Donovan, Landon (1982-…), is a former star American soccer player. Soccer is called football in many parts of the world. Donovan was an attacking midfielder and winger—both mainly offensive, rather than defensive, positions. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials) . Donovan holds the record in goals and assists for the United States national men’s team. He was the U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year in 2003, 2004, and 2009, and was named Honda Player of the Year six times. The U.S. Soccer Federation, the country’s governing body for soccer, awards the Athlete of the Year honors. Sportswriters vote for Player of the Year. Donovan was selected as the Major League Soccer (MLS) Most Valuable Player in 2009. Donovan also played in Germany and England .
Landon Timothy Donovan was born on March 4, 1982, in Ontario, California. He began his career in a United States youth program in 1998. The next year, Donovan signed with Bayer Leverkusen, a professional soccer team in Germany. The German club loaned him to the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS in 2001. Donovan led the Earthquakes to the league championship in 2001 and 2003.
In 2005, Donovan returned to Bayer Leverkusen but eventually ended up playing for the LA Galaxy of MLS. He helped the Galaxy win the league title in 2005. In early 2010, the Galaxy loaned Donovan to the Everton Football Club of the Premier League , England’s highest soccer league. The Galaxy refused to extend Donovan’s loan to Everton, and he returned to the U.S. team later in 2010. Donovan led the Galaxy to two more MLS titles (2011 and 2014) before retiring from professional soccer in late 2014.
