Gracing SI’s cover in 2002.
So much has been written about Landon Donovan that people have forgotten what they’ve written. This is to be expected. When you spend a decade being the face of the US Men’s National Team and for a large portion of that time, the face of Major League Soccer, scribes will devote plenty of words filling blank computer screens on you. With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a list with links to the better pieces written on Donovan over the past decade-plus.
There’s no way this list could be exhaustive, but I’ll promise you this: we spent a month aggregating this, and if there are pieces about Landon Donovan that are better than the ones on this list, I haven’t read them yet. Add them to the comments section, please!!
First Blood, Jeff Bradley, June 2002– The SI column some guy with a brother named Bob Bradley wrote is a timeless classic. It focuses on the McBride goal, but Donovan’s goal iced the game and sent the US to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. They haven’t returned.
The Greatest Comeback in MLS History, November 2003— Because this still is. And this video is worth it.
Expanded MLS on Solid Footing, Frank Dell’apa, April 2005–Donovan, at that time the three time US Player of the Year, departing Bayer Leverkusen for MLS was a big deal for a league that had just expanded…
The US Continues to Challenge Mexico on All Fronts- Frank Dell’apa, August 2005-– The Americans were rolling towards World Cup 2006, led by– who else? Landon Donovan.
Landon Needs To Leave His Comfort Zone- Ives Galarcep, July 2006 – a common sentiment after the 2006 World Cup debacle, but one argued best by one of soccer journalism’s best.
Landon’s not a choker anymore- Ives Galarcep, June 2010– Four years later, and Ives was quick to point out Donovan’s goal against Algeria and monstrous performance against Slovenia meant no one could call him a choker on the biggest stage anymore.
Humbing Experience, Michael Lewis, July 2006– Landon Donovan talks about the US failure at the 2006 World Cup, and as usual, is candid and accountable. He blamed himself. One wonders if Donovan hadn’t put so much pressure on himself early in his career, would he be leaving the game at 32?
A Defense of Donovan, Neil W. Blackmon, December 2009– The fashionable thing to do in the 2010 World Cup cycle was to rip an in-his-prime Donovan when the US lost and suggest he should play in Europe when they won. This is a funny piece that combs the comments sections of message boards, searching for the typical Donovan bile.
The Ballad of Landon Donovan, Keith Hickey, February 2010- As Donovan was playing at an elite level at Everton, a longtime critic comes correct.
2002 US Team Recalls World Cup Win over Portugal– Only A Game with Bill Littlefield, June 2014– This is a tremendous piece. More about a team. But really fascinating stuff straight from the players here. That match, and Donovan’s critical goal, is also a great litmus test on Donovan for the believer/non-believer. The ardent Donovan fan will see a moment of sheer brilliance from the 20 year old. The ardent Donovan critic will see a weird deflection and luck. The truth is somewhere in between…that run by Beasley though!
And Donovan has Scored!, Brian Straus, June 2010- You could not write…a script like this.
Yes. We. Can., Albert Lanzillo-– Landon Donovan’s Algeria goal, in animation.
The Day the US Got Through, Will Parchman, June 2010-– “Where were you the day Landon Donovan rolled in the goal of his life?” Parchman should probably write a book about Donovan.
Found In Translation: 12 Years of Chasing the US Men’s National Team, Spencer Hall, June 2010- College football guy validates his USMNT cred, because we live in a cynical world with Manti Te’o’s and kids who studied in London but love Manchester City. He’s a good writer though. Landon’s goal the cause.
America, Why So Negative, Eric Beard, June 2010– A really fair piece after the loss to Ghana. Donovan and the group-winning US gave Americans so much to be pleased about…
Landon Donovan’s Goal Was A Year Ago, and It’s Still Incredible, Spencer Hall, June 2011- Occasionally I think he of EDSBS fame tries a bit too hard to sell his “I love soccer and probably did before you” credentials. Those are the guys with the Manchester United hats at the bar on Friday night. But then he writes good stuff like this.
As Landon Ponders Goodybe, We Hope For Understanding, Neil W. Blackmon, January 2013– One of the limited number of takes that defended the decision of an athlete to take time off to deal with his mental health. A piece we are proud of at TYAC.
Triumph the Greatest Form Of Justice for US, Eric Beard, June 2010– More from the A Football Report writer on Donovan’s goal.
