Landon Donovan is not running to become the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), according to ESPN.
Donovan, 35, was said to be thinking about throwing his hat into the ring for the upcoming presidential election in February 2018, but the report states that he wants to stay out of the political side of the game.
Seven candidates have come forward and declared their candidacy while incumbent president, Sunil Gulati, has yet to confirm if he will run for presidency once again after 11 years in charge of USSF.
Former USMNT players Paul Caliguiri, Eric Wynalda and Kyle Martino have all declared their intention to run for USSF president, while attorneys Mike Winograd and Steve Gans, businessman Paul Lapointe and USSF vice president Carlos Cordeiro are the other candidates.
Following the USMNT’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Donovan, and many others, are calling for widespread changes to the way young players are developed in the USA.
Would Donovan have won if he did run to become the new USSF president? He would’ve come very close purely due to his name.
The USMNT and Major League Soccer legend has the respect from a large portion of the American soccer community for not only his stellar career but also his ability to speak his mind and not be afraid to talk about topics such as improving the mental health of players, youth development and plenty of other topics outside his own career.
Donovan’s opinion will always be sought by the American soccer community and when it comes to potential new presidents, Wynalda has already stated that he would like to have Donovan on his board to help with soccer specific decisions.
This is probably a smart call from Donovan to sit back and let others scrap to be the main man in U.S. Soccer. His position as a legendary figure for the U.S. is preserved and he will surely be a key figure for whoever wins the presidential race.