BRISTOL, Connecticut — There’ll always be a job in US Soccer waiting for Landon Donovan.
After his final appearance for the United States national team in Friday’s friendly against Ecuador in Hartford (7 pm ET; ESPN) and after the season ends for the Supporters’ Shield-chasing LA Galaxy, US Soccer President Sunil Gulati will be waiting for the phone to ring.
“On behalf of a grateful soccer nation…thank you for everything you've done,” Gulati said at his joint press conference with Donovan on Friday. “We are here to be part of anything you want to do in the future and we will say thank you in another 10-20 years for what you've done then.”
Donovan certainly isn’t short of options when he decides to hang up his boots for good after this year, but he knows he wants to help the next generation that he himself was instrumental in inspiring.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where I won’t want to be involved to some extent, maybe not at the national team level, with developing younger kids and helping them,” Donovan said. “Not just for what happens on the soccer field, but how you deal with the other stuff off the field, which, candidly, would have helped throughout my career. I look forward to that, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
“It might not get as much publicity, the next phase of my life, but I very much want to be helpful in the world, I want to be of service,” he added. “Without sounding cheesy, I want to make the world a better place than when I came…I don't know exactly what form that will take, but that's my goal.”
Gulati, for his part, didn't stop there when describing the range of opportunities available. But he does know Donovan likely won’t make a decision in the immediate future.
“We’ve talked about a number of different things…I think everything is possible,” Gulati said. “Whether he wants to be on the field, or just off the field, or in the stands but contributing in a different way. Or with a microphone, or away from all of that for a little while.
“It’s not a December decision. My guess is it's a mid-next year or year later on what he wants to do long term. I think Landon can make contribution to the sport in many ways. Both in the way he has done already and in ways will do in the future.”
Donovan admitted that while there are certain aspects of playing that he will miss, there was no doubt in his mind, after careful deliberation, that he is making the right decision.
“This wasn't a decision made in one or two days,” Donovan explained. “This was well thought out and I made sure it felt right. There may be some hard times but the overall sentiment is that I’m ready and I’m excited.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of different guys, I spoke with (former MLSer) John Thorrington, a guy I played at Leverkusen with, and he had really good advice. He said the best part of being retired is you don't have to worry about what you’re doing the next day anymore. For us there is the constant thought of, ‘If I have a beer now, what happens at training tomorrow? If I don't get my legs up for next few hours, what’s going to happen?’ That mental weight wears on you over time. Thinking about that gets me excited. Dealing with the hard stuff, I’ll deal with appropriately.”
Donovan was straightforward with what he hopes his legacy will be — and he hopes people remember him for more than simply how he performed on the field.
“I hope…people look at me and say ‘that guy played the right way, he was passionate, he cared about his teammates, his coaches, everybody involved, and tried to make this thing better,’” Donovan said. “We are all trying to make this better. Sunil, the Commissioner [Don Garber] … of course it’s our job, of course we’re earning a living, but I hope people see that I genuinely do care about this whole thing and I tried to make it better.”
Gulati and Donovan have forged a friendship over the past 15 years that began when they first met in 1998, when Donovan was 15 years old and the US team was preparing for the World Cup in France. There is little he wouldn't do for Donovan at this point in each man’s life.
There’s one role, however, he doesn’t want to see Donovan to seek after his playing days are done.
“He assured me he wasn’t going to run for President against me in three years,” Gulati said. “That was part of the deal.”