But I Loved That Band, The Sunsetting of Landon Donovan, Matthew Tomaszewicz, October 2012– My favorite piece on Landon Donovan.
The Hemingway Experiment: The Dangerous Winter, Will Parchman, May 2013– This one is even better. I mean, this was one of those stories that made a good writer with any sense of ego want to write something about that good. About.
Landon Donovan sets the Gold Standard, Jeff Carlisle, June 2013– Remember when Landon Donovan ran through the Gold Cup like a man possessed and everyone wrote a column about his reintegration into the national team? This was the best of those.
Clint Dempsey May Be the Rarer Breed, But Landon Donovan is the Better Player, Will Parchman, August 2013— Even after Dempsey’s legacy-stamping Brazil, this article is salient. Sports journalism that is excellent weathers the passing of time.
A History of Dos A Cero, Ryan Rosenblatt, September 2013–Nothing defined a decade of US Soccer more than US 2, Mexico 0. And Landon Donovan is the player that hunted, and haunted, Mexico most.
Is This Landon’s Final Mexico Match?, Blake Thomsen, September 2013– A really good collection of photos and videos assembled showing Donovan terrorizing El Tri. And later that evening…well, of course he did.
Polarizing Players: Landon Donovan, Jeff Carlisle, April 2014– The best piece in a quality series ESPN ran in the build-up to Brazil, from a journalist who spent a ton of time around Donovan.
Landon Donovan and Julian Green, 59th Minute, Jason Davis, April 2014– Jason Davis always has a way of seeing things happening a bit faster than most of his contemporaries. It’s why his voice matters so much in American soccer. This piece, on the symbolism of Green and Donovan entering a friendly at the same time, was even more insightful than he probably thought at the time.
The Maturation of Landon Donovan, Abe Asher, May 2014– An interesting take on the younger Donovan. Worth the read even if you reject the “Donovan as petulant” narrative that often swamps the “Donovan as reluctant superstar and never a savior” reality.
Taylor Twellman Should be MLS’ Scoring King, Keith Hickey, May 2014- I don’t agree with this article but the argument is good and the sentiment is in the right place.
Parade’s End- The Generation of Donovan and Dempsey Gives Way to the Next-, Noah Davis, May 21, 2014- This piece captured the seachange of the last World Cup exceptionally well. The great irony, of course, is it was published two days prior to Donovan’s omission from the World Cup team. The parade ended earlier than even Noah Davis expected.
Why Jurgen Klinsmann Never Trusted Landon Donovan, Stefan Fatsis, May 2014– “The Coach’s Big Ego.” A scathing take, well done.
Donovan Admits to Rooting Against Team USA After Snub, Leander Schaerlaeckens, June 2014– This was a big story at the time that of course led to overreactions, on both sides of the debate.
Jurgen’s Donovan Decision, Revisited, Jeff Carlisle, July 2014— A minority-view take, well-argued.
The Two Sides of the Landon Donovan Debate, Ives Galarcep, July 2014– This was an even-handed analysis of the debate around Donovan’s exclusion from the World Cup roster by Jurgen Klinsmann last summer, as well as Donovan’s sharp, biting criticism of Klinsmann’s managerial performance without him.
The Right Man at the Right Time, Brian Sciaretta, August 2014- One of the best pieces in the aftermath of Donovan’s announcement that he would retire at the end of the MLS season.
In Rising Above Detractors, Donovan Sealed Legacy, Brian Straus, August 2014- Another fine retirement piece.
Landon Donovan’s Impact on US Soccer Transcendent, Dan Levy, August 2014– Impossible to argue.
We Are All Landon Donovan, Graham Parker— This, my favorite of the LD retirement pieces, after he “did it again” against Bayern Munich in a thrilling MLS All-Star Game…
Landon Donovan Reflects, Embraces Future Options as Iconic Career Ends, Grant Wahl, October 2014- A “closeout” interview, by one of the best American soccer journalists.
Landon Donovan: Remembering the Man We Never Knew, Futfanatico, October 6, 2014- Landon Donovan was the rare athlete who spoke candidly yet hardly let us know him at all. This piece zeroes in on that mystery.
So Long, Landon Donovan, Blake Thomsen, October 7, 2014– Yesterday at Cauldron. Get your tissues.