CARSON, Calif. — Landon Donovan will bid a final farewell to the U.S. National Team on Friday when he takes the field in a friendly against Ecuador in Hartford, Connecticut.
Donovan is scheduled to start the match and don the captain’s armband in what will be the 157th cap for the USMNT’s all-time leading goal scorer. With Donovan scheduled to rejoin the Galaxy ahead of their clash with FC Dallas on Sunday, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has already stated that the forward will play no more than 30 minutes in the exhibition.
When Donovan takes the field in Connecticut, it will be his first time wearing the U.S. jersey since his controversial dismissal from the squad prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. With that moment still in the back of his head, Donovan expects the appearance to provide some closure to his 15-year-old tenure with the national team.
“This summer, obviously, was tough, not only for me, but for my family,” Donovan said on Tuesday just two days before he is scheduled to meet up with the U.S. squad. “And you don't want your last memory to be getting cut from the team, and my family didn't either, so this will be a nice way to hopefully put a ribbon on my career. And I'm excited to have a chance to say goodbye to a lot of people who have been supportive of me.”
But Donovan is quite aware that as much attention as his final match will receive, it is not the only focus that the USMNT will have during the match against Ecuador.
With a new World Cup cycle in its fledgling stages and a youthful group—including Minnesota United star Miguel Ibarra—on the 21-man roster, Klinsmann will be looking to test a variety of new faces against the established South American squad.
“I've so far approached it as a nice event for me to have a chance to say goodbye, and, I think, for the fans to have a chance to say goodbye,” said Donovan. “But the reality is that it's a Class A international game that means a lot to a lot of people.
“So this week, I've turned my focus to making sure that I don't just go and soak up everything, that I go and help the team the way I can,” he added. “That's important to me, too. I owe that to everybody that's playing in the game, and I want to make sure that I have that attitude.”
Since the announcement of his final U.S. appearance last month, there has been an outpouring of emotion from former teammates and players across MLS, but that show of support has not been as meaningful to Donovan as the response from U.S. fans.
“I'm overwhelmed,” he said. “A lot of people have said, ‘You know, I won't be able to pay rent this month because I bought a ticket to Hartford to go watch your game,’ and things like that. It's pretty cool. I think sometimes when we're wrapped up in all this, we forget how special it's been along the way – both ways, for me and for them – and this will be a nice week to sort of reflect and enjoy all of it.”
The circumstances surrounding Donovan’s role in the friendly have caused some of those very same fans—and media—to note that Friday’s match will not be a true “testimonial” for the U.S. legend.
Leaving one question to be asked—would Donovan ever take part in a true testimonial after his retirement, say next January against Mexico in Los Angeles?
“I’ll probably be at least 20 pounds heavier by then,” Donovan smirked mentioning his desire to splurge after his retirement. “So I don’t think that they’d want me.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
