CARSON, Calif. – Landon Donovan’s absence from the U.S. National Team is over and now the LA Galaxy forward is eager to lead the U.S. to victory at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
I wrote this piece on Donovan’s return to the U.S. squad for LAGalaxy.com.
More from Donovan below…
(On how much he missed being a part of the U.S. squad…)
DONOVAN: “I think that once that I get back in then I’ll realize how much that I miss it. I’ve been here for a long time consistently so it goes to the back of your mind. Once I get back in then I’ll be excited and I’m excited to have the opportunity again.”
(On what it will be like with the U.S. team…)
DONOVAN: “Who knows? I’m just going to worry about going in and playing in and enjoying it. I’m at a point where I really want to enjoy each day. Whether it is here or with the U.S. team, we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”
(On the Gold Cup…)
DONOVAN: This tournament will be a little bit different because a lot teams that are in qualifying are going to send rosters that are a little bit different. I can’t imagine that Mexico will send a lot of the players that you’ve seen over the last two months in all these different competitions. Same with some other teams. For us, the goal is always the same. Get out of the group and try to win the tournament and it’s a tournament that we feel like we have a good chance to win so we always approach it that way.”
(On the importance of the Gold Cup with a spot in the playoff for a 2017 Confederations Cup berth on the line …)
DONOVAN: “There’s no question. For a lot of us that are using this as an opportunity, there’s a lot of meaning anyway. But the added meaning for U.S. Soccer as a whole is potentially very big. We’re going to take it very seriously.”
