Tag: Landon Donovan

Donovan: ‘Door is open’ to becoming permanent San Diego Wave coach

The USMNT legend denied he was using the Wave job as a stepping stone

Landon Donovan may be the interim coach of the San Diego Wave for now, but the American soccer legend has admitted that he is eying the job on a full-time basis.

Donovan was surprisingly named to the position last week, taking over from Paul Buckle, another interim coach. Buckle took over in June after the Wave sacked Casey Stoney.

The 42-year-old admitted at a press conference on Monday that he faces a “steep” learning curve as he coaches in the women’s game for the first time.

“Steep, for sure,” Donovan said. “I have a baseline, I know a lot of the players here [in San Diego] from watching them throughout the last few seasons, but the rest of the league … I’m going to have to lean on people, and I’m getting up to speed fast.”

Donovan has previously coached in the USL Championship, leading the San Diego Loyal for three seasons. The Loyal folded last year amid competition from incoming MLS side San Diego FC.

The joint all-time leading U.S. men’s national team scorer dismissed the idea that he was using the Wave position as a stepping stone to another job.

“People questioned my motivation when I didn’t play in Europe my whole career, and I was happy to play in L.A. and help grow MLS around good people and have passion for a project that I believed in, and be close to my family,” he said. “So I’m different in that way, I’ve always been different. I don’t worry about the next job or the next gig or what this means, or the stepping stone.”

In fact, Donovan didn’t hide his desire to make the position permanent should things go well for the remainder of the season.

“The door is open, but what we’ve agreed on is through the end of the season and we’ll go from there,” he said. “We’ve [Donovan and Wave president Jill Ellis] both said, ‘Look, if it goes well, let’s have the conversation. If it doesn’t, one side doesn’t want it or the other, no problem.’ There’s no hard feelings, and we’ll move on.”

Donovan’s first game in charge will come on Tuesday, when the Wave travel to Panama to face Santa Fé in their first match of the Concacaf W Champions Cup.

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Landon Donovan named San Diego Wave interim coach

The USMNT legend doesn’t appear to have any experience coaching in the women’s game

American soccer legend Landon Donovan has been named the San Diego Wave’s interim head coach for the rest of the 2024 season.

The Wave surprisingly fired Casey Stoney in June and have been led by Paul Buckle on an interim basis since the move. Buckle has led the Wave to a 1W-3L-1D record since taking over, and the NWSL club has now opted to make another change.

The move was first reported by Sandiego.futbol and was later confirmed by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“We are thrilled to have Landon join the club and lead the team for the remainder of the season, including the first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup,” said Wave general manager Camille Ashton.

“Landon’s level of knowledge, understanding, and experience as both a player and a coach, provides us with a leader that can help guide this club to where we want to be – in a playoff position and competing for a championship. His passion for this city and growing the game, along with having a player-first mentality, make him a natural fit for this club.”

Donovan, 42, served as head coach of USL Championship side San Diego Loyal between 2020 and 2022, moving to a role as executive VP of soccer operations ahead of the 2023 season. The Loyal folded last year amid competition from incoming MLS side San Diego FC.

The joint all-time U.S. men’s national team scoring leader does not appear to have any experience coaching in the women’s game. Donovan most recently served as a lead match analyst for Fox’s coverage of Euro 2024.

His first game in charge will come on Tuesday, when the Wave travel to Panama to face Santa Fé in their first match of the Concacaf W Champions Cup.

Following that match, the Wave face rival Angel City FC in a NWSL game on August 24.

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‘I’ve been in her shoes’ – Donovan ‘heartbroken’ for Morgan after Olympics snub

“For me, it was about two weeks of being really depressed and sad”

U.S. men’s national team legend Landon Donovan knows what Alex Morgan is going through right now.

U.S. women’s national team coach Emma Hayes dropped Morgan from her Olympics roster on Wednesday, ending a run of seven straight major tournaments for the USWNT legend.

For many, seeing Morgan dropped for the Olympics was reminiscent of another monumental moment in American soccer history that took place 10 years ago.

In a decision that still reverberates to this day, Jürgen Klinsmann dropped Donovan from his 2014 World Cup roster despite Donovan’s status as a USMNT legend and his strong form leading up to the tournament.

Though there are some differences — Klinsmann had a larger roster to work with and Donovan was in better form in 2014 than Morgan is now — there are obvious parallels between the two situations.

For Donovan, who spoke to USA TODAY’s Mackenzie Salmon as part of his partnership with Zevo Bug Spray, one similarity stands out in a major way.

“I’ve been in her shoes and it’s a horrible, horrible feeling,” Donovan said.

