Is Landon Donovan an All-Time Legend of the Game? Not to His Former USMNT Teammate

What does it take to be an American legend of the game? According to former U.S. men’s national team star Jermaine Jones, it should be so much more than the soccer career his old teammate, Landon Donovan, had. And there’s a distinct reason why he himself is not at the top of that list.

Sure, Donovan is the second-most capped player in USMNT history (157) and is tied with Clint Dempsey for the most goals scored (57). He is a six-time MLS Cup winner (2001, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014) and a two-time Supporters’ Shield winner (2010, 2011). He was even named the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player in 2002, after leading the Americans to a historic quarterfinal finish at just 20 years old.

But to Jones, “greatness” is so much more than the factors that can be quantified—caps, trophies and honors. It’s the “the level you compete at, the challenges you face, and the path you choose,” he wrote on X this week.

And to him, Donovan intentionally chose “the easier path,” whereas he “competed at the level where [Donovan] clearly felt he couldn’t establish himself.”

“I know firsthand what it takes to compete at the highest level in European football, and I also know the difference between choosing the harder road and taking the easier one,” the midfielder added.

Both now 44 years old, Jones and Donovan had the briefest overlap at Bayer Leverkusen back in 2005 and spent four years competing together for the USMNT. This is not even the first time this month that Donovan has come under fire from a former USMNT teammate and certainly not the first time he and Jones have had their differences.

Donovan Opts for ‘Easier’ Path

donovan hoisting mls cup trophy — Donovan has a full trophy cabinet. | Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Jones spent the bulk of his career competing overseas at the highest levels of the game in the Bundesliga, the Champions League and the Europa League. Meanwhile, an unfruitful stint at Bayer Leverkusen saw Donovan quickly return stateside, playing the majority of his career in MLS with the San Jose Earthquakes (2001–2004) and the LA Galaxy (2005–2014, 2016).

Donovan won two MLS titles with the Earthquakes (2001, 2003) and then a whopping four with the Galaxy (2005, 2011, 2012, 2014). Although impressive feats, Jones believes there is something crucial to consider about that trophy-laden stint.

“Let’s not forget which team he played for,” Jones warned. “He wasn’t playing for the Colorado Rapids or Real Salt Lake with all respect. He played for the LA Galaxy, a club that was the face of MLS for years, with some of the league’s biggest stars.

“We’re talking about a team with three top Designated Players [including David Beckham], league rules that were adjusted, and several other players earning top money.” Just another example of Donovan taking the “easier” road, according to Jones.

donovan running away — Donovan dominated MLS. | Harry How/Getty Images

Jones’s trophy cabinet may be significantly less exciting, winning just the German Cup and the German Super Cup with Schalke 04 back in 2011, but that’s not what defines “greatness” to him.

“There’s a difference between dominating a league and proving yourself against the best players in the world, week after week, at the highest level,” said Jones, who racked up 129 appearances with Schalke 04 between 2007 and 2014. “... My definition of greatness might be very different from all of yours.”

Although Jones ended his career in MLS—remembered for his time with the New England Revolution, he has no doubt that he “would have dominated MLS” had he arrived on American soil earlier.

Why Jones Isn’t Considered Among the Greats

jones celebrating world cup victory — Jones is a German-American dual national. | Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Jones is certainly regarded as one of the most talented players to represent the Stars and Stripes, anchoring the midfield on numerous occasions, including throughout the 2014 World Cup; however, he does not hold the same legendary stature in the U.S. that Donovan does.

It is a reality that can be explained by more than just the fact that Donovan was a glamorous forward that scored a lot of goals. To Jones, it is a result of his own status as a German-American.

“Would I be considered one of the greats if I had been born in the United States and played my entire career in Europe?” Jones wrote. “For sure, period!!!”

Jones was born in Frankfurt, West Germany to an American father and German mother and represented Germany at the youth levels and even at the senior level three times in 2008. He only switched allegiances and began playing for the USMNT in 2010 at 28 years old, before racking up 69 caps across seven years with the Stars and Stripes.

The midfielder believes his career as an American has been discredited precisely because he is a dual-national, perhaps as a result of Donovan’s own scathing remarks of the past.

After Donovan was shockingly snubbed by then-USMNT manager Jürgen Klinsmann for the 2014 World Cup roster, he and Klinsmann shared candid words to bury the hatchet, a conversation Donovan recounted in 2023 on CBS Sports.

“I said to Jürgen there are guys who you're going to take to the World Cup, who'll never play for the U.S. again, will rarely step in the United States again and don’t give a f*ck what happens to U.S. Soccer after this tournament.” pic.twitter.com/GNmoa6pWNL
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 6, 2023

“I said this, and it came to be true: ‘There are guys in that locker room who you’re going to take to the World Cup, who will play three or four or five games, who will never play for the U.S. again, will rarely step in the United States again, and don’t give a f--- what happens to U.S. Soccer after this tournament,’” Donovan recalled.

Donovan took issue with the several dual nationals Klinsmann opted to bring to Brazil that summer, one of which was Jones. Donovan’s words rubbed Jones the wrong way, who responded a year later: “When I decided to come to this country, I did everything I was asked to. I tried to learn the language, I was not good at the time. I tried to be like everybody else who is born and raised here.

“But then, I don’t feel the same [appreciation for] what I did, because I was not born here. But I never did anything wrong.”

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