SAN DIEGO (BVM) — Landon Donovan is one of the most recognizable soccer players in the United States. On the field, he was a fast-paced goal-scorer, and off the field, he works to promote soccer and build communities around the game. While Donovan’s high-level performance on the pitch is what has brought him international fame, what he has done off the pitch, especially in the San Diego community, is a testament to the kind of man Donovan truly is.

To begin, Donovan is undoubtedly one of the greatest U.S. soccer players ever. For the national team, he scored a combined 40 goals from 2002-2014. He made appearances in friendlies, confederation cups, and world cups. When it comes to his contributions for the U.S. national team, no doubt his highlight was scoring the game-winning goal versus Algeria to send the United States to the knockout stages in the 2010 World Cup.

His professional career began in 2001 with the MLS San Jose Sharks, where he established himself as an aggressive forward/attacking midfielder by scoring seven goals. He followed that season by scoring a combined 25 goals in the next three seasons with the Sharks.

He then played in Germany, where he had zero goals and saw limited minutes. However, his move back to the United States the following year began his legendary tenure with the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. His career with the Galaxy could be highlighted best by his 20-goal season in 2008.

His retirement from the game of soccer came just a few years after he was cut from the 2014 men’s national soccer team. He played two seasons for the LA Galaxy and one more for Leon in Mexico for his last three years, then promptly ended his long, but successful career.

In what is now his current hometown, San Diego, Donovan formally introduced himself to the city by taking a leading role in the “SoccerCity” initiative, which would’ve created a privately funded soccer-focused urban center in the Mission Valley area of San Diego. While the initiative failed, Donovan saw the importance of soccer to the people of San Diego during his campaign, and wanted to be a part of the growth of soccer in the area. His chance to do that came in 2020 with the San Diego Loyal.

The San Diego Loyal are a USL expansion team who made their debut in 2020. Donovan took the head-coaching position for the team almost immediately. He instantly created a strong team of hard-working players, and they finished their inaugural season, which was ended prematurely by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a respectable 6-5 record. 

During the 2020-21 season however, the team made national news after boycotting a game following a incident where a player on Phoenix Rising used a homophobic slur directed at an openly-gay SD Loyal player. Donovan used his platform to speak out against this incident and held a team boycott until actions were taken. 

Most in the San Diego community applauded the actions of Donovan, as well as the brave members of the team for speaking out against hatred in their sport. Donovan and the San Diego Loyal organization made statements promoting inclusiveness and pride after the events took place. 

“He [Donovan] is so humble,” Collin Martin, a current San Diego Loyal player, said. “He has done it all in soccer, but he stresses how important the stuff outside of the game is. Aside from the game of soccer… being a good teammate, being a good person is what he [Donovan] stresses.”

The Loyal have continued to find success this season, both on and off the pitch. Led by Donovan, San Diego Loyal players are driven to become great players on the field, and great men off of it. Donovan has created a culture of winning, and also has formed a strong community of fans around the Loyal organization. His impact on the San Diego community is best described by the legacy he has built for himself at the Loyal organization, and because of the type of man he chooses to be.