US soccer legend Landon Donovan talks team's World Cup chances, recalls honor of representing country
The United States will be one of the three hosts for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the men’s team hopes it will lead to an easier path out of the group stage this time around.
Team USA will go up against Paraguay, Australia and either one of the four teams in UEFA Path C, which includes Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo and Romania.
U.S. soccer legend Landon Donovan told Fox News Digital that he expected the Americans to easily make it out of the group stage and into the knockout round.
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"The assumption for all of us is that we will get out of the group stage, and, in fact, I think we should win our group. I think that is a realistic target for this team," Donovan said. "This team has the capability to beat any team in the world. I really mean that. It doesn’t mean we’re going to be better than every team we play in the World Cup, but we have the ability to beat every team. The challenge so far is that this team has not shown that they can do that yet, but we all know they are capable."
Donovan, whose book "Landon: A Memoir" is set to be released this week, said the U.S. will have key friendlies against top teams that should show just how far the team has come since the last World Cup.
Belgium, Portugal, Senegal and Germany are all set on the U.S. schedule before the Americans play Paraguay on June 12 to begin the World Cup.
"The beauty of having a World Cup at home is that when you get momentum, it gets exponentially more every step you go," Donovan added. "So, if you get out of the group and win the group, now the whole country is behind you. I’ve seen it every World Cup since 2002. You win the next game, and you win the next game, next thing you know, you might find yourself in a quarterfinal or semifinal and then anything can happen."
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The U.S. World Cup roster will likely feature names the average soccer fan has already heard of – Christian Pulisic, Tim Ream, Weston McKennie and Matt Turner.
Donovan said fans should keep a closer eye on McKennie this time around. McKennie is in his sixth season with Serie A’s Juventus. He has four goals and four assists in 29 matches this season.
"The player playing better than anybody right now for their club team on our national team is Weston McKennie," Donovan said. "He plays for Juventus in Italy and he has literally been their best player for 15 games in a row – and that’s a top five team in that country. That’s a big league. So, I think if Weston continues that form into the World Cup, he could absolutely explode onto the scene here and really make a name for himself."
Donovan made 157 appearances for the U.S. men’s soccer team, only seven appearances short of Cobi Jones for the most all-time. He’s tied for first with Clint Dempsey for 57 goals on the national team as well.
He recalled to Fox News Digital what playing for Team USA meant to him.
"Everything," he said simply. "I grew up a huge sports fan, and, so for me, I couldn’t watch soccer on TV because we didn’t have cable TV. We were too poor to afford that. But I would watch the Olympics and I loved watching people in obscure sports represent their country and especially the people representing our country. And I just love that about sports. There’s nothing, I mean, outside of military duty, which is a whole different category, there’s nothing that compares to that.
"I always compare national team games to college football. Like the rivalry people feel and the pride they feel, but you throw national pride on top of that and you just can’t compare it to anything else. The pride as a player, when you have a crest and you see the flag come out and you hear the national anthem and you realize what you are playing for, is incomparable."
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