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Every American soccer fan remembers the goal Landon Donovan scored against Algeria and the call of broadcaster Ian Darke saying, “Go, go USA!” as Donovan ran off to celebrate putting the U.S into the knockout phase of the 2010 World Cup.
It’s one of the most memorable American World Cup moments, with a generation of fans able to remember where they were, who they celebrated with and how they felt as the U.S. found a breakthrough after 90 minutes of trying.
Donovan, of course, is glad it happened, but as he looks back on the memories he made taking part in three World Cup tournaments, it was the off-field ones that stood out.
“There are three moments, but none of them were on the field because the on-field stuff is, of course, naturally exciting,” he told USA TODAY Sports.
More: Germany beats USMNT in final pre-World Cup friendly: Recap, highlights
One of the moments that sticks in Donovan’s mind came before his World Cup debut. Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley were included on the roster as the team’s youth prospects, making Bruce Arena’s list as a pair of 20-year-olds after showing promise at the youth levels.
As the pair walked toward the field for warm-ups at the Suwon stadium, knowing they were each starting against European power Portugal, they shared a brief moment, soaking in the fact they’d made it to the big stage.
“Beas grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lower middle class, I think, at best. We grew up very poor in Southern California," Donovan said. "Two guys who had been together since 15 years old were now 20 year olds walking out of the tunnel in a World Cup, before we played Portugal, for warm-up.
“I remember looking at him and catching his eye and just this moment of thinking, ‘Can you believe we're here like this as well?’”
The duo helped the U.S. to a 3-2 victory that set the stage for the best American World Cup performance in modern history.
While the U.S. wasn’t able to get out of the group stage in the 2006 World Cup, and Donovan himself noted it was a “bad World Cup for us,” he was able to experience another favorite World Cup memory.
Playing Italy in the second group match, the U.S. was well supported by thousands of troops stationed at the nearby Ramstein Air Base. As the first notes of the national anthem started to sound, it became clear the 11 players on the field would be well-supported by what Donovan estimates was 20,000-25,000 servicemen and servicewomen.
“That national anthem? I have goosebumps talking about it. That national anthem was the best national anthem I've ever heard in my life, and I heard hundreds of them,” Donovan said. “Hearing the service members belt it out in Kaiserslautern was one of the best moments of my life.”
It was the high point for the U.S. on the field as well, with the point secured against the Italians ending up being the only one they would earn in that tournament.
The triumphs were sweet for Donovan, and perhaps none more so than a 2-0 victory over Mexico in the Round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup. The victory over their biggest rivals put the U.S. into the quarterfinals, with Donovan scoring in the 65th minute to cap the win.
The Stars and Stripes celebrated on the field and in the locker room but also ended up with an impromptu moment of celebration on the bus after the game.
"As we were pulling out of the stadium, all the cars, all the traffic had gone and we pulled up to a stoplight in our bus. And as fate would have it, right as we stopped, the Mexico team bus pulled up right next to us," Donovan said. "Someone noticed that it was their bus, so we looked over at them and we were celebrating, and jumping, and hitting the windows and the whole bus was shaking and they were absolutely miserable.
"I'll never forget it."
Donovan spoke to USA TODAY Sports as part of his work with FanDuel. He's bullish about the United States' hopes at this tournament, even as big underdogs, because he liked what he saw during the friendly matches. Donovan says the current team showed some of the grit and fight that characterized the teams Donovan was a part of.
"I'm really excited," Donovan said. "Of course, you need a lot of things to go right to get deep into the tournament and win and in cash a +6,000 bet, but there's no question that a lot of these players can compete at the very highest level. If collectively we are a good team, that gives us a really good chance to go deep in the tournament."
The U.S. opens the tournament June 12 against Paraguay before meeting Australia and Turkey to close out group play. Donovan will be taking part in Fox's World Cup coverage, including sitting alongside Darke as the analyst on the broadcast of the opening game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Landon Donovan's favorite USMNT World Cup memories from 2002, 2006 & 2010
Continue reading...
