It’s difficult to overstate Donovan’s place in the USA’s football landscape. Widely regarded as the national team’s greatest ever player, he collected 157 caps and appeared in three successive World Cups.
He was keen to make it four in 2014, but it wasn’t to be. Donovan had missed a few qualifying matches but was still considered an automatic selection by most, apart from the person who mattered: Jurgen Klinsmann controversially dropped him from his preliminary squad.
Some fresh faces, including 19-year-old Julian Green, were included at Donovan’s expense as the USA reached the second round… where they exited to Belgium.