“Ultimately, in our sport and in most team sports, one person ends up making a decision on your career sometimes. And that’s the reality — we all know it, we all signed up for it. So it’s not woe is me, but that is the reality and if one person decides that you’re not going, you don’t go and so that’s the difficult part.”

Though Donovan didn’t get into the specifics of Hayes’ decision, he couldn’t help but feel for a fellow legend of American soccer.

“I’m really just sad and heartbroken for Alex,” Donovan said. “I’ve been in those shoes. She has done so much for our women’s national team, and for U.S. soccer in general. And I just hope this doesn’t define her. I hope she doesn’t define herself by this.

“It’s going to be a hard pill to swallow for sure. But she’s a really strong woman and I know she’ll be OK. It’s just, this is going to be a hard time for her.”

Thinking back to his own feelings from a decade prior, Donovan attempted to give Morgan some advice as she processes a difficult blow.

“I would say it will pass,” the 42-year-old said. “For me, it was about two weeks of being really depressed and sad. Because you’re realizing in that moment that your career with the national team is coming to an end. And you didn’t get to decide it — someone else told you that it was over. And so that’s really difficult. You don’t have any control over that, and that’s hard for her.”

Watch Donovan’s interview with USA TODAY

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Landon Donovan had a hilarious explanation for his wild hairstyle at Euro 2024 in text to former teammate

The explanation we all waited for.

Former U.S. men’s national team star and current Fox Sports analyst Landon Donovan had soccer fans utterly confused on Monday when he appeared on the network’s Euro 2024 pregame coverage for France-Austria with a hairstyle that looked like a lost bet.

The USMNT legend was apparently well aware of the internet’s reaction to the haircut, but he also wanted to clear it all up with an explanation.

In a text message exchange shared by former Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Mike Magee, Donovan said he recently had a hair transplant procedure done, which involved harvesting the hair on the back of his head, leaving a noticeable bald spot beyond his sideburns.

I particularly love how Donovan decided to get the procedure just a couple weeks before he was due to be on TV for a month. Elite scheduling.

Donovan was evidently told that it wouldn’t show up on camera, but he couldn’t even make it through the first week of Euro 2024 without Fox’s viewers clearly seeing the hairstyle. Magee had the best reaction to that excuse, asking if former Mexico captain Rafael Márquez told him it wouldn’t be visible on TV.

Well played, Mike.

Donovan also seemed to be a good sport about the internet’s reaction, saying he deserved to be roasted for the look. And, trust me, he absolutely was.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

We now have an explanation for Landon Donovan’s avant-garde haircut

The USMNT legend’s bizarre hairstyle quickly went viral

When Landon Donovan appeared on TV on Monday and turned slightly to the side, every Fox viewer was immediately left with the same question: What on earth is going on with his hair?

The U.S. men’s national team legend, who now serves as the lead match analyst for Fox Sports’ coverage of Euro 2024, had a bizarre gap in the side of his hair. It was as if his barber picked up and left mid-haircut.

This being social media we’re talking about here, the general reaction was bemusement and ridicule, though there was also some genuine concern about Donovan’s wellbeing.

This is, after all, not exactly the kind of look one typically goes for intentionally.

Thankfully for all of us, Mike Magee was on the case.

The former MLS star and Donovan’s longtime teammate with the LA Galaxy texted his former running mate: “LD check Twitter ASAP and prob fire your barber.”

Donovan responded: “Where were you 7 hours ago??? Had a hair transplant procedure two weeks ago and was told it wouldn’t show up on camera.”

Magee later asked Donovan if he would give his blessing to post the text exchange publicly, to which the all-time leading USMNT goalscorer replied magnanimously: “Whatever, I deserve it.”

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Ex-USMNT boss Arena claims Pulisic could ‘potentially’ surpass Donovan

Pulisic is coming off of a career-best season, but Arena wants to see more consistency

Bruce Arena isn’t quite ready to declare Christian Pulisic the best player in the U.S. men’s national team’s history…but it sounds like he’s close.

Arena, speaking on an episode of CBS Sports’ “Kickin’ It,” said that the AC Milan star is “potentially” going to surpass Landon Donovan, who along with Clint Dempsey is generally the standard-bearer when it comes to discussions of the best USMNT player in program history.

“Christian, I think is potentially a better player than Landon,” said Arena when asked to evaluate the two. “He isn’t yet, but potentially he should be. He’s shown it now in Italy.”

Pulisic just completed a career-best campaign in which he put up 15 goals and 11 assists for AC Milan in his first season in Italy. EA Sports FC and Opta both named Pulisic to their Serie A teams of the season.

Host Kate Abdo asked Arena what he needs to see from Pulisic to make a more clear declaration.

“He has put some years together of quality,” said Arena, possibly alluding to Pulisic’s struggle to get consistent playing time at Chelsea. “He’s getting there. No question about that.”

