Landon Donovan's Top 10 Moments

About to embark on his second loan stint to Everton in just a few days after having capped off another Major League Soccer season with a championship, Landon Donovan is at the top of his game both professionally and for the United States Men’s National Team.

Here are his top 10 career moments as a footballer.

Leading the U.S. to an impressive fourth-place finish, Landon Donovan scored three goals in the tournament and was named winner of the Golden Ball over other future stars Tomasz Kuszczak, Michael Essien, Pepe Reina, Mikel Arteta, Adriano and Thomas Hitzlsperger.

Landon Donovan scored his first international goal on this date, and who better to score it against than Mexico?

The beginning of an international career that would span the next decade and make Donovan one of the most hated players to fans of El Tri began with this simple enough goal more than 10 years ago.

Although the 2008 MLS season was a disappointing year for the LA Galaxy, Donovan was fantastic, scoring 20 goals in 25 games en route to the MLS Golden Boot.

Playing for the San Jose Earthquakes, ironically against the LA Galaxy, Landon Donovan, then only 19, notched the game-tying goal with a scorching first-time strike into the upper 90.

The Earthquakes would go on to win the game, and the championship, in extra time.

In the 2003 MLS Cup final, Donovan won his second Major League Soccer championship scoring two goals and winning Man of the Match honors. The first goal came on a nifty near-post strike and the second on a technical finish as Donovan ghosted into the box to put the game away.

Overshadowed by his goal against Algeria several days later, Donovan’s goal against Slovenia was just as important.

After having come out of the England game with a draw, the U.S. needed to avoid losing to Slovenia in their second group stage match. However, as was typical for the U.S. during the 2010 World Cup, the U.S. was down early and went into the locker room at halftime 0-2.

Donovan sparked the comeback only three minutes into the second half, getting behind the Slovenian defense, and with no help coming up to support, was forced to go it alone from a terrible angle. Donovan did not disappoint, however, and smashed the ball into the roof of the net to inspire his teammates to an eventual 2-2 draw.

Capping an impressive season in which the LA Galaxy won the Supporter’s Shield for the second straight year, Donovan scored the game-winning goal in the playoff final and was named Man of the Match.

The victory ended a tumultuous up-and-down five-year span for Donovan, David Beckham and the LA Galaxy on a high note. Over those five years, Donovan went from relinquishing his captaincy to Beckham and publicly criticizing the Englishman, to regaining the captaincy and mending his relationship with Beckham.

Eventually, the two formed a great partnership. Who could forget their embrace as they won the MLS Cup this past year?

In the tournament that introduced Landon Donovan to the world, he scored two goals (three if you count the own goal he created against Portugal) and was named Best Young Player of the tournament.

Other players age-eligible for Best Young Player of the tournament were Djibril Cisse, El Hadji Diouf, Roque Santa Cruz, Steven Pienaar, Iker Casillas, Kaka, Park Ji-Sung, Samuel Eto’o, Eric Djemba-Djemba, Christoph Metzelder, Robbie Keane, Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge, Owen Hargreaves and Joseph Yobo—not exactly a list of nobodies.

Donovan was also named to the Best 23 of the tournament and was key to the U.S.’s impressive quarterfinal run.

Poland goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbpsqxOgX18 at the 3:40 mark.

Portugal own goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj6orSJ8JUE at the :25 second mark.

While Donovan had enjoyed a decade as the best player in Major League Soccer, was the Honda Player of the Decade and won more MLS individual awards than can be listed here, prior to Donovan’s loan to Everton, many fans still had doubts about his true quality.

Many critics argued that while Donovan dominated the American professional league, he couldn’t cut it in a top professional league as a number of underwhelming stints in the Bundesliga had proved.

Donovan’s six-week loan to Everton in 2010 proved those critics wrong.

With Donovan’s regular inclusion in the starting lineup, the Toffees ran off a string of impressive wins in what most consider to be the best league in the world. Donovan’s contribution was not overlooked, as he was named the club’s Player of the Month for January 2010.

With time running out on American hopes of advancing to the knockout round, Landon Donovan came to the rescue in the 91st minute to put America through with his clutch game-winning goal.

This chill-inducing video says it all.

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