Grant Wahl article on Landon Donovan

Yeah wow, Donovan wants to be out of the spotlight and has seemed to lost some of his motivation? Whats up with that? He's always been a bit of a candid person but I'm not sure if he should put all that out there.

 

"If I want to play another year, then I'll play another year. If I don't want to play another year, then I don't play another year. If I want to play five more years, I'll play five more years. But from when I was a little kid I've done everything I wanted to do."​

Yup, that's Landon. He isn't doing any of this for you or me or our expectations. He'll do this thing how he wants and when he's done, he'll quit. That whole interview seemed very much in character. He could probably physically keep going, but I gotta think it sounds like Brazil is his finale with the US team.​

 

And people in here were saying that he will play through the 2018 WC SMH! at those people. I believe the 2014 WC will be his farewell with the USMNT, he had a great International career possibly one of the best USMNT players of all time but had a disappointing club career IMO.

 

Reading this hurt... a lot.

What kind of cosmic joke is it that the most gifted player -- by a clownish margin -- in the history of American soccer is, frankly, soft?

God knows how many youth tournament goals. Portugal goal. Everton stint(s). Algeria goal. And with all that talent he thinks he owes the game and the fans jack shit.

Landon, you have more talent and skill in your left toe than I will ever dream of having. You just don't get it, though.

 

When I first truly fell in love with the USMNT was the year 2000, that's when we started our qualifying tournament for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea. Landon first appeared on the scene in 2001. I was a 21 year old Junior then, just a few years older than him. Since then, the USMNT has brought me more ups and downs than a roller coaster, well above and beyond any other of my sports loves. Landon was central to every single one of those ups and downs. The incredible run in the 2002 World Cup. Getting crushed by Mexico 4 - 0 in the Olympic Qualifying tournament. The incredibly dissappointing 2006 world cup. The incredibly gratifying 2007 Gold Cup. An amazing Confed Cup run in 2009 that brought us to the final, and included a win over #1 in the World Spain in the semifinal. A 2010 World Cup that literally brought me to my knees in joy...and pain, a 2011 Gold Cup loss to Mexico, that dissappointingly feels like the passing of the crown, to the South. There's going to be one more run with Landon, the 2012 World Cup. It looks like our best team ever, and fittingly Landon will be what he's always desired to be - the ultimate role player, and someone who doesn't carry the side, but enables others to do it around him.

For those of who were there from the beginning of the Landon era, we know how exhilirating, sorrowful, incredible, magical, dissappointing...just plain EXHAUSTING this era has been. In my life as an avid sports fan, I'm never going to have the fan to player relationship I will with any other athlete than Landon Donovan. No other athlete can make me as delighted, dissappointed, angered, or joyful with any game like he can.

As a fan, if I'm this tired...I can't even imagine how tired he is. He's had to carry this sport in this country on his back since he was 19, be the face of a National team which means he's the face of any failures and successes of the entire program, since 19. Just think of the program changed between 2000 and 2012. It's utterly unrecognizable. Landon is central that change.

Landon, I wish you the best of luck in qualifying and the World Cup, and I hope you retire after a succesful tournament. Enough is a enough, you've earned your rest, and to be a bit selfish, so have us fans that have been a part of this program since you showed up on the scene.

When the USSF creates your send off match, I will be there. I hope the freakin Rose Bowl sells out for that. It's what you deserve.

 

Honestly, in the ultra-competitive world of pro sports, I enjoy those random athletes like Donovan and Cassano who just don't seem to be as insanely driven as everyone else.

It is incredibly frustrating when it's one of the most talented US players ever.

 

2014 World Cup.

 

There's a lot to digest here, for us (most importantly) but also for JK.

This interview reminds me that I have never told the story of the time I ran into LD on the street many summers ago. But I digress.

First page!

 

Well, there's also some chatter this past week or two that LD will be moving on to greener pastures and teaming up with Timmy, for longer than a brief 8 or 10 week stint. Change of scenery would probably help recharge his batteries, and I doubt he's enjoying his time in LA much right now. Going from being a fan favorite at Everton to playing on currently one of the worst clubs in MLS which might be out of the playoffs by the time he and Keane return,would be quite depressing and kill your excitement somewhat, wouldn't it?

Will he play to 35 or beyond? Who knows. But I think there are some very exciting times ahead for LD both in England and the WC coming up.

 

Unfortunately, I can't feel too sorry for Donovan as his own indecisiveness is causing him to get worn down. He's played 45 matches since July 1 last year, it seems like taking it easy in MLS is the right thing to do. Some players love a heavy schedule, others don't.

 

I see this as a story with 4 parts:
I. The cocky phenom (up thru WC 2002)
II. The unlikely villain (The SJ/Leverkusen/LA debacle followed by an uninspiring WC)
III. Redemption (Everton, WC 2010, MLS cup)
IV. ?

