The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than 11 months away, and the United States Men’s National Team is in the final phase of preparations to co-host the world. In the aftermath of finishing runner-up to Mexico at the Gold Cup, there have been a lot of debates about what the team – from the players to head coach Mauricio Pochettino – needs to do in order to be operating at max capacity when they open the World Cup next June in LA.
Enter Landon Donovan. He’s been outspoken in both his criticism of the USMNT and what it needs to do to improve as well as supportive of some of the strides the team took during the Gold Cup. The USMNT legend spoke with the USA Soccercast on Episode 157 about his work he’s doing with Real Madrid and Abbott to increase access and opportunity to kids across the country looking to improve their game. He also took the time to evaluate what the USMNT needs to prioritize ahead of next summer and what they need to do to make a deep run in the 2026 World Cup. He then closes out with his wish list for what the lasting legacy from the World Cup would be.
Some excerpts from the interview with Landon Donovan:
On his dedication to increasing access and opportunity for underserved youth in soccer:
“Look, so I grew up in Southern California. We’re in East LA right now…I spoke to this young man named John. He’s 18. And he said, ‘I didn’t have the opportunity growing up to play club soccer because we couldn’t afford it.’ I understand that, and I sort of intellectually knew that. But to hear someone say, it really hits you. And I was the same way.
“I grew up very poor…but for someone paying for all the fees and driving me around Southern California, I wouldn’t have made it. I wouldn’t be sitting here today. And so it was really interesting to hear him speak about that and how we’re still missing out on potential talent and talented young men and women who can really help [the USMNT]. And I think we have to figure out a way to get that right.”
On the passion the USMNT needs to exude on the field:
“When I think about our national team, when they go out on the field next summer in LA twice and in Seattle, and then hopefully beyond that, if they do just that, nothing else, just that minimal effort, people will love them and be proud of them. And the Gold Cup this summer was a great example of that. It wasn’t like spectacular soccer all over the place. There were some fantastic moments, but people were watching a group of guys who really, genuinely cared deeply about what they were doing and representing their country. And so I think that should be a minimum anytime you play for a living, but especially when you play for your national team.”
On a quality the 2002 USMNT had that he would give to the 2026 USMNT:
“We had guys [in 2002] who were talented in different ways, talented in their mentality, talented in their understanding of how to win…and understanding what it took to be successful in every part of the game. But probably most of all, most of the guys were desperate to play for whatever reason…
“Sometimes it was just trying to get your next contract. Sometimes it was just a source of pride, just. Just pure pride. And some of the guys, they were just really competitive and just really wanted to win. So whatever that is, we need to find that. Our players now need to find that, because that group of players, you did not play at the same clubs and the level of clubs that players play at now. But that 2002 team went further than any team has ever gone in the modern era. So there was something about that that I think we can all learn from.”
On what Landon feels can be the lasting legacy from the 2026 World Cup:
“…[Our] youth development system in this country is a mess, complete mess. And I don’t know how it ties into the World Cup, but there has to be a way where we can take this momentum and change youth soccer in our country. I’m out here…trying to understand why these kinds of kids are not getting more opportunities to play. Some of the kids [watching them] are just technically…more talented than guys I played with as pros. And I can’t fathom why those kind of kids have to come here to get an opportunity because they couldn’t play on a club team. So I think there’s massive opportunity to grow. We’ve done a great job in this country building the sport, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Check out the full interview with Landon Donovan below!
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