Arena is one of two coaches who have had both Pulisic and Donovan on their rosters, along with Jürgen Klinsmann. Donovan spent the bulk of his USMNT career under Arena’s stewardship, before a rockier period that saw the California native controversially dropped for the 2014 World Cup.

Pulisic, meanwhile, made his national team debut under Klinsmann in 2016, and remained a regular for Arena in the latter stages of an ultimately doomed qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup.

Watch Arena compare Pulisic and Donovan

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Donovan and Darke headline Fox Sports coverage of Euro 2024

The pair will return after first teaming up at the 2022 World Cup

Fox Sports has announced that Landon Donovan and Ian Darke will return as the lead broadcast team for the network’s coverage of Euro 2024.

The pair first teamed up with Fox Sports for the 2022 World Cup, and will now return to lead coverage of the tournament in Germany.

Four broadcast teams will be on-site in Germany to call every Euro 2024 match in-stadium, with the tournament kicking off on June 14.

In addition to Donovan and Darke, the other three broadcast pairs will be Derek Rae and Robert Green; Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton; and Fox Sports newcomers Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves.

The tournament will feature 51 matches, with Fox broadcasting 46 of those. Fox’s broadcast network will show 29 games, with 17 on FS1. All matches will also stream on the Fox Sports App.

“We’re thrilled to bring this group of world-class broadcasters from all around the globe together and have them lead the call around these two exciting tournaments,” said Brad Zager, Fox Sports president of production & operations/executive producer.

Fox Sports Euro 2024 broadcast teams

Play-by-Play / Match Analysts

Ian Darke and Landon Donovan

Derek Rae and Robert Green

Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton

Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves

Rules Analysts

Dr. Joe Machnik

Mark Clattenburg

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Donovan: Pulisic should have moved to MLS instead of AC Milan

The USMNT legend believes the 24-year-old needs to seek out guaranteed minutes

U.S. national team icon Landon Donovan has opined that Christian Pulisic would have been better off moving to MLS than to AC Milan.

Pulisic is widely reported to be on the verge of joining Milan in a €20 million move from Chelsea, ending a four-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

The 24-year-old wasn’t always first choice at Chelsea, but he is expected to have a clearer path to minutes with the Serie A giants. Speaking on Fox Sports, however, Donovan laid out his belief that Pulisic may have been better off seeking out guaranteed playing time — and enormous money — back at home.

The World Cup is coming in three years. This is once in a lifetime. He’s going to be in the prime of his career, his life as a soccer player, his earning potential — I’m sure he’s making plenty of money — but the ability to come to MLS kind of like [Lionel] Messi did. I’m not so sure that wasn’t a big reason for Messi, the World Cup coming here.

I think it would have been a great move … for the Galaxy to go out and get Christian. Bring him here, pay whatever you have to pay him. Bring an American superstar who has global recognition back to MLS ahead of the World Cup. I think it would have been a great move and I can hear the Twitterverse going crazy.

My biggest thing is he needs to play. I know we all said when he went to Chelsea, ‘He’s going to play a lot.’ He didn’t play a lot, especially last year. At Milan. I would think he’s going play a lot but you just don’t know.

So leading into the World Cup, what if he spends the last six months leading into 2026 like he did this year, then what happens? He’s not playing a lot and he’s not in good form going into the World Cup.

Donovan, of course, took plenty of criticism during his own career for going down the path he laid out for Pulisic. Though he is undoubtedly one of, if not the greatest U.S. men’s player ever, Donovan played the vast majority of his career in MLS.

Former USMNT midfielder Maurice Edu countered by saying that Pulisic was taking a worthwhile risk by going to another club where minutes aren’t guaranteed.

“I’m excited to see what happens for him because I think he’ll be in an environment where nothing’s guaranteed and nothing’s given,” Edu said. “I think that’s the kind of environment where you thrive, where you grow the most, where you have the most success if you can come out of that.”

Donovan did admit that he felt Pulisic would be at his best heading into 2026 if he were playing and thriving at a place like Milan, rather than in MLS.

“The best version is him at a place like Milan, playing every week, killing the league and he’s ready in 2026,” Donovan said. “But there’s a lot of risk.”

“That’s the risk you take, though, right?” Edu countered.

Donovan responded: “Some do — I didn’t.”

Watch Donovan’s take on Pulisic

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The Soccer Tournament reveals star-studded field of 32 teams

Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Heather O’Reilly and plenty more will play in the 7v7 event

The Soccer Tournament has unveiled its official 32-team field and group pairings, with several big names from the game’s past and present set to take part.

