Former USMNT star Landon Donovan thinking of running for USSF President

Former USMNT star Landon Donovan is thinking of running for president of the United States Soccer Federation.

Sports Illustrated reported earlier Wednesday that former USMNT star Landon Donovan is considering running for president of the U.S. Soccer Federation. This comes after the U.S. failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

SI reported that multiple ‘big wigs’ in U.S. Soccer are concerned with the leadership of Sunil Gulati and the direction he is taking the nation in. They believe Donovan would be a better choice for the position due to his knowledge of soccer in America.

It’s hard to deny that a player who grew up in the American soccer system, played for the national team at virtually every level, spent a majority of his professional career in Major League Soccer and is a former star of the USMNT wouldn’t be a good fit to shake things up for the United States.

Something else Donovan would bring to the table is that he doesn’t beat around the bush. He is a very educated and direct person, letting everyone know exactly what he intends to do. This would shed a light of transparency on the U.S. Soccer system that it is currently lacking under Gulati.

Despite this report, Donovan declined to comment on any questions. This does not, however, mean he is not seriously interested in becoming the leader of American Soccer in a much different fashion than what he was in his playing days.

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Donovan is an American soccer legend, currently holding the all-time goal scoring record with Clint Dempsey at 57 goals. He is also the all-time leader in assists for U.S. Soccer.

Along with the rumor of Donovan running, there has already been a confirmed named in the race. A Boston lawyer by the name of Steve Gans has received the three nominations needed and will be part of the first contested U.S. Soccer presidential race since 1998.