By TRAVIS CLARK
As Landon Donovan's national team career ticks on, previous records continue to fall. With the all-time goal scoring title firmly his, a cap on Saturday night will give him the overall lead in World Cup qualifiers with 32.
At the moment Donovan is currently tied with Kasey Keller, Eddie Pope, and Claudio Reyna at 31 qualifying appearances and barring unforeseen circumstances will make the record his own on Saturday night in Sandy, Utah.
"I'm proud of the fact that I've been around long enough, I've consistently made a contribution to this team, and I've been a player that coaches want to call on," Donovan told ussoccer.com. "Now getting to this point you realize how difficult it is to do what they have done. Guys come in for a few camps, a few games and make an impression, but those guys consistently contributed to the national team."
While in the past Donovan has come under his share of criticism, he's a player performing at the top of his game and needs to be continually at his best to ensure both qualification and any kind of success the U.S. hopes to have at the World Cup next summer.
The 27-year-old still has a long career ahead of him and could end up making a run at Cobi Jones' all-time cap record. Currently in fourth place with 116 caps — which is best among active players — Donovan has a ways to go to reach the 164 mark of Jones, but with perhaps two World Cups ahead of him has plenty of time to make up the distance.
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What do you think of Donovan's latest record? Think he'll end up with more caps than Jones? Share your thoughts below.
Who advised Landon to go to Leverkusen the first time anyway? If Landon had gone to Spain or Holland or France the first time.. I think he’s a clear starter on a top 5 team in a top 4 league..
Landon saw Germany as a chore. Davies and Altidore think its the bomb (an outdated term I’m sure) to be in euro..
Hmm… remember when Lando got burned so Mexico could beat USA once again at Azteca. Lando is a has-been. His still playing on the MNT demonstrates a really small talent pool.
rickr-
That a boy!
Keep on hating us!!!
Donovan is also blessed with pace (can’t teach speed), has great endurance & stamina, and is not injury prone (knock on wood). Hopefully he gets a good off-season loan that could potentially become a pernament move to Europe. In-terms of competition, it’s not as intense as other countries, but it’s still there. A few years ago, who could of thought that Beasley would be on the outside looking in? I hope Beasley is able to turn it around because when he’s on, he’s really good to have on the field.
Donovan is awesome. makes me wonder: how did he develop such amazing talent while remaining in MLS – arguably our best player right
im really wondering: how does Donovan make himself so much better than his peers while still playing in MLS
dont get me wrong i luv MLS i just wonder if he has personal coaches or is a brilliant student of the game (and obviously a hard worker). wuteva it is he has to share this expertise to develop other US players in MLS
he should just shave it off and go Cambiasso for a while
I was at Azteca and I hate the classless Mexican team, their classless coaches and their classless fans more then ever. I can’t wait to we beat them again. They can only beat our A team at Azteca with the altitude and the urine bombs.
“Cobi Jones was probably the worst excuse for and international footballer ever. Cobi makes Robbie Rodgers look like Roberto Baggio.- Toumba”
I’ve seen far worse.
Cobi was wonderful. A very disruptive force in the attacking third. Opposing players thought he was such a pain. Besides, he is immortal for getting Marquez to lose his mind and try to castrate Cobi in the 2002 World Cup resulting in Marquez’s red card, one of my favorite games ever.
My son and I could have used a couple of shielded policia at the Giants Stadium game!
Cobi has that record for consistantly good performances over years (and yes, it was pre-MLS). For Landon to reach this milestone is a testiment to his quality from a young age. It is good to see that he can reach his current level of quality without direct competition, but he could be so much more if he goes to PSG. Unfortunately, no one is going to challenge his MNT spot for a long time.
The policia on the left is saying to the one on the right “Block the beer, but let the bag of human waste go right by!”
Why are they even needed to have to do that kind of protection? The Mexican team should be penalized and have to play with empty seats a couple of times at Azteca!
In our arenas aren’t people kicked out or even banned for life for that kind of behavior?
Call me naive!
@Kevin D. Johnson of Baton Rouge, LA
IMO Dempsey is not worthy of being captain. He doesn’t show up all the time and can be lazy on defense. Donovan deserves it more than him but the captain should be Howard.
