So, with no further ado, we introduce the greatest goal-scorer in US Men's National Team history - Landon Donovan. At just twenty-five years of age he's already stamped his name in the record books with 35 international tallies. Between breaking down defenses and training for his next match against Mexico, Landon took some time out of his busy schedule to chat with 365.
"My biggest pet peeve with youth soccer in America is that they treat finishing as a privilege - something to do at the end of practice as a reward."
So get your pen and paper and take some notes from the assassin himself, as he opens up about shattering records and, more importantly, what you can do to follow in his footsteps.
Now that you've had some time to process the game against Sweden, what is the significance for you on setting the US MNT all-time goal-scoring record?
I don't classify the record as significant, but I'm certainly proud of it. I think when I look back at it in a few years that's when it will set in and I'll be very proud.
What's your most memorable goal out of the 35?
The one that comes to mind first is the goal I scored against Mexico in 2002, because it was in a World Cup and it helped us get through to the quarterfinals. So it will always be high on my list. My goal in the 2000 Olympics was another huge one for me. And, as far as the best goal I've ever scored, the one I scored against Ecuador was definitely one of my all-time best - I'm talking about the last goal I scored that game.
What do you do in your training to emphasize finishing and being lethal in the final third?
We train on finishing all the time as a team, but for myself there's a drill I do before games to get myself in the right mindset. The day before a game I'll practice receiving a ball from all different angles with my back to goal and then turn and finish. I don't do it for too long, but long enough to get my mind focused and my body sharp.
How important do you think it is for club kids in the U.S. to work on finishing?
It's massive. My biggest pet peeve with youth soccer in America is that they treat finishing as a privilege - something to do at the end of practice as a reward. The kids in the rest of the world, in Europe and South America, work on finishing all the time. So when I do camps, I always work on scoring with the kids and try to emphasize just how important it is to finish.
Saturday was your first game in the new Mercurial Vapor IVs. How did they perform?
They felt great. You know whenever you come into the first camp of the year your feet haven't been in boots for a little while, so it can take some time to get used to them. But, in the first two or three days I broke them in, and by the time I played with them in the game they were very comfortable and soft, and, of course, looked amazing.
What are you focusing on now as an individual player and as far as the team goes?
What I focus on when I go into any game is being aggressive. When I'm not aggressive in a game, I'm not at my best. So if I go into a game focusing on being aggressive that's when I play my best and have the best chance of scoring.
As for the team, this is a big year. We've got a lot of young guys in the team, and even a lot of our veterans haven't been through a full World Cup qualifying cycle. So this is a very big year for us. There's definitely going to be a learning curve, but hopefully it's not a massive one. But overall, I'm very confident in the squad we've got right now.
CHANGE REGION