Landon Donovan speaks out about his leave from soccer
In one of his few appearances since taking a leave of absence from soccer, Landon Donovan spoke about his break while at a University of Southern California forum.
One student tweeted some of his comments, which included:
“he accepts that he’ll be remembered for soccer, but wants to be remembered for what he has to give beyond soccer”
“On being the face of MLS: ‘sometimes it can be a burden, but I realize there are worse things than that (in life)’”
“Soccer is not a big part of me…I feel like I have so much more to give post soccer…that’s how I want to be remembered”
“What everyone wanted to hear: ‘Yes, I do have an interest in playing for the USMNT again, if given the opportunity, I would’”
The LA Galaxy said Donovan is scheduled to begin training with his MLS club in late March, and he could potentially be ready for the U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup qualifiers in June. As for the immediate future, Donovan said he is headed to Cambodia for 10 days.
SOCCERWIRE MARKETPLACE
- Players Wanted - Undergraduate or Post-graduate
- Head Coach - South Region at The St. James FC
- Travel Coach - North Region at The St. James FC
- Program Manager - Chantilly at The St. James FC
- Girls Director of Player Development: South Region
- SuperNova Cup 2025
- Aloha International Cup 2025
- Ozarks Coca-Cola / Dr Pepper Cup 2025
- The St. James Football Club Girls Academy Head Coaches
- TSJFC Chelsea FC 2025 Summer Camps
College Recruiting Commitment Tracker
Featured Players

COLLEGE RECRUITING STARTS HERE
Join the SoccerWire College Soccer Recruiting Search Engine and learn how to be seen OVER 1 MILLION TIMES PER YEAR.
- Basic $99 – for life
- Featured $299 – for life
- Featured PLUS $399 – for life