In just a couple of months, the United States Men’s National Team will take the field for the 2026 World Cup, and it’s safe to say that expectations for this group are as high as they have ever been. The USMNT has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence over the past two decades, and in a lot of ways, the guy who helped put this team on the map was forward Landon Donovan.
Donovan accomplished a lot during his career, with many folks agreeing he is the most decorated United States men’s soccer player of all time. Now that his playing days are behind him, Donovan reflected on his career by penning a new book titled “Landon: A Memoir,” which is set to release on Mar. 24. In an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports, Donovan took a closer look at his book, while also discussing his historic career and the USMNT’s prospects in the upcoming World Cup.
Landon Donovan Explains Decision to Write His Memoir
When you put together the sort of playing career that Donovan authored, fans typically want to know as much about you as possible. With that in mind, it’s not much of a surprise that Donovan decided to pull back the curtain and provide a deeper look into his career and his life during his playing days. And yet, even if you aren’t a professional athlete, Donovan believes that taking on the process of writing your own memoir is something that could be beneficial for everybody.
“It’s a great exercise. I think everyone should do it, regardless of the life you’ve led. It helps you ask a lot of questions about your life,” Donovan said to Heavy Sports. “There are lots of pieces of the book that I think people can relate to. It’s not just a soccer book. There, of course, are soccer anecdotes and stories, but this is more of a human book, and I think people will get a lot out of it.”
As he noted, while soccer is a big part of Donovan’s life, it isn’t all that his book focuses on. Throughout his career, Donovan battled depression, a sensitive subject that he has refused to shy away from. Given the impact it had on his life during his playing career, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Donovan tackles this topic head-on in his new book.
“This is a real part of being in the public eye, not just being an athlete. I think with the invention of social media, it’s made it a lot more difficult to be in the public eye,” Donovan said. “Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. They don’t care what you do or don’t do, who you are, or how famous or wealthy you are. Either you are susceptible to it and deal with it or not, and for people in the public eye, it’s very challenging.”
Mental health awareness has become a very prominent in the world of sports over the past few years, but Donovan knows athletes everywhere are still struggling with some of the same problems he dealt with throughout his career. “My advice always is go speak to someone that can help,” he shared. “For me, that was a therapist … Go speak to someone so that you can get above all of that and you can live a life of peace. It’s a lot of work, but my life is so much better off.”
Landon Donovan Reflects on His Playing Career
GettyLandon Donovan opened up on some of the most memorable moments of his storied career
Whichever way you want to slice it, Donovan is a legend when it comes to United States soccer. While the numbers speak for themself (200 total goals at the club level, 57 total goals at the international level), that itself isn’t the main thing that Donovan took away from his career. Instead, what meant the most to him was simply how much winning he managed to do during his time on the field.
“I think what I’m most proud of over the years is winning as much as I did,” Donovan admitted. “I’m proud of it because I could have scored a lot more goals or had a lot more assists or been more in the spotlight at times, but I gave a lot of that up to make sure we won games and championships and trophies.”
It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows for Donovan. Like every player, he endured his fair share of hardships, with one of the most notable of the bunch taking place in 2007 when the Los Angeles Galaxy acquired English superstar David Beckham. In a surprise move, Beckham was immediately made the team’s captain over Donovan, which upset the latter and quickly caused tension between the two star forwards.
“I was upset, not just with the captaincy, but just when he came over, how difficult it was for our team; we were terrible for him,” Donovan bluntly stated. “But what I failed to realize was the him part. I was thinking about myself and the team, but I wasn’t thinking about how difficult that must have been for him … I made some bad comments that didn’t need to be public about him.”
Eventually, Donovan and Beckham managed to mend fences, and the Galaxy quickly became a dominant force in the MLS. Both guys have admitted they could have handled the situation better, and looking back on how things unfolded, Donovan credited Beckham’s attitude as being a key factor in helping the two get on the same page.
“All of it worked out because of David’s grace throughout it,” Donovan revealed. “I said to David, ‘I didn’t like a lot of the things you did or a lot of the things that happened, but I should have told you to your face and not said it publicly.’ And he said, ‘No problem, I understand that. That’s not the way I view it, but I can understand why you feel that way. Let’s move forward and try to be successful together.’ From that point, we ended up winning three trophies in four years.”
Landon Donovan Dishes on USMNT’s World Cup Prospects
GettyLandon Donovan thinks the USMNT can accomplish big things in the 2026 World Cup
Donovan’s most memorable moments came on the international level, and now, the current iteration of the USMNT will be looking to make some more great memories this upcoming summer. Entering the tournament, Donovan believes that there is one big question hovering over this group that will define their latest World Cup performance.
“The question mark will be, can this group of players, who have now been together for quite a while, can they have a signature win, or two, or three, or some signature moments that really get people excited? I think the answer is yes,” Donovan opined.
In the 2022 World Cup, the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16 before getting eliminated by the Netherlands. This time around, the playing field has expanded from 32 teams to 48 teams, meaning there will be a Round of 32 before the Round of 16. While that could present a unique challenge for the Americans, Donovan is bullish on the team’s potential. How far does he think they can go, though? Let’s leave it to the man himself to share the answer to that question.
“Can they get to that Round of 16 again? Absolutely,” Donovan confidently said. “There’s no reason why they can’t win that game and get to a quarterfinal, and from there, you’re playing all the big boys. Are they capable of beating those teams? Yes. They haven’t had a signature win like that yet, but they are absolutely capable of it. I am optimistic, and I think it could be an incredible summer.”
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