Over 14 years international play, Landon Donovan asserted himself as one of the most accomplished U.S. players of all time. As an attacking midfielder and forward, Donovan’s ability to read the game combined with his exceptional offensive acumen led him to rewrite the record books during his career. Having taken three trips to the FIFA World Cup, Donovan is the MNT’s joint leading goal scorer alongside Clint Dempsey with 57 goals, the team’s all-time leader in assists with 58 and sits behind only Cobi Jones in appearances with 157.
In a career laden with memorable moments and smashed records, Donovan’s performance in the 2010 World Cup is surely among his most memorable. In the dying minutes of a fiercely-contested group stage match against Algeria, goalkeeper Tim Howard made a shot and immediately distributed the ball to Donovan with a thunderous 40-yard throw. After two touches Donovan laid it off to Jozy Altidore on his right. The young striker made a one-touch cross to Dempsey whose shot was denied. Running at full speed, Donovan appeared out of nowhere to tuck the rebound into the lower left corner. A breakthrough moment for U.S. Soccer, Donovan’s 92nd-minute goal was celebrated throughout the United States, and not only rescued the USA from early tournament elimination, but pushed the MNT to a first-place group finish for the first time since 1930.
Beyond his success in the 2010 World Cup, Donovan also redefined what it means to be an MNT standout. In Concacaf Gold Cup play, he’s the tournament’s all-time leader in appearances (37), goals (18), assists (17). Though since surpassed only by Dempsey and Altidore, at the time of his international retirement, Donovan also led the MNT in World Cup Qualifying appearances (40) and goals (13). One of 17 MNT players to reach the 100-cap milestone, Donovan got there the quickest, becoming a centurion at 26 years, 96 days in a friendly against Argentina on June 8, 2008. Donovan ended his international career following a 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Oct. 10, 2014, retiring as one of the greatest players in MNT history.
Donovan’s club career is equally impressive, and he has the hardware to prove it. He began his club career at Bayer Leverkusen, playing primarily for the reserve team while finding difficulty in adapting to a new country and culture. He was loaned to the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001 where, back in his native California, he found immediate success leading the club to MLS Cups in that year and again in 2003. After a short return to Leverkusen, Donovan returned to MLS with a transfer to the LA Galaxy in 2005. Closer to home in Southern California, Donovan would go on to become a club legend with the Galaxy. Over his 247 appearances with the club, he’d earn numerous accolades while scoring 112 goals and leading the team to seven different pieces of hardware – four MLS Cups (2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014), two Supporters Shields (2010 and 2011) and the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
While a majority of his career was spent in MLS, Donovan also became a cult figure at English Premier League side Everton thanks to two loan stints on Merseyside in 2010 and 2012. After a brief retirement and subsequent return to the LA Galaxy, he went on to play for Liga MX’s Club León in 2018 and also played briefly with the indoor San Diego Sockers in 2019.
In recognition to his contributions to the league and soccer in the United States, Major League Soccer renamed its Most Valuable Player award after Donovan in 2015.
In a career laden with memorable moments and smashed records, Donovan’s performance in the 2010 World Cup is surely among his most memorable. In the dying minutes of a fiercely-contested group stage match against Algeria, goalkeeper Tim Howard made a shot and immediately distributed the ball to Donovan with a thunderous 40-yard throw. After two touches Donovan laid it off to Jozy Altidore on his right. The young striker made a one-touch cross to Dempsey whose shot was denied. Running at full speed, Donovan appeared out of nowhere to tuck the rebound into the lower left corner. A breakthrough moment for U.S. Soccer, Donovan’s 92nd-minute goal was celebrated throughout the United States, and not only rescued the USA from early tournament elimination, but pushed the MNT to a first-place group finish for the first time since 1930.
Beyond his success in the 2010 World Cup, Donovan also redefined what it means to be an MNT standout. In Concacaf Gold Cup play, he’s the tournament’s all-time leader in appearances (37), goals (18), assists (17). Though since surpassed only by Dempsey and Altidore, at the time of his international retirement, Donovan also led the MNT in World Cup Qualifying appearances (40) and goals (13). One of 17 MNT players to reach the 100-cap milestone, Donovan got there the quickest, becoming a centurion at 26 years, 96 days in a friendly against Argentina on June 8, 2008. Donovan ended his international career following a 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Oct. 10, 2014, retiring as one of the greatest players in MNT history.
Donovan’s club career is equally impressive, and he has the hardware to prove it. He began his club career at Bayer Leverkusen, playing primarily for the reserve team while finding difficulty in adapting to a new country and culture. He was loaned to the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001 where, back in his native California, he found immediate success leading the club to MLS Cups in that year and again in 2003. After a short return to Leverkusen, Donovan returned to MLS with a transfer to the LA Galaxy in 2005. Closer to home in Southern California, Donovan would go on to become a club legend with the Galaxy. Over his 247 appearances with the club, he’d earn numerous accolades while scoring 112 goals and leading the team to seven different pieces of hardware – four MLS Cups (2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014), two Supporters Shields (2010 and 2011) and the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
While a majority of his career was spent in MLS, Donovan also became a cult figure at English Premier League side Everton thanks to two loan stints on Merseyside in 2010 and 2012. After a brief retirement and subsequent return to the LA Galaxy, he went on to play for Liga MX’s Club León in 2018 and also played briefly with the indoor San Diego Sockers in 2019.
In recognition to his contributions to the league and soccer in the United States, Major League Soccer renamed its Most Valuable Player award after Donovan in 2015.
