On Wednesday afternoon, ESPN announced that former U.S. Men’s National Team star Landon Donovan had been hired to provide punditry on the very team that he was cut from just weeks before the 2014 World Cup.
By 3:00pm, he was on already on the air during ESPN’s debut of it’s World Cup Preview telecast where he showed little mercy when asked about the recent comments from U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann that the country cannot realistically win the World Cup.
“This will come as a surprise to nobody, but I don’t agree with Jurgen,” Donovan said. “And as someone who has been in that locker room and has sat next to the players, we agree with the (supporter group) American Outlaws: We believe that we will win. I think that’s the way Americans think and I think that’s the sentiment.”
Donovan’s decision to work for ESPN effectively eliminates any chance he has of being brought back into the U.S. squad if an injury were to occur over the next three days. The Galaxy player had previously stated that he would serve if called upon. Clearly, that ship has now sailed.
The all-time U.S. leader in goals and assists will not travel to Brazil and instead will work out of ESPN’s Los Angeles studios where he will provide pre-match, halftime and post-match analysis on every U.S. match, and also make appearances on SportsCenter.
“I am excited to be joining ESPN’s coverage of the 2014 World Cup from Los Angeles,” Donovan said in the press release. “I look forward to working with the talented ESPN broadcasters to provide unique insights for our amazing U.S. Soccer fans.”