LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan made a huge splash in his first appearance as an ESPN World Cup analyst on Wednesday.
In the network's World Cup preview show, Donovan didn't mince words about his reaction to Jurgen Klinsmann's statement that the US national team had no chance to win the World Cup.
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"This will come as a surprise to nobody, but I don't agree with Jurgen," Donovan said. "And as someone who has been in that [USMNT] locker room and has sat next to the players, we agree with the American Outlaws: We believe that we will win. I think that's the way Americans think and I think that's the sentiment."
But Donovan wasn't just being a US cheerleader. He made a compelling argument for how he came to that opinion.
"If we're really expecting to go out and beat Ghana, beat Portugal and beat Germany -- in my opinion Germany is one of the best teams in the world. If you can beat Germany, why can't you beat anybody else?
"It doesn't mean it's going to happen, but I believe [the US can win the World Cup] and I think all of America believes it. We can do it."
The MLS all-time leading scorer seemed open and relaxed in an appearance from the LA studio that lasted a little under 10 minutes. He says he's looking forward to "provide something different, a little analysis from an insider perspective that people will really appreciate."
"Now I want to be behind the team and I want to support everybody," he said. "I certainly wanted to be there in person, but this [TV analyst role] is another way to support the team through analyzing and helping out. And I've dedicated most of my life to helping grow the sport in this country and this is another way I get to do it."
