Donovan is ready for his debut with San Diego Sockers
His new team has MASL’s best record
SAN DIEGO — Landon Donovan doesn’t look at it as coming out of retirement, since he never really considered himself retired.
Donovan, the former U.S. national team and MLS star, will make his debut for the San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League tonight against the Tacoma Stars.
The 36-year-old, who two weeks ago signed for the remainder of the season, considers it the latest opportunity in his standout career, and one that made a lot of sense since he’s lived in San Diego County for three years.
“I’ve lived my life pretty openminded,” Donovan said. “I told my wife the only way I would consider playing again is if it was a unique opportunity, if it was an experience that was good for me and my family, and made me happy. This checked all the boxes.
“Add to it that it’s in San Diego, and I don’t have to go anywhere, it’s an opportunity for my friends and family and particularly my young kids to watch me play and enjoy it. It’s for a short period of time and I figured, why not.”
Donovan and his wife, Hannah, have three small children.
The Sockers lead the Pacific Division and have the best record overall in the 17-team league.
Donovan expects he’ll need about 50 tickets for family and friends tonight at the 12,920-seat arena.
“I hope it’s fun,” he said. “They’re anticipating a good crowd. This is the best team in the league that I’m joining. For me, I want to add in little ways that I can and in the end it’s about hopefully winning a championship for this city that’s gone so long without one.”
The Sockers themselves have won 14 titles since 1982, including 10 in 11 seasons under the late Ron Newman.
San Diego desperately needs a sports renaissance. The NFL’s Chargers moved to the Los Angeles area two years ago and MLB’s Padres haven’t reached the playoffs since 2006.
Donovan was part of a group that backed a failed November ballot measure that would have brought an MLS team to San Diego through a multibilliondollar redevelopment at the site of the city’s aging football stadium. That group and San Diego State had been negotiating to share a stadium before a bitter split, and a measure supporting a campus expansion for SDSU, including a new football stadium, was approved.
“I’ve learned a lot about this city in three years,” Donovan said. “I’ve grown up with sports as a big part of my life and I understand the value of sports, for a community, so I’m excited to be part of this team that has quite the legacy here in town and hopefully will help revitalize it its glory days.
“I’ve been to a few Sockers games,” he added. “They’re fun.”