Amazing the effect divorce can have on people… 🙂
On a side note, has anyone considered sending this photo to FIFA and asking about “Fair Play”? Why are they so unable to regulate this type of thing in CONCACAF?
US soccer fan – world soccer watcher, Although I too wonder if Donovan could have been better if he had gone abroad, we will never know and can only speculate. Considering how well he has played lately I am not sure he could have been much more. and Kevin D. J. of BR – Landon has already been captain when Boca wasn’t available. It might actually be a good motivator for him.
I sure hope he goes abroad soon. Who will be captain when Bocanegra gives it up in a few years? Howard? Dempsey? Please dont say Donovan
Landon is held back by the bar being set too low. He has been arguably the USA’s best player for some time, and his talent and work rate is good enough to keep him in the US side for years to come. But he could have been more, could still be more.
You hear club managers talk about the value of competition for places in the squad. Landon doesn’t have that, there’s not really ever a desperate motivation to up his level to stay in the stating 11.
Landon is good, but could be more.
The better news is that I think a few players like Altidore and Davies are going to reset the bar – at least they seem to be challenging themselves to meet a higher set of expectations.
If and when that becomes the mindset of the USMNT pool, look out world!
That PICTURE would make one hell of a “YOU WRITE THE CAPTION!”
The reason why Cobi Jones has so many caps is that he was a fixture on the USMNT pre MLS. Before MLS, the USMNT played a plethora of exhibition games.
Well put wk…
The contribution in the WC ’02 Mexico game should be enough to cement Cobi’s legendary status (human punching bag that game).
By the way, how did an article about LD turn into a Cobi discussion?
Pipe down Toumba. you’re either too young or too dumb to realize the contributions the original LA Cobi made to the US MNT. don’t spread hate just to make yourself heard…
Cobi Jones was probably the worst excuse for and international footballer ever. Cobi makes Robbie Rodgers look like Roberto Baggio.
Donovan has several highlights in this new video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPcioXnBoGM
Cobi was a tank. Injuries never kept him from playing and he was able to avoid any major injuries. If Landon can stay healthy then he has a definate shot.
“how the heck did Cobi Jones ever get so many caps…”
hair went a long way back in the day; look at Valderrama, I dont think he wins an MLS MVP w/o that hair and I know it helped Lalas…
KCB- um, I don’t really see much better players than landon in his position in the next five years… if you do, well, like who? they would have to be at least 17-19 years old right now, because no teenager is going to supplant landon in the next five years…
KCB, I sort of get what you’re saying but we’ll never get a player with the talent of Landon if we don’t put players around someone of his talent, and the only player with his level of skill is him.
Um- you write the caption?
My hope is Landon will not reach Cobi’s CAP record, but not because I personally hold anything against him, but because I hope by the time he’s 31-32 that we have younger players in their prime that can perform at a higher level for the National Team than Landon. Landon is quality, but if the US is to truly progress then we need World Class talent beyond Landon.
he may get to 200 caps… would be first ever
how the heck did Cobi Jones ever get so many caps…
It’s so fun to see the ebb and flow of a players career. For those of us who have been tracking Donovan from his early days it is astounding to see him in such good form. It also is a lesson to all who would like to write a player off for one or even two bad season(s). If we would have given up on Donovan after his European failure we would have lost an important NATS contributer. Chicken Little is always wrong 🙂
0-23-1. That’s a record that has to go down.
Landon has been impressive recently…. but Ives, I love the photo you selected for the front page.
LD. Represent!
Sad picture. Having to take a corner kick with police officers holding shields to defend a player from being pelted with stuff.
Who cares…his career will be judged based on his successes and failures. Not Caps…
Posted by: brad | September 02, 2009 at 01:54 PM
Its just another way to legitimize the impact Landon’s had on US Soccer. Like someone said before living legend.
Dude played with swine flu. He’s a hero.
Who cares…his career will be judged based on his successes and failures. Not Caps…
Simply the best.
Keep going, Landon!
He will have the most caps. He is already a US legend.
Best ever to play for the Nats.
Mandon!