Photo by ISIphotos.com
It wasn't quite a therapy session, but Landon Donovan's post-practice press conference on Tuesday felt like one.
The U.S. national team star opened up about a variety of topics, but spent the majority of his time discussing his growth as a player and person, and how he has come to reach this new period of enlightenment. An eye-opening divorce, and a new-found understanding about his abilities and responsibilities as a leader on the national team have helped Donovan mature to a point where now sees everything in his life more clearly.
Here is my Fox Soccer piece on Donovan's revealing comments, which portray a player who ready to have the best World Cup of his career. For some more from the press conference, here is a video clip courtesy of Yahoo Sports:
What do you think of Donovan's comments? Growing confident that he will have a much better 2010 World Cup than he had in 2006?
Share your thoughts below.
cxcxc
I got the same bounce from my divorce.
If Landon gets us to the final again this Summer his pedestal will be higher than Jesus “El Saviour” Christ in my eyes…
You do learn something new everyday.. I pride myself on using the correct words whenever possible… my own ignorance simply lead to this one.. no excuses…
I meant his “ENUNCIATION”… Landon’s enunciation reminds me of Tiger…
this…agree Coach
even as a chivas usa supporter i can comfortably say landon donovan is my Fav USA national player, good thing he’ll be leaving galaxy after the world cup.
“With Bob you earn everything you get,” – But some of us earn it differently, don’t we, Bornstein/Kljestan?
I’m tired of hearing this crap – even if it’s just mentioned in passing – that he was a failure in 2006. His performance against Italy was one of the best performances ever by a USMNT player.
Ives, I beat you to this six months ago:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/soc/6718832.html
I think a large part of who will have the best WC for the USMNT is going to depend a great deal on game plan and team shape. I am not going to bang the “Bob Bradley Stinks” drum here, but I think the USMNT has better talent than it has had in the past so coaching that talent is going to be critical.
Originally I thought Everton were signing Bocanegra because the English press kept calling Landon the USA captain. Good to see how the English view Landon…and throw Boca under the bus.
No, no no no no no a thousand times…..the correct color, just the wrong city.
I think he was just trying to be funny dude.
I think Jozy is ready for a breakout tournament. When he plays with passion he is nearly unstoppable (first game for Hull, against Spain)
I don’t know about giving him the captaincy.
Donovan himself said he doesn’t play well when he has to worry about his teammates on the field. Now, he could be talking about the captaincy or he could be talking about the quality of his teammates (having to pick up their slack). He seems like the logical successor, but I wouldn’t count out Timmy. He still has another World Cup cycle in him, barring injuries.
Um. He HAS been out there proving it.
That Landon Donovan is the best America has at this time cannot be reasonably debated. This WC will be hard for him, I expect, as he will not be able to sneak up on anyone given his recent exploits. I expect every team to mark him heavily and, sometimes, Landon has had difficulty with this, but we should know this is coming and Bob Bradley needs to game plan accordingly. For Donovan to have success in this WC, I think it will require him to work exta hard to make himself available for the ball (as I think he has to touch it a lot for the USMNT to be their best) and he will have to pick his spots.
That said, it is not all on Donovan. Others on this team will have to stand up and be counted. Others on this team have to make themselves a problem for the opposition to take away some attention from Donovan. I believe there are some players on this team that are capable of doing that and, like a kid waiting for on Christmas Day, I am excited to seeing who that is going to be.
Well that was certainly an unneccessarily long grammar correction. Are you preaching/”educating”?
It’s very rare to hear a pro athlete be so honest. It’s refreshing and respected. I too agree Donovan has earned the Captaincy. But i find it hard to believe Coach will take it away from Boca.
Don’t need the armband to be a leader…
In fairness though, there’s probably no other sport where fans hang on players’ every word like they do for soccer. Right now Landon’s the Mack Daddy and he knows it.
Pretty sure he just meant in the small-a sense, “to inform that some future event will happen”… like the part when he annunciated that we would “mop the floor” with England. I thought it was a little much, but I’m sure he was just trying to rally the troops. Not unlike your Gabriel actually.
I was thinking this too, right after the Confederations Cup. There is a different energy to the team when Donovan is wearing the armband.
