If he were to play in 2014 and 2018 he would match the most of all time with former MLS Star bum Lothar Matthaus and Mexican star Antonio Carbajal. He would be 36 in 2018. Does he still have the desire to do it? Would he still have something to offer?
I think he is putting all his last remaining eggs in the 2014 WC basket. He's doing all the right things, saying all the right things, and I truly feel he has the fire in his gut for one last push, but he's on his last legs IMO in terms of his drive to play the game at the highest standard. I would bet he plays 1-2 more years for Galaxy, but retires internationally after this WC. Editted: The weird thing is though, if he can stay at the level or near the level he is on currently, I'm not sure there will still be a player that we would have that could change a game like him. Who would it be in four years? Weren't we talking about LD in early 2010 just the same as we are today?
I can't see how he could possibly make the 2018 squad. I am really curious if he is going to be a full 90 minute player in 2014. I can envision him being subbed in one or two games.
If it does happen my question would be if anyone in the world ever played more than 4 WC tournaments.
If Donovan doesn't do it. Beasley will. (I really do think at least one of them will appear in 5 World Cups, and I think it is more likely to be Donovan.) The real question, imo, is once the Qatar World Cup unravels and the USA is awarded the replacement hosting duties for 2022, which of them will come out of retirement at age 40 and appear in the World Cup finals at home and score the winning goal in their 6th World Cup. Again, my money (not a lot of it though) is on Donovan for that honor.
I believe Kristine Lilly is coming up on her 7th World Cup. (Actually, she only has 5, as she didn't go to WWC2011 even though she did have some qualifying appearances in 2010.)
I think Landon's swan song might be the Copa America in 2016 if they pull that off. I can't see him playing in 2018, not even in the Hex qualifiers.
Landon is a special player, and I am going to enjoy every minute of 2014. But time stands still for no one. He will very likely not be in our list of top 20 field players in 2018 -- not even in a role playing / off-the-bench capacity. It is going to be a tough moment when the final whistle blows on our 2014 tournament because it will almost certainly be the end of Landon's remarkable international career.
Could he do it? Yes. He's an incredibly fit athlete. Does he want to do it? Probably not. It's conceivable that he'll retire from the national team after WC14.
I'm not meaning this to sound demeaning toward LD, but for the USMNT's sake, I hope we're not needing Donovan come 2018. That would say a lot about us if that came to fruition.
that's what i was thinking. it's great if he can, and maybe we'll keep him around for a 'one last friendly' or something, but i don't see him in the world cup in 2018.
If Donovan explodes (and I don't necessarily think it is all that likely) for 4 or 5 goals or something like that at WC2014, (and/or if LD is utilized and effective during the 2016/17 qualifiers, which I think he certainly can or will be) then I think JK might have a hard time not taking him to Russia (if the player has any interest in playing internationally then). And I would suspect that the player may have some interest in trying to play for club and country for another full cycle. (There's also the very real possibility that the USMNT as a whole, or LD himself, might have a very disappointing and sub-par WC2014, and he'd be not all that eager to "go out like that" and could be motivated to try to push through another full WC cycle ending in Russia.) But I can also see the reality that the 2014 World Cup, or the 2016 Copa America Centennial (if that happens in the US), might be his international sign-off.
The point is that an American has played in 5 senior World Cups. If Donovan or Beasley does it, they would be the first American male(s) to do so, and would join all of Lothar Mattaus and Antonio Carbaja and Kristine Lilly in that impressive 5-timers club.
Sure. But retirement is always a temporary condition. Not that I ever expect anyone to un-retire specifically to appear in a 5th or 6th WC, or whatever.
Sure. On the women's side of the game. (Not that that analysis necessarily fits in this sub-forum, so my apologies for going slightly off-topic.) I was just trying to point out the true composition of the group that qualifies for the amazing individual honor of having the talent and longevity to appear in 5 senior World Cups.
Nope, for the most part we weren't. Indeed, I went toe-to-toe with people back then that were arguing that they expected him to be on the 2022 team, at 40. The conventional wisdom in 2010 was that he would easily be on the 2018 team, because he was 'the fittest player on the team', 'miles better than anyone coming up', etc. In 2010, just before the last WC, I gave him 75%/25% odds for being on THIS squad, arguing that I had to allow for the 25% as he is the type of guy I could realistically see retiring early, based upon his demeanor. he loves the game. he's great at the game. he just doesn't LIVE the game like some guys do. I turned out to be on the money about his thinking as he ended up taking a Sabbatical in 2012. So now we really think that 6 years after that Sabbatical he is going to be on the WC team, at 36? I would turn my odds to at BEST 10%/90% for 2018, and I think that's being generous. I just don't see it happening.
This summer will be his last one. He'll probably retire from international play or stick it out until after the Gold Cup.
Yeah, but the US might need 3-4 more Nagbe-equivalents to keep Donovan off of the 2018 roster (and WC fields). I tend to believe Donovan will be able to do pretty much anything he wants to -- in terms of involvement with the USMNT -- across the next full cycle. (But really, who knows what he wants to do? Obviously, people are going to continue to ask that question and analyze Donovan and his continual future "potential" with the USMNT -- even if the player goes on another sabbatical or "retires" prior to 2018.)