Landon Donovan’s Impact on American Soccer Transcends Stats, Awards and Trophies

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 7, 2014

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On Wednesday night, in front of a packed house in Portland, Oregon, and a television audience around the globe, Landon Donovan netted the game-winning goal to lead MLS All-Stars over one of his former clubs, Bayern Munich.

One day later, Donovan officially announced his retirement from professional soccer, effective at the end of this MLS season.

It's a heck of a way to go out.

Donovan officially announced his retirement on his Facebook page Thursday afternoon. In part:

After careful deliberation and after many conversations with those closest to me, I have decided that this will be my last season as a professional soccer player.

I don't write these words lightly and this day carries mixed emotions for me. I am sad to leave a profession that has brought me so much joy. ...

... I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have played a role in the remarkable growth of MLS and US Soccer during my playing career. And while my career as a player will soon be over, rest assured I will stay connected on many levels to the beautiful game.

It's hard to put into words exactly what Donovan has meant to soccer in this country. He is without question the best American man ever to wear the red, white and blue on a soccer field, and his play for the U.S. national team helped usher in a new generation of talent that, ironically, made his inclusion in this year's World Cup unnecessary.



Still, even without the trip to Brazil, Donovan's legacy as a U.S. international is unparalleled. In 1999 he won the Golden Ball at the U-17 World Cup. Three years later he was named to the All World-Cup team in 2002, and eight years after that he scored one of the most memorable goals in United States soccer history, with a host of enormously impactful moments in between.

Donovan played in more than 150 games for the USMNT and has a record 57 goals in his insanely productive care...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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