Former U.S. men`s national team standout, Landon Donovan, views the upcoming year before the 2026 World Cup as critically important for the host team, presenting opportunities for the squad to get back on track ahead of the tournament starting next June.
The USMNT is currently together in preparation for this month`s Gold Cup, which represents their final opportunity to win a trophy before the World Cup. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is coaching a largely inexperienced group, partly because key players like Antonee Robinson are injured, while others such as Weston McKennie have Club World Cup commitments. Star player Christian Pulisic is also absent to recover from a demanding season with AC Milan. Donovan suggested that the Gold Cup, along with prior friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland, offers a valuable platform for emerging USMNT talents to demonstrate their worth for a World Cup spot a year from now.
“Some players on the fringe have a significant chance because others are struggling,” Donovan commented to CBS Sports, mentioning players like Diego Luna, Brian White in Vancouver, and Patrick Agyemang in Charlotte. He added, “These are guys who, suddenly, could have a shot at being on a World Cup roster, so established players need to be cautious. Things can change fast; if you have a few poor games, someone else steps in and performs well, and that`s it. You must be careful.”
This window of opportunity for fresh faces coincides with a challenging year for the team. It included the dismissal of head coach Gregg Berhalter following a group stage exit in last summer`s Copa America and an underwhelming fourth-place finish in March`s Concacaf Nations League finals under new coach Pochettino. The prevailing feeling after the March losses was that the USMNT lacked competitive intensity, an issue predating Pochettino and one Donovan previously criticized in a tweet. Months later, he still supports his earlier statement that “talent is great, pride is better.”
“It doesn`t matter who the coach is,” Donovan asserted. “If you and I were coaching and our team displayed that level of effort, we`d have no chance. We wouldn`t get out of our group; we`d be humiliated at home. Therefore, I believe players have a duty to perform well regardless of the coach. Pochettino is a very competent coach, he`s demonstrated that, but as [former USMNT head coach] Bruce Arena used to say, a coach shouldn`t have to instruct effort. That should be a given. Currently, Pochettino probably feels he *does* have to coach effort, which isn`t ideal, so the players must accept some responsibility.”
Donovan contended that the “obligation to perform” means honoring past generations of the team. “I became aware perhaps halfway through my national team career that there were groups of people before me, and before them, who sacrificed greatly so that we could eventually become stars, earn millions, and achieve all these wonderful things,” he explained. “This generation needs to understand that my generation, and previous ones, also sacrificed significantly so they could do what they`re doing now. It is a responsibility. It truly is. It`s fun, enjoyable, and amazing, but it`s a responsibility, and if you don`t want that, that`s fine. Just don`t put on the jersey. But if you *are* going to wear it, you had better commit fully.”
However, Donovan, who shares the USMNT`s all-time leading goalscorer record with 57 goals, hasn`t lost faith in the group`s potential. He commented that Pulisic is “playing as well as he`s ever played” following a career-best season with Milan, where he scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists. Every chance available to USMNT players, whether individually or collectively, will be valuable with only a year remaining until the World Cup. This includes this summer`s Club World Cup, where McKennie and Timothy Weah will feature for Juventus, and Gio Reyna will participate with Borussia Dortmund.
Reyna, in particular, will likely need to convert his opportunities this summer into securing a transfer to a club where he will get consistent playing time in the final season leading up to the World Cup. He made only five starts in 25 appearances for Dortmund this season, and has only exceeded 12 starts once in his club career since his debut for the Bundesliga side in January 2020.
“My strongest advice is for anyone not playing consistently: go somewhere and play,” Donovan advised. “It doesn`t matter where. Just go somewhere and play. That is the single best indicator of success in the World Cup – if you are playing consistently and playing confidently.”
Consistent playing time is particularly crucial for a World Cup hosted on home soil, as the current squad faces pressures unlike those Donovan and his teammates experienced at the national level. “The difference is they`re playing in America,” he noted. “I never did that in a World Cup, and I can`t imagine, especially in today`s world where your every move is monitored and followed. The pressure on them will be massive. The best way to handle that is to be playing somewhere and playing well, so that when you step onto the field, it feels easy. Just play well. You don`t have to overthink it. If you`re not playing well, and then something goes wrong in the fifth or tenth minute, you start doubting yourself at home, thinking about everything. That`s when things can go wrong.”
For Donovan, the year before the World Cup is about the USMNT demonstrating their ability to meet the potential many have seen in this group since they first came together as young players aimed at revitalizing the program following the previous generation`s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
“The challenge for this group isn`t their abilities,” Donovan stated. “It truly isn`t, because we`ve seen them perform well and succeed at major clubs, in big moments, and tough competitions.” He added, “There`s a bit of a leadership question, I believe, within the group. As someone described it to me: we need more players who feel personally responsible for the result. When you are responsible for the result, it`s a vastly different feeling than just being on a very good team where you are kind of a bit-part player. When I played, and before that, there were many players who knew that if they played poorly, the team would lose, and they felt that pressure to play well. We need more players who are not just going along for the ride but are taking charge and being accountable for the outcome.”
