“And as someone who has been in that locker room and has sat next to the players, we agree with the supporter group American Outlaws: We believe that we will win.”
-Landon Donovan (source)
Wow! What happens when you get cut and don’t get to travel to Brazil to participate in the 2014 World Cup? You speak up and disagree with the manager who believe they can’t win the World Cup because they are not at that level. I have never been a Landon Donovan supporter, in fact never saw him as a very prolific footballer, outside of the US. I am sure he, like the US Men’s Soccer Team have fans, but I am not one of them. Yet for him to take a position with ESPN on the eve of kickoff for the World Cup is laughable.
How many times are we going to have to hear about his sob story about he should be on the pitch with teammates instead of “breaking it down” as most former US (men and women) end up doing in the studio when the World Cup rolls around.
Even as an American, I don’t believe in the US winning ANY games. Yet Donovan says, “We believe that we will win…I think that’s the way Americans think and I think that’s the sentiment.” No, I disagree it’s not how I think. Taking a realistic approach, how does the US have the talent or skill to compete on the world stage? They don’t and history has proved this, as prior to 1986 the last time the US qualified for the World Cup was 1950. Since 1986 the US has only progressed to the quarterfinals once, in 2002. Based on past results, the US won’t move out of the group stage and have never won a World Cup, but many teams can claim that.
So Landon, have a slice of humble pie and keep your biased opinions off my World Cup broadcast. It’s the American “has-beens” who attempt to provide insight to the world game that cause a lot of head shaking when it comes to their opinions of how the world game is played. At age 32, your best playing days are behind you, time to face up to that fact. Oh and by the way, the US won’t win the World Cup this year in Brazil. Let’s set the record straight before kickoff.