Landon Donovan- A True American Great

LA Galaxy won their 5th MLS Cup on Sunday with an overtime win over NE Revolution and as such, Galaxy became the 1st team to win 5 MLS Cups. However, the game was significant for another reason as well, Landon Donovan’s final game before retiring. Embed from Getty Images Legacy is a buzzword in American Sports, and it’s fair to say that Donovan will have a lasting legacy on US Soccer. Soccer is on the rise in the States, the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry moving to the MLS in the swansong of their careers has put the MLS on the global stage, and the stature of the MLS is only going to rise with the arrival of Frank Lampard, David Villa and Kaka next year. This summer’s World Cup, in which the US reached the Round of 16 through qualifying from the ‘Group of Death’, a tournament that Donovan was controversially not involved in, will also add to the stock of US Soccer. But the success of the likes of Donovan, heroes of US Soccer, is probably the key factor behind the rise of soccer in the US. Fans are already embracing the sport; just look at this video from Copa90 if you need any proof of that, but American players playing at the top level is going to speed up the uptake of soccer in the US. So why is Landon Donovan lauded as one of the key people behind the rise of Soccer in the US? Put simply, he is the most decorated player in American history. For the national team, he holds the record for the most goals and assists and he has 6 MLS Cups to his name. He is the epitome of what American soccer players should strive to achieve and his accomplishments are going to encourage more Americans to opt for soccer over the likes of American Football, Baseball and Basketball. If they can produce more talents like Donovan, then soccer in America will be firmly on the map. The future is bright for US Soccer, and that is partly down the achievements of Donovan.