The $1 million winner-take-all event will take place from June 1-4 in Cary, North Carolina, and will feature teams from all over the world competing in 7v7 matches.

TST is based off The Basketball Tournament, a similar event that has featured ex-pros and celebrities.

The field will be split into eight groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage. The groups are as follows:

Group A: Borussia Dortmund, Hoosiers Army (Indiana Alumni), Kingdom FC, Newtown Pride FC

Group B: Wolverhampton, Blade & Grass FC, Villita FC, DMV Diplomats

Group C: Club Necaxa, Hapoel Tel Aviv, SLC FC, Virginia Dream

Group D: West Ham, Dallas United, Culture by Mo Ali FC, Far East United

Group E: Wrexham Red Dragons, Como 1907, US Women, Say Word FC

Group F: Hashtag United, Conrad & Beasley United, Nati SC, Gracie FC

Group G: Team Dempsey, Sneaky Fox FC, Zala FFF, Jackson TN Boom

Group H: Charlotte FC, Duke Sevens (Duke Alumni), NCFC, Raleigh Rebels

Here are some of the notable participants:

Borussia Dortmund

The German giants are in Group A and will feature club legends like goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller as well as social media influencer Noah Beck.

Blade & Grass FC

The Group B side will include the ex-USMNT duo of Geoff Cameron and Brek Shea, as well as other players with Premier League experience yet to be announced.

West Ham

The Hammers are placed in Group D and will bring a roster with some of the club’s past greats, including Carlton Cole, Marlon Harewood and Matt Jarvis.

Wrexham Red Dragons

The newly minted League Two side owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will field a team full of names that viewers of “Welcome to Wrexham” will recognize.

Como 1907

Joining Wrexham in Group E will be the Serie B side whose ownership group includes Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry. Fabregas will participate in TST as a player-coach.

US Women

One of the most prominent teams in the tournament will be US Women, which will be led by ex-USWNT stars Heather O’Reilly, Lori Lindsey, Kristine Lilly, and Cat Whitehill. The team’s coaching staff will include Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, and Heather Mitts.

Conrad & Beasley United

Conrad & Beasley United will be led by, you guessed it, Jimmy Conrad and DaMarcus Beasley. The former will participate in a player-assistant coach role while the latter will be general manager. Their roster also features MLS legend Dwayne De Rosario.

Team Dempsey

Clint Dempsey will serve as coach of Team Dempsey, which will feature two of his former USMNT teammates in Eddie Johnson and Jermaine Jones.

Sneaky Fox FC

With a roster including former USMNT players Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon, Nick Rimando, and Jay DeMerit, Sneaky Fox FC will be a formidable rival for Team Dempsey in Group G.

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When did Landon Donovan retire from the USMNT?

It’s been a while. But we’ll always have that goal against Algeria in 2010.

If you only pay attention to the U.S. men’s national team when the World Cup rolls around, you might be wondering: Where the heck is Landon Donovan?

And it’s fair to wonder that – even if Donovan, 40, hasn’t played professional competitive soccer in a few years – because Donovan was still playing the last time the American men made the World Cup, back in 2014. But if you remember, there was a lot of controversy around him being left off the final roster by then-manager Jurgen Klinsmann. He and Donovan had a pretty tense relationship, to put it lightly.

Klinsmann’s son poked fun at Donovan’s omission from the roster on Twitter, and Donovan himself had some fun with it in a commercial for PlayStation.

While Donovan’s final appearance with the national team came later in 2014, he continued to play professionally for various clubs. Most folks who follow MLS remember Donovan as a versatile attacking midfielder for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but late in his career he also had a short stints with Club Leon in Liga MX in 2018 and the San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League in 2019. And with that’s when Donovan’s decorated playing career in professional soccer came to a close.

In MLS, Donovan won league championships with the Galaxy. He still holds the all-time MLS assist record with 136 and is second in career goals with 145. The league named its MVP award after him.

On the international stage, it’s easy to argue that he’s one of the best players to ever wear the USMNT kit. Donovan is tied with former teammate Clint Dempsey with 57 goals for the title of the team’s all-time leading goal-scorer. Donovan is, however, the sole-owner of the team’s assist record with 58. He is the only 50-50 player in the USMNT’s history, and accomplished the mark in 157 appearances.

Donovan played in three World Cups and scored five goals in 12 games. And perhaps none was more noteworthy than this one against Algeria in 2010, which pushed the Americans into the knockout stage.

“And Dempsey’s denied again, but Donovan has scored!”

Goosebumps.

So, to recap, Donovan’s last national team appearance came in 2014, but not in the World Cup. He last played in MLS in 2016, and last played professionally in 2019. Since then, he’s done a bit of broadcasting and coaching – most notably with USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, a club that he is also the co-founder of.

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