U.S. Soccer legend and 2010 World Cup hero Landon Donovan, tackled here by Post columnist Steve Serby, has been scoring goals for Fox Sports as a match analyst in the booth and studio, and his “Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard” podcast has been hailed as a must-listen.
Q: Your thoughts on the matchup.
A: Belgium had a very good core group of players for the past 10 to 15 years. Now that core group is much older, they have been very uninspiring this tournament. They should have lost to Senegal, they scored two goals in the last five minutes to take it to extra time, and then one right at the end of extra time. But they have not been convincing in any way. In some ways they’re the opposite of what the U.S. has been. They are not in good form — however, they have two or three very, very, very good players, a couple of whom are world-class players and they can make a play and pull off a special play that can win them the game, and that’s what they did against Senegal. It will not be easy, but if you’re asking me in the current form of the two countries, who would I bet on? The U. S., for sure.
Q: What kind of an advantage will the U.S. have in Seattle?
A: If you go to a Seahawks game there, or you go to a Seattle Sounders game, it’s different. There are a lot of amazing stadiums and a lot of amazing fan bases in this country, but Seattle’s different. And it’s gonna be an afternoon, evening game, it’ll be relatively cool weather-wise, and they will ABSOLUTELY provide a lift. I was at SoFi (in Los Angeles) for the first game, and I was in San Francisco for their last match — there is a tangible advantage to the U.S. team because of the fans. No question about it. And I think that’s gonna be exacerbated and amplified on Monday in Seattle because they have phenomenal sports fans, plus combined with all of the amazing American Outlaws and American supporters’ groups who will be there, it’s gonna be an electric atmosphere.
Q: Who are the guys who will really have to step up?
A: Christian Pulisic is our best player, our most important player and he has to be good in this game. He was excellent against Bosnia even though he didn’t get on the score sheet, and we need that to continue. But the key to get deeper in this tournament is how we defend because we create a lot of chances, we score goals, that’s not an issue. The challenge for this team over the last year or so has been defensively, and if they are defensively good and Matt Freese, our goalkeeper who has not been tested at all, has a big game as you play against bigger teams, then it gives us a chance to win. If that doesn’t happen, then it’s gonna be difficult because that has been a little bit of the Achilles heel of this team, and that needs to get right if you’re gonna keep beating big teams.
Q: Who could be an X-factor?
A: Probably Weston McKennie, he’s been our most important player over the past few months. He’s had the best season of any one of our players, and he plays in a central, valuable role in the midfield. He’s everywhere, he helps us defend, he’s a leader, he runs and covers so much ground on the field, and then he’s also a threat offensively, he arrives in the box late and can score goals, so he’s the type of guy who, if he has one of his signature games, could definitely take us over the edge.
Q: What do you like best about the way this U.S. team is playing?
A: I think until now they have beaten the teams that they should beat. But what’s made this run so far special is how they’re doing it. They hammered Paraguay, who, by the way, sent Germany home in the knockout stages. They beat a good Australian team that went to penalties against Egypt. They lose the game to [Turkey] but the game meant nothing. They beat a Bosnian team that put up a good fight against Canada and drew Canada. And they’re doing it relatively easily. And so, I think the energy, their willingness to be brave — a number of teams have been relatively cautious in this tournament and a lot of them have gone home because of it. That has made it exciting, and I think that’s what’s really captured the nation.
Q: The play-to-win mentality?
A: Yeah, it’s like a lot of teams get risk-averse, right? Different circumstances for different reasons. In the knockout stages you see teams who play really risk-averse ’cause they’re like, “Well we just don’t want to lose the game.” The mentality with this team in every game has been, “We’re going to win it. And if we lose along the way, that’s fine. But our attitude is we’re going to win it.” And that has been just really fun to watch because you’re not watching a team who’s holding on for dear life for 90 minutes and praying to get one good chance. It’s a team that’s attacking, creating tons of chances, being the protagonists, and people are loving watching it.
