Landon takes lead

First rule in making the difference: show up. When it comes to national team duty though, showing up requires getting selected. After Saturday night in Sandy, Utah, where the US Mens National Team defeated El Salvador 2-1, no US player has been chosen more than Landon Donovan. Already the USMNT’s all time leading goal scorer, Saturday he set a new all time record for qualifying appearances with 32.

And it came on a night when the stand-out American assisted on both US goals, earning him man of the match honors.

In the best form of his career, Donovan is poised to make the next year a special one, with a domestic cup for his club and a trip to South Africa for his country in his sights. And no one thinks those teams could reach those goals without America’s most prolific goal scorer. That’s the definition of difference maker.

Next up in the record books: all time cap leader. Donovan currently has 116, good enough for the most of any active player and fourth all time. The record stands at 164, well within the reach of the still youthful 27-year-old’s career span. Landon should add to his total on Wednesday when the USMNT travel to Trinidad and Tobago for the next round of qualifiers.