One week later, Donovan's side walked off the field after halftime, refusing to finish a match against Phoenix Rising FC after midfielder Collin Martin, who is openly gay, was called a homophobic slur by Junior Flemmings. In September, SD Loyal's Elijah Martin was reported to have been called a racial slur by Omar Ontiveros of LA Galaxy II. Donovan and his club decided to forfeit after learning of the incident from the referee postgame. Instead, it came with a decision to walk off of it. I mean, it is selfish because I love it, but I think it's helping people and having a positive impact on their lives."ĭonovan's biggest impact as a coach, at least so far, hasn't come from his team's exploits on the field. I come from a very generous family, and this is my way of giving, and I'm loving it. "This feels the same and that's why I love it. I come from a family of teachers and we just love to help and give. It just felt really good being in the locker room and seeing other guys celebrate it, drinking out of the trophy at the after-party and what that meant for their lives. "The last few years of my career, when we won, seeing a guy like Gyasi flourish and do well made me happier than winning my fifth and sixth championship. I knew that winning was going to be the best way to satisfy my own personal desires but now I want to do it in a way that other people can enjoy it. "What I have realized is that the competitive fire is still there," Donovan tells Goal , "but I don't want to do it in a way that's about me anymore and, admittedly, for almost my entire career it was about me. The lights are nowhere near as bright as they were in Los Angeles or at Goodison Park. But it's exactly where Donovan wants to be because it's a place and a situation that gives him a chance to do the very thing he wants to do most: connect with people. It's a long way from South Africa, the site of his most famous moment. This was a man that has long spoken about his own mental health, his fight with depression and his search for fulfillment in whatever form he could find it in.Īnd this is also a man that has somehow, perhaps improbably, always found his way back to the game no matter how many times he stepped away.Īnd so here he is, heading into his second season as head coach of San Diego Loyal in the USL Championship, American soccer's second division. This was a player that once stepped away from the game to find himself after years of constant battles on and off the field. If you've followed Donovan's career, you'll understand that side of him.
It's the trust, the connection, the stories. It's the people, not the ball, that make this sport what it is. For Landon Donovan, the answer to all of those questions is exactly the same: humanity.
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