Legendary U.S. men`s national team player Landon Donovan believes the twelve months leading up to the 2026 World Cup represent a pivotal period for the host nation`s squad. He sees this time as a vital chance for the team to adjust and improve their performance before the tournament kicks off next June.
As the USMNT gathers for the upcoming Gold Cup, their last opportunity for silverware before the World Cup, Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino is working with a relatively inexperienced roster. This situation is partly due to injuries to key individuals like Antonee Robinson and the involvement of players like Weston McKennie in Club World Cup duties. Star player Christian Pulisic is also resting after a demanding season with AC Milan. Donovan highlighted that the Gold Cup, along with recent friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland, provides promising younger talents with a valuable chance to demonstrate their capability and make a case for inclusion in the World Cup squad, now only a year away.
“There are some players on the edge who have a significant chance because others have struggled,” Donovan commented to CBS Sports. “Diego Luna is a perfect example, Brian White in Vancouver, [Patrick] Agyemang in Charlotte. These are individuals who, unexpectedly, could find themselves on a World Cup roster, so established players must be vigilant. Things can change rapidly; a few poor performances, and someone else steps in and performs well, and that`s it. You need to be cautious.”
The current opportunities for newer faces arise following a challenging year for the team. This period included the dismissal of head coach Gregg Berhalter after the group stage exit in last summer`s Copa America. Despite this change, the team underperformed with a fourth-place finish at the Concacaf Nations League finals in March under new boss Pochettino. The general feeling after the March losses was that the USMNT lacked a competitive edge, an issue that predates Pochettino`s appointment and led to Donovan`s public criticism via a tweet. Months later, he stands by his statement that “talent is great, pride is better.”
“It doesn`t matter who is coaching,” Donovan stated. “If you or I were coaching and our team showed that level of effort, we`d have no chance. We wouldn`t advance from our group. We`d be humiliated playing at home. So, I believe players have a duty to perform regardless of who the coach is. Pochettino is a highly capable coach; he`s proven it. But Bruce Arena always used to say a coach shouldn`t need to instruct effort. That should be a fundamental requirement. Right now, Pochettino probably feels he *has* to coach effort, which is not ideal. Players need to accept some responsibility.”
Donovan argued that this “duty to perform” is a way of honoring previous generations of the national team.
“I realized probably halfway through my national team career that there were groups of people before me, and before them, who made significant sacrifices for us to become stars, earn millions, and achieve amazing things. This generation needs to understand that my generation, and those before us, also sacrificed greatly so they could do what they are doing now. It`s a responsibility,” he explained. “It truly is a responsibility. Yes, it`s fun, enjoyable, and incredible, but it`s a responsibility. If you don`t want that responsibility, that`s fine. Then just don`t do it. Don`t wear the jersey. That`s okay. But if you decide to do it, you better commit fully and do it well.”
Despite his criticisms, Donovan, who is the USMNT`s joint all-time leading goalscorer with 57 goals, has not lost faith in the group`s overall potential. He noted that Pulisic concluded a personal best season with Milan, where he scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists, by “playing as well as he`s ever played.” Every opportunity available to USMNT players, both individually and collectively, will be crucial with only one year remaining until the World Cup. This includes involvement in this summer`s Club World Cup, where McKennie and Timothy Weah will play for Juventus, and Gio Reyna will represent Borussia Dortmund.
“They will be excited to return home and play,” Donovan commented. “Anytime you play in your home country, there`s excitement, so they`ll be incredibly motivated. These players have a lot to prove… it`s another chance to be here, impress, and play effectively, and there aren`t many opportunities left.”
Reyna, in particular, will likely need to translate his summer opportunities into securing a transfer to a club where he can play consistently in the final season before the World Cup. He started only five of his 25 appearances for Dortmund last season, and has only exceeded 12 starts once in his club career since his Bundesliga debut in January 2020.
“My strongest recommendation is for anyone not playing regularly to go somewhere and play,” Donovan advised. “It doesn`t matter where. Just go somewhere and play. That is the single most significant indicator of success in the World Cup – playing consistently and playing confidently.”
Regular playing time is especially vital for a World Cup hosted on home soil, as the current squad will face pressures distinct from those experienced by Donovan and his teammates at the national team level.
“The difference is they are playing in America,” he said. “I never did that in a World Cup, and I can`t imagine, especially in today`s world where every move is watched and analyzed, the immense pressure they will face. The best way to handle that is to be playing somewhere and playing well so that when you step onto the field, it feels natural and easy. Just playing well. You don`t have to overthink it. If you`re not playing well, and something goes wrong early in the match, you start doubting yourself while playing at home, thinking about everything. That`s when things can unravel.”
For Donovan, the final year leading up to the World Cup is about the USMNT demonstrating their ability to live up to the potential widely recognized in this group since they first assembled as young players tasked with revitalizing the program after the previous generation failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
“The challenge for this group is not related to their technical abilities,” Donovan stated. “It is not, because we have seen them perform well and succeed at major clubs, in important moments, and big competitions.”
“There is a slight question about leadership within the group, I believe. Someone described it to me this way: we need more players who feel personally responsible for the outcome. When you are responsible for the result, it`s a vastly different feeling than just being part of a good team as a supporting player. When I played, and in generations before mine, there were many players who knew that if they played poorly, the team would likely lose. They knew they had to play well. We need more players who aren`t just going along for the ride but are taking charge and being accountable for the result.”
Dominic Ashworth