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Landon Donovan Calls Out U.S. Soccer's Mishandling of Christian Pulisic & USMNT Stars

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 12:02 PM ET

The USMNT has caused worry among many fans and former players ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Many fans believe the performances under Mauricio Pochettino have been underwhelming and controversial, involving players, causing questions for the sqaud.

The majority of players in the current USMNT are young and will be among the youngest squads in the 2026 World Cup. While there is a lot of potential in the sqaud, there is also a key missing piece in the team, according to USMNT legend, Landon Donovan.

Donovan suggests that US Soccer is at fault for the missing piece within the squad that is needed to help the team.

In his podcast, Unfiltered Soccer, Donovan recalls the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, where the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Donovan mentions that the US Soccer Federation made a mistake in removing experienced players like Tim Howard and others.

Donovan believes a decision the US Soccer Federation has made has affected players like Christian Pulisic in the USMNT.

Landon Donovan on the current USMNT

Donovan believes that a leader or an experienced player is needed in the current USMNT to fully prepare for the World Cup. Donovan says that without an experienced player on the team, 'chaos ensues.'

Donovan says that ahead of the 2022 World Cup, the sqaud was too young, and ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the same core of players remain without a leader in the team.

Donovan gives an example of a type of leader that he needed when he first joined the USMNT.

Landon Donovan: "When I was 20, going into my World Cup year or even before that, 19 and 18. When I went to camp, Gregg Berhalter was there, Jeff Agoos was there, Eddie Pope was there, Pablo Mastroeni. These guys kicked the s*** out of me. If I in any way started to float away with my ego, they were like, 'Uh-Uh, not happening.' And they put me back in my place. This group has had none of that. They've had nobody hold them accountable internally... There's a void of leadership."

Getting rid of the veteran USMNT players after failing to qualify for the World Cup left a void in leadership. pic.twitter.com/oRTVYghT0h
— UnfilteredSoccer (@UnfilteredSoccr) September 9, 2025