OT!!! LANDON Donovan running for USMNT Pres?
Could happen.
http://www.espnfc.us/united-states/story/3234662/landon-donovan-conside…
This is good though. I think the more and more people that throw their name in the ring, the more pressure Gulati will feel. I'm in the "Anybody but Gulati" camp.
There, edited the title so people don't freak out.
Edited again because we have a lot of smart asses in these parts.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
They need to elect someone who can make this their full-time job. I know that might not be what the position requires, but we need someone like Harbaugh, who lives for soccer and won't rest until the US is fielding a Top 5 squad.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^
October 19th, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
October 19th, 2017 at 12:40 PM ^
If they were close losses and our rivals were Brazil, Argentina, and Germany I'd be totally cool with it.
October 19th, 2017 at 12:52 PM ^
Will he beat Trinibad and Tobago to send us to the world cup at least?
October 19th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
October 19th, 2017 at 1:59 PM ^
Will he have to beat Trinidad and Tobago both? Simultaneously?
October 19th, 2017 at 1:34 PM ^
twelve people (and counting) have no time for self-deprecation.
October 19th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
October 19th, 2017 at 11:08 AM ^
Donovan can have some Lalas in him . . . likes to hear himself talk.
But anybody but Gulati.
If it takes a "name" like Donovan to make that happen, I'm all for it.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:12 AM ^
He's at the Lalas level of self-talk-listen (?). But yea he has a bit of that.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
Never go full Lalas.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:59 AM ^
October 19th, 2017 at 1:37 PM ^
Britt McHenry?
October 19th, 2017 at 1:34 PM ^
Need an international who isn't an MLS sock puppet.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:09 AM ^
I'm also in the running for USMNT Prez. Me, Clarence Boddicker. I've got some ideas. First, we rob a bank. Then we use the money to buy lots of cocaine. Lastly, we sell that cocaine. Profit...
October 19th, 2017 at 5:46 PM ^
What's more American than free enterprise?
October 19th, 2017 at 9:10 PM ^
Using the cocaine instead of selling it?
October 19th, 2017 at 10:28 PM ^
I take it you haven't seen the original Robocop? You should!
October 19th, 2017 at 11:49 PM ^
Comet is airing it this Saturday night but I think I have other plans.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:36 AM ^
October 19th, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
I think we need to be a little more realistic with our expectaions...
October 19th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
i'd just settle for this
October 19th, 2017 at 11:13 AM ^
saw an article where he said he would run but it's not a paid position and he needs to provide for his family. Rebuild US soccer from ashes, or make millions sitting at NBCSN doing Premeir League.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:17 AM ^
Silly this is not a paid position.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:20 AM ^
Can we make it a paid position? I mean not that he should be making Jim Delany, f*** you sort of money, but I do think it is reasonable for the USSF president to have some sort of salary for exactly this reason.
October 19th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
Julie Foudy or Kyle Martino would be my two top "former player/current talking-head" choices. Both seem like high-character individuals who can check their egos at the door, listen to the problems that are embedded in the US Soccer system, and simply hire the best people to solve those problems. They could be the "Jim Hackett" that US Soccer desperately need.
Between Landon Donovan and Eric Wynalda, I think I would lean toward Wynalda. Donovan has heavy ties with the Bruce Arena/MLS camp (not that I'm anti-MLS, but rather it would just be more of the same), he was always flighty about soccer in general with his retirements/comebacks, and I always have concerns about hiring your most gifted players and putting them in charge of development (Klinsmann all over again). Wynalda has some red flags for me as well (a little Alexi Lalas vibe to him), but he's getting backed by some people whose opinions I trust.
October 19th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^
Eric Wynalda has some Lalas vibes in that he likes to hear himself talk, but he isn't a mouthpiece for Garber like Lalas is.
He was hated by the mls fans because he routinely spoke against the status quo. If we have to pick between those four, my vote would go to Wynalda.
October 19th, 2017 at 2:48 PM ^
Exactly. He's not Lalas, but he does enjoy the sound of his own voice; and honestly, that trait is near the bottom of what you should look when electing someone to the highest power. However, he just may be passionate about what's broken and be better suited to fix it.
Add Claudio Reyna as another person I would like to see run. His comments this week hit home:
"Our approach and our behavior to the sport here — to coaching, to everything, is just wrong," Reyna told Goal on Tuesday. "We’re far too arrogant. We’re far too obnoxious. We are egotistical having never won anything or done anything, and that’s not the case around the world."
October 19th, 2017 at 11:13 AM ^
October 19th, 2017 at 11:15 AM ^
October 19th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
(and I'm not trying to be billy badass here)
Don't care about OT and non-OT stuff. Not shit to talk about right now on a Thursday.
And no you didn't. Unless you don't know what USMNT means.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:19 AM ^
and coudn't giev a flying F### at this point on PSU week
October 19th, 2017 at 11:20 AM ^
This is OT. It's a perfectly valid topic for the board, but it's OT. And I had already seen the headline about this, thought it was interesting, and still saw the name "Donovan" on MGoblog and thought DPJ off the bat.
His critique is not spurious at all.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:21 AM ^
All you need to do to understand that it's not about Donovan Peoples-Jones is read about 3 or 4 more words in the title.
October 19th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
what gives? not like you.
October 19th, 2017 at 3:01 PM ^
Total misclick. Switched it to a downvote.
October 19th, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
...just saying.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
As R & S says, title needs a slight adjustment. But this is interesting. At least it could dislodge Gulati and pave the way for real change.
Still, it's not known if Landon has any actual skill at management or at organizing something like this. He could, by virtue of passion, be a step up. He could also have a number of significant flaws. And having once been a vital player is not a qualification, as anyone who realizes what a great player Jurgen Klinsmann was should understand.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
Agree. Donovan has no experience in performing this type of job. If he wants it, he needs to get involved at a lower level and accumulate more experience in a management role. While I might be wrong, Donovan would likely be a disaster waiting to happen with his lack of experience.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:35 AM ^
If he was still coach the U.S. would be heading back to the cup. Unfortunately he made an executive decision to cut a whiny little bitch who publicly stated he didnt know if his heart was still in the game.
Yes he lost back to back games to Mexico and Costa Rico. They are now both top 20 ranked teams who qualified for the cup.
Landon Donovan after not making the squad went on TV as an analyst and did nothing but trash the U.S. team during the Cup in Brazil. That alone should disqualify his bid.
October 19th, 2017 at 11:54 AM ^
If that's true, why hasn't Klinsmann gotten another job?
His ground-level organizational initiatives were important, of course. And I don't care about what players he chooses. But his results haven't been good, and nobody else seems anxious to give him another shot.