Good Reads: Landon Donovan Joins Us to Talk USMNT-Jamaica
USMNT legend Landon Donovan will join me and Chris Wittyngham for podcast episodes after every USMNT World Cup qualifier to break down the game and share insights from his vast experience. Those podcasts, in partnership with Meadowlark and Dan Le Batard and Friends, will post on the night of or the day after every qualifier. Every audio episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is available for free in the archives on my Substack site, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and elsewhere.
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Grant Wahl:
Hey there, welcome to Fútbol with Grant Wahl. Thanks so much for joining me. We've got a special episode tonight in partnership with Meadowlark Media and Le Batard and Friends, with reaction from Landon Donovan, Chris Wittyngham, and me to the U.S. men's national team's 2-0 win over Jamaica in World Cup qualifying game four. Landon is in San Diego, where he coaches San Diego Loyal. Chris is in South Florida. And I am in Austin, where I'm writing for my Substack newsletter, which you should subscribe to, free or paid, at grantwahl.com. Guys, great to see you. How are you?
Landon Donovan:
Good to see you, Grant. Good to see you, Chris. I'm happy now after all the drama over the first three games, now you look at the standings and the U.S. is top of the table. So it's funny how these things change quickly and in a good place right now.
Chris Wittyngham:
A lot more comfortable than after the first 225 minutes of World Cup qualifying for the U.S. Now, I thought that was by far the most assured performance over 90 minutes. It wasn't great in the attack in the first half, but it was comfortable. And that was a nice 2-0 victory, where you go home and it's like, "All right, that was easy." As much as World Cup qualifying can be.
Grant Wahl:
Really good atmosphere here in Austin. First time I've been to Q2 Stadium, good fans, loud, just really good circumstances for a game. I'm sure we'll be coming back here before too long.
And let's just dive in. Ricardo Pepi, two goals in front of his native state fans and family here in Texas. And three goals now for Pepi in just two games. He's just 18 years old. And I want to emphasize just two games, because I know how the hype train works. But I will say this, that here is a guy who, this has been a weak position, center forward, the number nine position, for a long time. The U.S., I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this, Landon, I don't think has ever had a world-class center forward. There aren't many world class center forwards in my book. Manchester City does not have a center forward that I think is world-class right now. It's a huge problem for them. But Landon, let's start with you. What are your thoughts on Pepi tonight, and what he's bringing and the promise of what he represents?
Landon Donovan:
So my thoughts are in these games, a lot of times you have a lot of the ball, which the U.S. had, I think 65-plus percent of the ball. And ultimately, you need guys who can make plays. Any way you slice it, this game could end at 0-0. Look at Mexico, Canada, 1-1, Honduras-Costa Rica, 0-0. Nobody makes a play. You need someone who can make plays. And the build-up to the first goal is great with [Yunus] Musah driving through the center of the field. The cross is good. But ultimately you need someone in the box who can make the plays.
And our associate head coach here at San Diego Loyal, Nate Miller, played against Ricardo two years ago in League One, USL League One. And when we would talk about him earlier in the year, he just said, "Landon, this guy is a killer. When he's in the box, he is an absolute killer." And you don't notice him much through most of the game. And then he shows up in two spots in the right spot at the right time, and just kills you. And that header is much more difficult than people realize, that first goal. And he's a killer. And that's what you need in games like this. You need someone who can just put the ball in the back of the net. And in those moments, he was perfect.
Chris Wittyngham:
And in theory, the system that Gregg Berhalter employs is meant to manufacture those kinds of chances for strikers.
Landon Donovan:
That's right.
Chris Wittyngham:
You think of the Columbus strikers of years gone by, of Ola Kamara, Gyasi Zardes, they go there and they score goals because of the service that comes from wide areas. That tap in is precisely the kind of goal that it's meant to generate.
And as Landon said, I agree with you, that header was a lot tougher on second and third watching than it was, where it's like, "Oh, that's just a header. And it goes in.” No, that's, from behind you got to get it with the side of your head and get the trajectory on its spot on.
And I did actually think in the beginning of the game, he offered more than the staying-quiet center forward typically offers. I thought he was decent in build-up. As the game wore on, it did seem as though latter stage of that first half, he was a bit more anonymous, but then pops up with the two chances, scored the two goals, and the hype train is often running. And that for me is the most remarkable thing is that an 18-year-old is the one who's generating all this hype. All these guys who are in Europe, it's the guy who's at FC Dallas, albeit probably not for much longer. He's the guy who's generating all the hype and all the interest right now. Because ultimately, I think it's interesting that this nation in particular, every nation cares about its goal scorer, right?
But it seems as though the American fan almost above any creative, defensive, midfield, whatever, American fans have wanted a top drawer player at this position for as long as I can remember. And look, that's not to denigrate [Brian] McBride and Charlie Davies, and Jozy Altidore, Pepi seems to be on another level and he's trending in that direction.
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