Landon Donovan is synonymous with the Los Angeles Galaxy. He won MLS Cup four times with the Galaxy, scoring 135 goals and providing 101 assists in 310 games for the club. Donovan has been back in LA for the Abbott Dream Team trials.
The global health leader Abbott is in partnership with Real Madrid, offering trials for male and female players aged 18-19. Donovan will be mentoring these hopefuls, and 11 will be selected for the Abbott Dream Team. These players will travel to Spain, utilize Real Madrid's facilities, and be coached by the club's staff.
Abbott has also held tryouts in Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Fellow USMNT legends Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard have also been involved with the program.
Speaking exclusively to FanSided via a Zoom call about the program, Donovan said, "It's been eye-opening and it has been enjoyable. These kids have an incredible opportunity to have two of the global leaders in what they do. Real Madrid with football and Abbott as a global health leader, to teach them about football and to teach them how to take care of themselves."
Since retiring from playing soccer, Donovan has coached the now-defunct San Diego Loyal in the USL Championship. He was also the head coach of the San Diego Wave in the NWSL. Currently, Donovan works as a pundit on FOX. Donovan also has his podcast, Unfiltered Soccer, which he co-hosts with Howard.
Mentoring these players with Abbott and Real Madrid has given Donovan the bug to get back into management. "When I was sitting out there this morning, it makes me realise how far away we are, sadly, in this county, because all of the little habits that these players are lacking are things that I really harp on about when I was coaching. But it is fun to watch them and even to give small tips and advice. Hopefully that opportunity will arise again."
Donovan is in LA for the trials the day after the MLS All-Star Game in Austin. The MLS legend was pleased with the spectacle despite Lionel Messi not showing up for the match. "It was really fun to see how engaged that fanbase is and how much they love Austin FC. The game was great, the team performed well given the fact that none of them had played together and don't really know each other.
"From everyone's standpoint, it would have been great to have Lionel Messi there. I understand why he wasn't there, I wish he had been there, I think it would have been the right thing to do, but everyone can understand that guy has played a lot of football in his life."
As well as the Galaxy, Donovan played in the Premier League with Everton, the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, and Bayern Munich. He also played in MLS for the San Jose Earthquakes and in Liga MX with Club León.
Donovan admits that he did not always live a healthy lifestyle. "I grew up by American standards very, very poor. So it was hot dogs for dinner and macaroni and cheese, and fish sticks. We did not have the opportunity or the ability to eat well. When I became a pro, I could understand because I could feel it in my body whether I was taking care of myself or not.
"I made a huge effort, especially in the latter part of my career, to take care of myself well. In modern football, you do not have a choice because there are so many good players. Sometimes you can get away with it for a little bit if you treat your body poorly, but most of the time, it is going to catch up with you, and the next man or woman is waiting to take your spot."
The former Galaxy player has spoken a lot about his mental health struggles throughout his career. Donovan stresses the importance of having a healthy lifestyle to improve your mental health. "When you eat well, you feel better, when you hydrate well, your body feels better, when you exercise, you feel better. When you are outside and in the sun and in fresh air, you feel better.
"It's nice for someone who has struggled to help people understand that, in my case, those are survival mechanisms. For them, you do not want to end up in a dark place; it is not fun. It's not enjoyable, and you can absolutely prevent it by looking after yourself."
When asked which teammate Donovan had who carried out the most healthy lifestyle, he replied, "Surprisingly, because he is British, David Beckham really took care of himself and actually ate quite well. He was probably sick of the British food! So when he came to America, he did take great care of himself. He surprised me in that."
It is a crucial time in U.S. Soccer history with the country co-hosting the World Cup next year. The USMNT legend believes events such as this are crucial in growing the game in the country. "I do hope that one of the legacies going out of the World Cup is that we can put a renewed emphasis on how we develop young players. You might catch lightning in a bottle once every 30 or 50 years, but you are not going to be a sustained, good-quality national side if you do not develop players well."
One USMNT player potentially on the move this summer is Gio Reyna. The attacking midfielder has been linked with a transfer to Parma from Borussia Dortmund. Donovan thinks that this could be a good destination for Reyna. "For anybody, a year ahead of a World Cup, you have to be somewhere where you are playing if you want to be selected for the national team. Maybe I was different, and it was a different era, but all of my focus would be on how do I make that roster.
"The best way to make that roster is to be playing regularly for a club team. So wherever Gio ends up, I just hope he is playing regularly because for us, he is a very, very big talent and it would be great to have him part of the national team next summer."