Clint’s dang useful, sure. But no one makes the players around him a threat like Landon does. I’m with you Schmanzo, worrying whether this time of moderate success has been our Golden Age all along.
I agree, and the only way he becomes the captain is if Boca gives it to him
We are all used to hearing interviews with sports figures on TV. I can’t think of any sports figure that shares as much of himself in an interview as LD. His honesty is refreshing. I can really see a maturity in him that was never there before. I would like to see him as team captain.
Andy,
I think you mean “enunciation”.
Annunciation is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would become the Theotokos (God-bearer). Despite being a virgin, Mary would miraculously conceive a child who would be called the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning “YHWH delivers”. Most of Christianity observes this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, nine full months before Christmas.
It’s possible you think Landon is divine but not that divine.
Anyone find it eerie how much Landon sounds like Tiger Woods… voice, inflection, annunciation…
That’s a little creepy.
I once posted on a Galaxy blog the question – why should i like Donovan? It was a serious question. He seemed so unlikeable at the time (about 3 years ago). Most people thought I was trolling but I received a veiw serious answers about his involvement with different charities and such. Ever since then that point its been one thing after another and I’ve become a big fan of his. This interview was great.
I second the motion of giving him the captaincy. It seems like a no brainer. Sorry Boca…
Fascinating. Usually he is as forthcoming as Bob Bradley, but this gives us such insight on his mentality. It just confirms that he is finally playing with the confidence he has always lacked. Come on Donovan! Hopefully you’ll be living in West London this Fall playing in blue.
Its hard to believe how much he has grown up since “relieving himself” in the bushes down in Mexico.
Hopefully in future the USMNT will have more than one Landon-quality players. Well now we have Landon and Clint, and everyone else.
Get back to work on your dissertation!
Landon Donovan is a class act, I’m proud to have him representing America! Best of luck to you boys!
As a massive football fan from the UK, I have to say that Landon was a fantastic signing by Everton. His all round game is top class and with the right mental attitude he has the ability to make it in Europe.
haha
cxcx?
donovan is one of my favorite athletes because he can be so candid and honest sometimes. after the grant wahl thing, he kind of lost that, but he’s coming back.
god, when landon is gone, who is going to replace him, thats something i worry about from time to time. there will only ever be 1 landon
Unconditional support and love for Donovan from me.
A case of maturity off the field is really helping him on it. Looks like things are coming around nicely for LD.
+1
And Boca should be the one to suggest it. Everyone knows it’s Landon’s team. So give it to him.
Hopefully he can take some of the younger players under his wing and impart some of this new found knowledge… especially since he’s dealt with failed outings in Europe and has handled the pressure of being the American poster boy pretty well. Altidore could certainly benefit from the wise not so old Donovan.
He’ll definitely be captain after this World Cup. I know Ives says it’s gonna be Bradley. But I think Bradley will have to wait after the 2014 World Cup.
its crazy to think about how long landon has been a part of the US program, and for that matter, beasley too. He is, for me, a living timeline of the US national team since we “arrived” so to speak. Watching highlights of him you see all the players hes played with, carlos llmosa reyna, armas,eddie pope, josh wolff, bobby convey, tony meola, joe max moore, PREKI!!! RICHI WILLIAMS!
basically every memory of the US team i have, he’s been on the field for. It’s really a pleasure to watch him play when he’s going on all cylinders and I’m really looking forward to his performance this summer.
I say it’s only talk until he’s out there proving it. Come on Donovan!!
I believe he will play like a man possessed. He knows he may have only one more chance at the cup in his prime.
Remarkably honest. I’m sure it takes alot to talk about emotional progress that he has made. It really shows how much he has matured, especially the comment about taking therapy. Therapy is a taboo subject, props to Landon for being mature and man enough to admit it.
Indeed.
He should wear the captain armband for the yanks in the WC.
I met Landon Donovan in Chicago at the team hotel. He is a classy guy and stopped for every fan.
That’s my man, ready to lead…..he shouldn’t punk out just as he did in the last World Cup.
Landon can say whatever he wants at this point.
Landon Donovan “the enlightened one”