Landon Donovan accomplished a rare feat Sunday, one that has been 15 years in the making: He retired from professional soccer as a champion.
Donovan capped off a mesmerizing career that includes numerous records for the US national team and in Major League Soccer by contributing to a 2-1 extra-time win by the LA Galaxy over the New England Revolution in Sunday’s MLS Cup championship game.
In the process, the 32-year-old joins a small sports fraternity with members John Elway, Pete Sampras, Joe Dimaggio and sadly only a few others – legends who left their sport on top.
“No one deserves to go out on a high as much as he does,” said teammate and MLS MVP Robbie Keane, who scored the game-winning goal in the championship game. “What (Landon’s) done for MLS and the US national team – he’s been a great credit to both and his teammates. It’s just a great honor to play these last four years with him – just delighted for him more than anybody to go out on a high because he deserves it.”
Not every legend gets to have this type of sendoff.
Whether it’s the competition, the locker room camaraderie, the money and fame, or something completely different, athletes are unlikely to walk away on top – especially those who reach such a pinnacle that they are the face of a sport.
Muhammad Ali is the greatest of all time in the ring – but to recall his legacy also means considering his last two bouts, both ugly losses that exerted a toll on his mind and body that forever changed him.
Brett Favre was a transcendent quarterback – but his hunger to play led to an acrimonious ending in New York and Minneapolis, rather than the place where he became a legend, Green Bay.
Michael Jordan couldn’t resist the allure of a challenge – so try as we might remember the 6 championships with the Chicago Bulls, we have to also recall his piddling time with the Washington Wizards.
We won’t have to think of Landon Donovan that way. We’ll forever remember him for his record number of goals, assists and championships.
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Donovan’s career was not always a Hollywood thriller. Sure, the Ontario, Calif., native seemed destined for glory after success with the youth US national team in his teens, but an early switch to German club Bayer Leverkusen in 1999 cost him two years as he failed to get acclimated to such a different life abroad.
The legend narrative began to take shape in 2001, when he was sent on loan to the San Jose Earthquakes and began writing his legacy: winning two MLS championships in four years and helping the US national team to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup.
A failed return to his parent club in Germany could have derailed everything again in 2004, but a permanent switch to the Los Angeles Galaxy in March of 2005 led to unprecedented success for Donovan on both club and country levels – leading to countless personal records that helped both achieve repeated success.
Still at the top of his game, this year was supposed to enhance his argument as the “greatest player in American soccer history,” as his former national team and current Galaxy coach Bruce Arena dubbed him (along with many others). However, a snub by US soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann kept him off the roster for what would have been his fourth World Cup in Brazil this past summer.
A few months later, on August 7, he made it official; this would be his last season of professional soccer.
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From that August date until today’s grand finale, it would have been easy to turn the time period into a big farewell bash as many sports legends before him have done before (Derek Jeter anybody?) But that wasn’t how Landon Donovan wanted to go out. He preferred a much grander farewell; helping his team claim a championship – and his play helped ensure that would happen.
Throughout the season, Donovan was a key member of the most potent offense in the league, alongside MLS most valuable player Keane and forward Gyasi Zardes, to help the LA Galaxy finish with the second most points this season. Along the way, Donovan secured the league’s all-time records for goals and assists – marks that go along with his record goals and assists for the US national squad.
In the playoffs, Donovan continued to perform – scoring his first career hat trick to help his team get past Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Semifinals and notching a crucial assist to set up the road goal in the second leg to help dispatch of the No. 1 seed Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference championship.
That his name didn’t appear on the scoresheet in the final makes of little consequence – he played his role on the day and more than doing his part over 120 minutes. His role evolved during the game, switching from his traditional left midfield role for the Galaxy in the first half to a more forward position. Then during the extra-time period, he dropped back to the right midfield – doing whatever it would take to help secure the Galaxy their league record fifth championship, his record sixth MLS crown.
“(Landon) has done the real shift in the game. He’s done it all, he’s got very little left to give. I’m so happy he’s made this decision and he’s able to go out a winner,” said Arena.
“Don’t we all wish we’d be able to leave what we do the way Landon left today as a winner?”
As he walked off the pitch for one last time, Donovan seemed to be in a daze – euphoric, for sure, but also tinged with a bit of sadness. But once he made it back to the locker room and the waiting press, he knew something new was ahead.
“There’s a lot of excitement, some sadness, there’s uncertainty and there’s pure joy for this team and what we did,” said Donovan. “All in all I’m really proud of what this team accomplished this year. It was so nice to be in that locker room and see so many happy faces – that’s as enjoyable as anything as you get older.
“It feels great – as much excitement as there is about the game, there’s excitement that tomorrow I don’t have to train anymore. I don’t have to do a lot of the things that were the not fun parts of the job. Along with that I don’t get experiences like today anymore either. There’s a lot of good, there’s going to be some bad, but it feels good.
“I know the struggles I go through every day with my body and getting myself healthy every day. Could I play longer physically? I probably could, but this feels right to me. It’s always better to retire than to get cut – and I’m fortunate that I’m able to do that.”