Q: Your thoughts on the coach (Mauricio Pochettino)?
A: He’s been fantastic, and for people who are just tuning in now, this has been a long process. Pochettino’s been at the job for 18 months now, and there were a lot of bumps along the way. They had a four-game losing streak at one point which was unprecedented for a coach of the U.S. National Team. But he has known the plan, and stuck to the plan the whole way and it’s come together perfectly at the exact right moment. He has the team playing well as far as tactically in how they play, but more than that, just the energy, the culture, the attitude has been spot on the whole time.
Q: How much do you think your iconic 2010 World Cup goal in Pretoria changed the popularity of soccer here?
A: I can only tell you anecdotally every time I do an appearance, no matter where it is and there’s a few hundred, a few thousand people, many, many people will say to me, “Hey man, I just want to tell you I became a soccer fan that day when you scored the goal against Algeria.” What that tells me is if you extrapolate that over a country of 250 million people, there’s gotta be a lot more who felt the same way. And so what we were able to provide that day is an inspirational moment that got people into the game for the first time. And so when I look at this summer at this team, and the other day against Bosnia, there are all these moments happening now that tens if not hundreds of millions of Americans are gonna be watching, and they’re gonna start to love this sport for the first time, and so over the course of the next decade, two decades, three decades, we are now building hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, tens of millions of new soccer fans, and that’s how you become a true soccer nation.
Q: How many times over the years have you watched replays of your (91st minute) goal?
A: Anytime I do an event, people tend to show it, so I’ve actually never watched the game back, I’ve obviously seen the highlight of that goal a million times, but it never gets old (laugh) because I know what the stakes were at the time — and I’ll never forget what the stakes were — and so when you watch it and you see the moment happen it’s always special.
Q: What do you hope people take from: “Landon: A Memoir”?
A: I have always enjoyed humanizing myself. I think all people in the public get put on pedestals, so I have enjoyed that. I have not had an easy life by any means, I think sometimes people turn on the TV and they’re like, “Oh, what an amazing, easy life these guys have,” and oftentimes it’s not, it’s a lot different than that. I’ve enjoyed sharing that with people, and I’ve also enjoyed that people who read it get something out of it. It’s not a chronological timeline of events in my soccer career. It’s a story about a boy who shouldn’t have gotten to where he got, and how he got there and all the difficulties along the way.
Q: Why shouldn’t you have gotten to where you got?
A: I grew up in a really poor part of Southern California with a single mom in a 900-square-foot home, and she was a special education teacher, made $30,000 a year. And so I didn’t have the ability that a lot of kids have now of the private training sessions and the club teams and all the travel and all the new gear and all the fancy toys and all that. I just played soccer and loved it. And probably because of that, I went under the radar, and I went undetected for a long time until I was 15. So that the odds, because of all of that, the odds of me making it, at any level, were infinitesimal.
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Q: What do you say to people battling depression?
A: It’s a horrible disease, and sadly a lot of people in our country deal with it. What helped me was facing it, talking about it and getting help, and I think a lot of people suffer in silence. Hopefully the more of us in the public eye who speak out about it, then more will be willing to do the same. There’s no shame in it, it is a disease, it’s not your fault. And so I hope it inspires people to reach out and try to get help.
Q: What kind of bummer or emotional low was it in 2014 not being selected for the World Cup?
A: It was devastating. I mean I, since the time I was 9 months old and started walking, my brother was kicking a soccer ball with me. And since I never had another job in my life other than being a professional soccer player, so my whole life built up to that opportunity in 2014 to go to one final World Cup. And unfortunately one person (then-coach Jürgen Klinsmann) made the decision to not take me. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but you do realize a time that one person makes that decision and so if that person doesn’t like you or doesn’t want you or doesn’t think you’re good enough, that is what it is. It doesn’t make it any easier, it was a really hard moment, but that’s the reality.
Q: You had a complicated relationship with David Beckham?
