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Soccer US National Team

Predicting Landon Donovan’s Next Career Move

By @AllDave_AllDay

Landon Donovan Final USMNT

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Landon Donovan played his last game for the United States on Friday night against Ecuador, and it was quite an emotional affair that ended in a 1-1 draw. The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he checked out of the game in the 40th minute, and the forward then embraced all of his teammates and coaches. His hug with Jurgen Klinsmann was a bit awkward, because Donovan and the coach have not exactly been on speaking terms for the last few months.

It is unfortunate that we did not get to see the U.S. veteran play one last time during the World Cup this summer, because his squad could have certainly used their emotional leader’s help — especially after Jozy Altidore went down with injury. Landon was famously left off the team by Klinsmann, although the coach indicated yesterday that Donovan would always be welcomed back — whatever that means.

“We wish him only the best and I told him before the game that this door is always open to him,” Klinsmann said after the match to ESPNFC.com. “This is his team, this is his cycle. He built this team and he’s done so many things for U.S. soccer, so he deserves the biggest crowds and the cheers and we told him before the game tonight, ‘Enjoy it.’”

The forward certainly did that; he even almost scored a goal by striking the post in the 24th minute, and it would have been a truly amazing score to revel in. On a personal note, I interviewed Donovan a few years back, and we spoke about the growth of U.S. soccer in the last decade and his history with the game. He even held a door open for me with his foot, which was quite a thrill for me.

As for his post-playing career, I could really see Donovan going into the media as an analyst. He also has connections with Gatorade. So, if he wanted to go into advertising or business, those paths would be open to him too. For now, it’s farewell to arguably the best U.S. soccer player ever.

Dave Daniels is a Prep Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.

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