Landon Donovan made his final appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) in an international friendly against Ecuador.
He played only 41 minutes in the match.
But his impact resonated with over 35,000 fans in Hartford, Connecticut, who were fortunate to witness Donovan’s final game for the U.S.
Donovan is the all-time leader for the USMNT in goals (57) and assists (58).
Though he did not score in his final game, he will always be remembered as a charasmatic player who understood his path to grow the game of soccer (football) in the U.S.
The one thing can be asked is this: If USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann had known that Donovan was going to retire this year, would he had chosen Donovan to be a part of the final 23-man roster for the World Cup in Brazil?
Klinsmann said in an interview earlier this week with media outlets that he still would not have taken him because the others were better than him. Paraphrased.
Klinsmann’s decision was correct in a large degree because the players he had chosen who did not had enough caps, (John Brooks, Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin) played well in the World Cup.
Brooks score the game-winning goal against Ghana in the USMNT’s first game of the tournament.
However, Donovan’s exclusion proved to be costly because in the final minutes of regulation against Belgium in the round of sixteen, Chris Wondolowski had a wide open net to win the game for the U.S.
But he missed it.
On the other hand, Green scored on his first ever possession in overtime and it showed that he has a strong future with the team.
The unfortunate thing is that Belgium had scored two goals before Green put the ball in the net and won the game despite Tim Howard’s record 16 saves.
One can definitely say that Donovan had a fantastic career.
Unfortunately, he did not go out in the way that Derek Jeter went out in his final game at Yankee Stadium.
Cheval John is the Founder and CEO of Vallano Media, LLC, a marketing agency which helps small to mid-sized businesses use social media correctly to build a loyal following and in the process become more profitable.
Cheval is also the host of "What's The Word?" a podcast about finding out what inspires people to choose their respective careers and how social media impacted their lives and business.
He is the author of two books including the Amazon Best-Seller, "8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn."
He has spoken at Social Media Week Lima in Ohio and at Social Media Day Houston 2017 about topics around live streaming and podcasting.
Cheval has been featured in media outlets including Ebony Magazine, Social Media Today and Forbes.
He was named a Houston Top 25 Social Media Power Influencer (2016 and 2017) and a Twitter Top 50 Influencer by Onalytica in 2018.
Donovan’s 41 Minutes Of Glory
By Cheval John
Landon Donovan made his final appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) in an international friendly against Ecuador.
He played only 41 minutes in the match.
But his impact resonated with over 35,000 fans in Hartford, Connecticut, who were fortunate to witness Donovan’s final game for the U.S.
Donovan is the all-time leader for the USMNT in goals (57) and assists (58).
Though he did not score in his final game, he will always be remembered as a charasmatic player who understood his path to grow the game of soccer (football) in the U.S.
The one thing can be asked is this: If USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann had known that Donovan was going to retire this year, would he had chosen Donovan to be a part of the final 23-man roster for the World Cup in Brazil?
Klinsmann said in an interview earlier this week with media outlets that he still would not have taken him because the others were better than him. Paraphrased.
Klinsmann’s decision was correct in a large degree because the players he had chosen who did not had enough caps, (John Brooks, Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin) played well in the World Cup.
Brooks score the game-winning goal against Ghana in the USMNT’s first game of the tournament.
However, Donovan’s exclusion proved to be costly because in the final minutes of regulation against Belgium in the round of sixteen, Chris Wondolowski had a wide open net to win the game for the U.S.
But he missed it.
On the other hand, Green scored on his first ever possession in overtime and it showed that he has a strong future with the team.
The unfortunate thing is that Belgium had scored two goals before Green put the ball in the net and won the game despite Tim Howard’s record 16 saves.
One can definitely say that Donovan had a fantastic career.
Unfortunately, he did not go out in the way that Derek Jeter went out in his final game at Yankee Stadium.
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About Cheval John
Cheval John is the Founder and CEO of Vallano Media, LLC, a marketing agency which helps small to mid-sized businesses use social media correctly to build a loyal following and in the process become more profitable. Cheval is also the host of "What's The Word?" a podcast about finding out what inspires people to choose their respective careers and how social media impacted their lives and business. He is the author of two books including the Amazon Best-Seller, "8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn." He has spoken at Social Media Week Lima in Ohio and at Social Media Day Houston 2017 about topics around live streaming and podcasting. Cheval has been featured in media outlets including Ebony Magazine, Social Media Today and Forbes. He was named a Houston Top 25 Social Media Power Influencer (2016 and 2017) and a Twitter Top 50 Influencer by Onalytica in 2018.