“We will speak. We will act.”
That was the promise made by San Diego Loyal SC players after teammate Elijah Martin was racially abused in a match against LA Galaxy II last week. The USL club had a plan to join together with Wednesday night’s opponent, Phoenix Rising, to halt the match in the 71st minute to raise banners with the phrase in a show of solidarity against white supremacy.
LA Galaxy II parted ways with defender Omar Ontiveros on Saturday, three days after he was found to have used a racial slur during a USL Championship game against the San Diego Loyal, which is coached by former USMNT star Landon Donovan.
The league on Friday suspended the 25-year-old Ontiveros for six games, tacked on to his one-game ban for the red card he received in the 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.
Exactly 10 years after one of the greatest events in American soccer history, Landon Donovans's 91st-minute winner against Algeria, it's time to finally determine where Donovan's goal ranks among the Top 10 best USMNT moments of all time.
In 1999, the USMNT was coming off a miserable showing at the 1998 World Cup in which it finished dead last. It was a dark time for U.S. soccer fans, but the following year showed reason for hope with the performance from a bunch of then-unknown kids on the U-17 USMNT at the U-17 World Cup in New Zealand.
Now the USMNT is again coming off a miserable couple of years having failed to qualify at all for the 2018 World Cup, and 20 years later the U-17 USMNT might give fans a reason to believe the country is heading in the right direction.
Since Major League soccer began play in 1996, the United States and Canada has been home to some of the world’s finest attacking talent. The likes of David Villa and Sebastian Giovinco have been scoring at an unprecedented rate over the last few years, but there are those from the league’s humble beginnings that scored at an even more impressive clip.
It took a while, but Chris Wondolowski finally equaled Landon Donovan’s mark for most goals in MLS history. He didn’t take long to become the top MLS goal scorer of all time.
Americans loves celebrities like apple pie and making fun of baseball. It’s why late night TV shows constantly barrage us with uninspired interviews of famous actors trying to get us to watch their new thing.
But occasionally, a late night show does something truly inspired. They bring on a soccer player, someone who can actually keep the viewers who aren’t in states where marijuana is legalized awake.
Landon Donovan is, for the most part, a cherished member of U.S. soccer history. He’s the MLS all-time leading scorer, MLS all-time leading assister, USMNT all-time leading scorer (tied with Clint Dempsey) and USMNT all-time leading assister.
Aside from some fans who wish he had played longer or found more success abroad, U.S. soccer fans generally hold Donovan in high esteem for his accomplishments.
Then there’s Chris Wondolowski.
The current Landon Donovan soccer revival is going a bit better than his return from retirement last year.
The MLS season is quickly approaching. The buildup to the season has been full of interesting new kits and player signings.