And what transpired over the next 15 years was a career that embodied all that was promising and to some, disappointing about the archetype of the American soccer player.ĭonovan broke no new barriers as a young American player heading overseas to ply his trade. Unbeknownst to a country whose palpable apathy for the world’s game was the fact that Landon Donovan would become the face of American soccer. In 1999, the timing was almost perfect for the United States to welcome a fresh face to its international program after the embarrassment at World Cup 1998. When Donovan burst onto the scene for after at the 1999 under-17 World Cup in New Zealand, his play led to the young American being recognised as the Player of the Tournament and made him the media’s selection for the Adidas Golden Ball award. After being controversially left out of the final 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup by Jürgen Klinsmann, his subsequent retirement from the national team seemed inevitable.ĭonovan’s accolades are many, but they pale in comparison to the responsibilities he shouldered during his illustrious career. As a veteran of three World Cups, Donovan the player will be remembered for both dramatics on the field and off it.
The California native, at 32-years-old, was – and is – the leading scorer in USMNT history, with 57 goals in 157 games for the national team. His presence in Major League Soccer and for the United States Men’s National Team was something most took for granted - including Donovan himself.
“It’s better to burn out than to fade away”.Īt the risk of channeling the oft-used cliché line made famous by the Neil Young song, “My My, Hey Hey”, the sentiment applies to Landon Donovan’s exit from the world of professional soccer.
Sitting in traffic, I resisted the urge to listen to anything sports-related and put on a classic rock station and heard a Neil Young song. I was sad because of what had happened for the past 15 years, the good and the bad, coming to an end. I found it a bit odd and capricious seeing as just over six weeks earlier, the majority of Americans acted as though Landon Donovan was not deserving of a chance to represent his country in Brazil because he dared to take a break and admit he was mentally exhausted.Īdmittedly, I was a bit sad when Donovan announced his retirement, but not because of what happened during the previous past year-and-a-half. When Donovan announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2014 season, the outpouring of support and gratitude for arguably America’s best ever soccer player was immense.
Seeing Landon Donovan score against Bayern Munich in a meaningless game somehow signified a type of finality reserved for movie scripts.