The next act is unclear, but I can see how he might have to find the motivation to repeat these struggles, knowing he's probably on the decline physically (and it sounds like mentally).

The real surprise for me, was the bit about not wanting the attention after WC 2010. It seems the energy was largely positive around him and the team. If anything, i thought he would have soured more from the abuse he took after 2006 - which got downright nasty and personal. Or the Beckham thing. Or anything in his career, other than probably the most successful 12 months he ever had. I wonder what it was that got to him.

 

I'm wondering the same thing, isn't this the same guy who actually cared whether he was winning the Sportsnation video of the year? Or whatever that was, something that guys that are burnt out don't do.

Now about a year or more later he is all the sudden down and out and admitting it?

Don't know whats wrong with him but hope he finds a second wind before Brazil. At this rate he may not even want to be there.

 

GW goes to the well one more time.

 

Should have stayed at Everton. Garber wants too much, not going to happen now, age and price is too high.

He can do what he wants, he's the best US field player ever, performance-wise. If he wishes to retire from the international game after 2014 then so be it. If he wants to quit soccer all together then so be it.

Him retiring and there being no "replacement" isn't his concern or problem, that's the USSF problem. Need to get our head out of our ass and make sure young Americans get more playing time in MLS.

This is semi-off topic: but MLS needs to revamp the reserve league big time, and perhaps require teams to start more Americans. Because the reserve league at the moment is a joke, and our young players are not getting enough games. That's not an opinion from me, not a slam at the league, but a FACT. We need to spend less time trying to add teams every year, more time on youth development and improving what we already have. If the idea of development is just making money from new expansion cities then how is the pool improving? The talent pool get's diluted as team's lose players to the expansion draft, and our player pool even with foreigners isn't enough to sustain a decent playing level. Fix the reserve league and force teams to play young Americans.

No Donovan in our U-17s, U-20s. No offense to Gatt but I laugh when people say he's the next Donovan. He's no where near what Donovan was at that age.

 

It is a popular well.

 

Am I surprised it is Landon Donovan saying he is burnt out or lost his drive to compete? No. I am however extremely disappointed and sad. The man that led us for a decade is on the brink of calling it a day. I assume this might have a bit to do with his divorce. I could be wrong. All I know is that he is still the best player to have ever put on the shirt for the United States of America and that this is a man that I really wanted to reach his full potential. He just never wanted it. It's weird really. To prove himself in S. Africa and to then say that month of success is enough for him is incomprehensible to me. I would have been overjoyed with what I had done there and would have looked to keep going. Get out of LA and prove myself again in England. It was just never meant to be with Landon and that does hurt. What would any of us here have given for just the opportunity to play football professionally, let alone have the talent to be one of the best to have ever represented the country I loved abroad at the club level and on the international stage? It's a kid's dream.

This is painful. It really is.

 

Ives is such a fat POS. Disrespectful towards any piece of furniture he plants his ass on. Tried telling him to eat more salads, but be blocked me from both his website and twitter. He'd probably eat me if he could.

Hell, looks like he was looking at Landon thinking he'd taste good on a grill with a little BBQ sauce.

 

2018? I got into a massive dust-up on these boards 3 years ago with a guy who said that Donovan will be our captain thru 2022. Ridiculous indeed. My opinion has always been that it was 2014 and done for him on the national stage, but mostly because I can't see him having enough of his speed left in 2018 for him to beat out the up and comers (his greatness was predicated on his speed, though his technical ability augmented that enough to make him the overall player we know). This really shouldn't be surprising to anyone. He has never lived soccer the way the fanatics wanted him to. Hats off to him. He's going to do it HIS way.

 

Never say never.

 

Seems to me he's coming to a point where he realizes the game and what people think about his play in it do not define him as a person. It's good to see.

I don't see it as soft in the slightest. I think he's being honest with himself. A lot of us get there in our careers. A lot of us decide that showing ourselves and others that we can top the last achievement doesn't matter as much as it used to, if at all. Landon is just asking himself those questions in a public setting.

I've watched the entire Landon journey as well. He started a paradoxically cocky and insecure kid. His class always showed. His form sometimes slipped. He was constantly questioned, with the stupidest f'ing nickname ever given on these boards being the primary example. From 2008-2010 he had a run where he showed himself and the world could he can play with anyone anywhere. Now he doesn't have to prove anything.

So he has one question left to answer. Does he enjoy this? We'll see. I don't care. He's given enough - hopefully he finds what makes him happy, soccer or otherwise.

 

People like him give BigSoccer a bad reputation SMH ridiculous indeed!

 

He better hurry up but he said he is staying in LA next year.