It’s one of the most memorable American World Cup moments, with a generation of fans able to remember where they were, who they celebrated with and how they felt as the U.S. found a breakthrough after 90 minutes of trying.
Donovan, of course, is glad it happened, but as he looks back on the memories he made taking part in three World Cup tournaments, it was the off-field ones that stood out.
“There are three moments, but none of them were on the field because the on-field stuff is, of course, naturally exciting,” he told USA TODAY Sports.
More: Germany beats USMNT in final pre-World Cup friendly: Recap, highlights
Landon Donovan’s World Cup reflection with a friend
One of the moments that sticks in Donovan’s mind came before his World Cup debut. Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley were included on the roster as the team’s youth prospects, making Bruce Arena’s list as a pair of 20-year-olds after showing promise at the youth levels.
As the pair walked toward the field for warm-ups at the Suwon stadium, knowing they were each starting against European power Portugal, they shared a brief moment, soaking in the fact they’d made it to the big stage.
“Beas grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lower middle class, I think, at best. We grew up very poor in Southern California," Donovan said. "Two guys who had been together since 15 years old were now 20 year olds walking out of the tunnel in a World Cup, before we played Portugal, for warm-up.
“I remember looking at him and catching his eye and just this moment of thinking, ‘Can you believe we're here like this as well?’”
The duo helped the U.S. to a 3-2 victory that set the stage for the best American World Cup performance in modern history.
A national anthem Landon Donovan will remember forever
While the U.S. wasn’t able to get out of the group stage in the 2006 World Cup, and Donovan himself noted it was a “bad World Cup for us,” he was able to experience another favorite World Cup memory.
Playing Italy in the second group match, the U.S. was well supported by thousands of troops stationed at the nearby Ramstein Air Base. As the first notes of the national anthem started to sound, it became clear the 11 players on the field would be well-supported by what Donovan estimates was 20,000-25,000 servicemen and servicewomen.
“That national anthem? I have goosebumps talking about it. That national anthem was the best national anthem I've ever heard in my life, and I heard hundreds of them,” Donovan said. “Hearing the service members belt it out in Kaiserslautern was one of the best moments of my life.”
It was the high point for the U.S. on the field as well, with the point secured against the Italians ending up being the only one they would earn in that tournament.
Landon Donovan’s favorite World Cup rivalry moment
The triumphs were sweet for Donovan, and perhaps none more so than a 2-0 victory over Mexico in the Round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup. The victory over their biggest rivals put the U.S. into the quarterfinals, with Donovan scoring in the 65th minute to cap the win.
The Stars and Stripes celebrated on the field and in the locker room but also ended up with an impromptu moment of celebration on the bus after the game.
"As we were pulling out of the stadium, all the cars, all the traffic had gone and we pulled up to a stoplight in our bus. And as fate would have it, right as we stopped, the Mexico team bus pulled up right next to us," Donovan said. "Someone noticed that it was their bus, so we looked over at them and we were celebrating, and jumping, and hitting the windows and the whole bus was shaking and they were absolutely miserable.
"I'll never forget it."
Donovan spoke to USA TODAY Sports as part of his work with FanDuel. He's bullish about the United States' hopes at this tournament, even as big underdogs, because he liked what he saw during the friendly matches. Donovan says the current team showed some of the grit and fight that characterized the teams Donovan was a part of.
"I'm really excited," Donovan said. "Of course, you need a lot of things to go right to get deep into the tournament and win and in cash a +6,000 bet, but there's no question that a lot of these players can compete at the very highest level. If collectively we are a good team, that gives us a really good chance to go deep in the tournament."
The U.S. opens the tournament June 12 against Paraguay before meeting Australia and Turkey to close out group play. Donovan will be taking part in Fox's World Cup coverage, including sitting alongside Darke as the analyst on the broadcast of the opening game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Landon Donovan's favorite USMNT World Cup memories from 2002, 2006 & 2010
Continue reading...