A: Initially complicated, and now it’s phenomenal. Initially it was difficult because we (LA Galaxy) were a really bad team, and he came to us, and I think we all hoped that everything was gonna change, but sports don’t work that way, certainly not soccer, and so the initial part of our relationship was tough because we were in a bad team and we were frustrated. We had some very good conversations and confronted a lot of our issues, and then we won two championships in the ensuing three years and now we have a phenomenal relationship. I went to his Hollywood Star Walk of Fame ceremony the other day and saw him and it was just so nice to see him honored in that way, but we have a fantastic relationship now.
Q: What are you most proud of about your career and the way you played the game?
A: I think I played in a way that fans can relate to. Most fans just want to see their team — American fans for sure — run and fight and tackle and try and care. And the other stuff is great, the quality and the talent and the assists and the goals and all that. This team has more of that than any team we’ve ever had in our history. And right now they’re getting all the other parts right, the grit and the fight and the willingness to run and tackle and do all those things. So I’m proud of being able to do that throughout my career and I think these guys are doing the same thing, and that’s why everyone’s been so inspired.
Q: How happy are you with your hair transplant?
A: It’s been amazing — although I need a haircut right now. It doesn’t grow, but the rest of my hair still grows (laugh). The problem is I haven’t been home in six weeks so it just is what it is, you’re gonna have to just deal with it.
Q: How do you like broadcasting?
A: Love it. It’s been so fun. I do a podcast every week with Tim Howard, and just the reps of talking in front of cameras, and speaking all the time has made it so much easier to do the broadcasting. And I really, really love it. I’m really grateful that FOX has given me the opportunity.
Q: Three dinner guests.
A: Gandhi; Michael Jordan; Magic Johnson.
Q: Favorite movie.
A: Field of Dreams.
Q: Favorite actor.
A: Kevin Costner.
Q: Favorite actress.
A: Jessica Alba.
Q: Favorite entertainer.
A: Morgan Wallen.
Q: Favorite meal.
A: Sushi.
Q: When you’re asked if this team can go all the way, what’s your answer?
A: If you asked me two weeks ago, I’d say, “I don’t see how that’s possible.” And it’s not that they can’t beat a good team or a big team. It’s you have to do it three or four times in a row. Belgium is a good team, not a great team. If you beat Belgium now you’ve beaten one good team. The next game is against Spain or Portugal. Those are great teams. Those are real teams that have won real things that have real world-class players across the board. So if you are able to beat a Spain or a Portugal, next up comes a world superpower … It’s not that they can’t do it, it’s can you do it three or four times in a row? Now back to the initial question: Can they? Yes. Is it likely? It’s not likely, but I will say there is something unique about World Cups for the teams playing in their home country, where you tend to overachieve. And does overachieve mean, “We got to the Round of 16 and lost, we got to the quarters and lost, we got to the semis and lost, got to a final and lost?” Or “We got to the final and win?” I don’t know where that ends. I would say it’s still unlikely, but I’m gaining more hope every game.
Q: Do you like “Take Me Home, Country Roads”?
A: What’s not to like?
Q: If you were to deliver a speech to the U.S. team before the game, what would you tell them?
A: I wouldn’t say a word to ’em because (laugh) clearly what’s going on is working. But I think that the learning and the message from people who have been there is “This is an incredible opportunity.” And I think coming into the tournament you would have said, “Look, this an amazing opportunity but there’s also a lot of pressure,” right? The pressure now is gone, because they got through the group in first place, which was not unprecedented, but to win the first two games and be qualified before the third game kicked off was unprecedented. They got through Bosnia, they won a knockout game.
Now it’s a little bit of icing on the cake. They’re playing with house money a little bit. So the pressure is off, but the opportunity is massive. And so, I know, I don’t even have to think whether or not they will — I know they will be prepared for it and they will be up for it, and people now have an opportunity to change their lives forever individually as the players, the National Team forever, and soccer in this country forever, and I really want them to take advantage of it.
