thankfully, he didn't get hurt seriously at some point or we would have had some real problems. But this year we've got a lot of depth, and we've got a lot of good attacking options.”

What's your role? Will you be in midfield again?

“Possibly. It doesn't matter. As a general rule, I want to be more dangerous in front of the goal regardless of where I'm playing. I think last year, because of the amount of games [with Everton, the Galaxy and the U.S. national team] and the amount of wear, I did things a little more beneficial to the team in other ways. But this year I want to be more dangerous. And with Edson leaving, I feel like there's a need for that.

“Hopefully, the other forwards prove me wrong, and I can play in different roles that Bruce needs me to, but regardless of all that, I want to make sure that I'm more dangerous and get a lot more looks at goal.”

David Beckham is training with Tottenham and won't be in camp until the second week of February. Does that get in the way of the preseason team-building process?

“I would normally say yeah, but every year we've spent significant time without David, whether it's been injuries or he's been away. This team knows how to gel quickly, and David does a really good job of coming to the team. The expectation is to have him back relatively soon, so he can be with the team. And for me, this is the first time in a long time that I'll be with the team during preseason, too. It does make a difference. It's nice to know guys from day one so you don't have any hiccups in the beginning of the season.”

Any concerns that David, after not being granted the loan deal he sought, might arrive unhappy and unproductive?

“That [loan-deal possibility with Tottenham] has nothing to do with us, really. Whatever happened or didn't happen, there's probably a lot of factors involved. … He's never been that kind of guy, who's just going to moan. When he's here, he wants to play and he wants to win, and I'm sure the day he gets back here, he's going to be ready to go.”