From U.S. Soccer Icon to Head Coach, Donovan’s Vision for Leadership & Player Development
Few names in American soccer carry the same weight as Landon Donovan. A three-time FIFA World Cup veteran, six-time MLS Cup champion, and the all-time U.S. men’s leader in World Cup goals, Donovan’s legacy as a player is legendary. But now, he’s embracing a new challenge—shaping the future of the game from the sidelines as the head coach of USL Championship club San Diego Loyal SC.
Unlike many former stars who transition to coaching, Donovan brings a unique approach rooted in mentorship, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to player development. His mission isn’t just about winning matches—it’s about cultivating a culture of excellence, accountability, and trust.
As San Diego Loyal prepared for its inaugural season in March 2020, Donovan opened up about what coaching means to him, how he applies his years of international experience to his new role, and why his approach to coaching is shaped by his deep understanding of the game. 
In this three-part series, Donovan shares his insights on what it truly means to be a coach, how to inspire players, and what separates great leaders from the rest.
SoccerToday Interview with Landon Donovan on The Role of a Coach
Diane Scavuzzo: What does it mean to be a coach? What do you believe is the role of a coach?
Landon Donovan: That’s a good question. I think it depends on the coach.
FOR ME, I WANT TO POSITIVELY IMPACT LIVES AND INSPIRE PEOPLE THROUGH THIS GAME.
That is my goal, my mission, my role.
For other coaches, it might be to put on the best training sessions, to win a championship. But for me, my role is literally to be a role model and help these guys, these young men get to a better place in their life and their career.
Diane Scavuzzo: Which coach do you think you have learned the most from?
Landon Donovan: Well, I think if you’re a listener and a learner, then you learn a lot from everybody, right? Even the bad ones, or the ones you didn’t like as much, you can also learn from, right?
THE PERSON WHO’S HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON ME IS BRUCE ARENA.
I was with him for so long, watching him day in and day out for a number of years has certainly influenced me a lot. Bruce understands that people are different. Ultimately, he knows how to get a group of young men pointed in the same direction and working towards the same goal.
Diane Scavuzzo: What kind of environment do you want to create for your players?
Landon Donovan: There are two pieces to creating an environment, right? On the field and off the field.
We have the ability, thanks to our owner, to put our players in what’s widely considered a top-five performance environment in the USA. Our players train at Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in San Diego. They have access to quite literally the same tools that our Olympic athletes have to prepare for the Olympics this summer in Japan. That’s on the field environment.
OFF THE FIELD, MY BELIEF IS THAT YOU TREAT PEOPLE RESPECTFULLY.
As a coach, I believe we treat these young men with compassion and then challenge them to get better all the time.
It’s very easy, especially when you get to a certain point in your career, to be content with your role or where you are in your life.
I will not do that with these guys, because I think they can do better, they can be better, they can make more money, they can play at a higher level, and I want to help them do that.
I’m going to be very challenging, but also very respectful and understanding of what they’re going through and the real challenges they have, because I’ve lived it — so I know it.
I think you can do all of that at the same time.
Diane Scavuzzo: In your opinion, what is the role of the USL in American soccer?
Landon Donovan: Why the USL has thrived, particularly in the last five years, is the league now is being populated with players who a few years ago absolutely would’ve been MLS players. Now, Major League Soccer is paying significant amounts of money to bring in players of higher value, and the guys who used to be in the middle of a youth MLS Academy roster are now playing in USL.
So, if you’re a young kid making the decision where to play ten years ago, you would say, “Well, the salaries aren’t very good in the USL, the level isn’t great — so it’s better for me to stay in college. Maybe the soccer is not quite as high a level as in the USL, but it’s better for me to stay in college and get my degree.”
Now, players can make better money in this league and the competition they’re facing at 18, 19, 20-years-old is a very, very high level.
You’ve just seen this paradigm shift really in the last five years and it’s giving players now a real option instead of defaulting to staying in college and getting a four-year degree.
Diane Scavuzzo: Fabulous insights. How has the recruiting been for San Diego Loyal?
Landon Donovan: There’s a lot of avenues to go through to find players. Clearly, current USL and MLS players, and then you can expand that to around the globe — and you rely on scouts, people you trust, and looking at video to make some of those decisions. Then you have college players and local players, who we looked at through our tryouts. These are players, who for whatever reason, haven’t been with a professional team yet, but who are needing the opportunity to prove that they can play at this level.
From our open tryouts, We are bringing in — I think — three players into preseason. These are kids who will now have an opportunity to be professionals. They know there’s no guarantee, but now they’re getting an opportunity.
I think that speaks to the fact that we still are missing players in our scouting system here in the US.
It’s getting better, but we’re still missing some players, and we’ve got to give them every opportunity to make it if we want to keep progressing.
Diane Scavuzzo: How do you feel about being in San Diego and kicking off San Diego Loyal?
Landon Donovan: I love San Diego. I moved here four years ago with my family.
This is literally a dream come true for me.
The challenge in San Diego is that there’s a lot of competition, right? And, I don’t mean competition with other sports teams. I mean you can go to the beach, you can go to the mountains, you can drive to the border, you can hang out in Chula Vista, you can go downtown, you can go to Carlsbad and Del Mar.
There are a lot of great things to do in San Diego on a Saturday, or a Saturday night.
