Landon Donovan isn't thinking about a return to the United States national team anytime soon, but he isn't ruling it out either. The 34-year-old, who recently came out of retirement to rejoin the LA Galaxy, said that he would be open to pulling on the U.S. shirt again sometime down the road if the circumstances were right.
"If I felt I could actually help and contribute? Then yeah, of course [I'd suit up]," Donovan said on The Dan Patrick Show. "That's a million miles away, I've played a total of like 20 minutes now in two years."
That's a perfectly reasonable response. He's right in that he's only played in two matches since returning, both short stints off the bench, so he's nowhere near being able to play for the national team now. While the idea of him playing for the U.S. when they take on Mexico in World Cup qualifying in November is fun, it's not realistic.
And if he doesn't join the U.S. again as a player, he might do it as a coach. When asked if he's be open to that, his answer was pretty similar.
"Again, if I felt I was able to contribute, I'd consider it ... Why not?"
Whether that happens under Klinsmann is another issue. Donovan and Klinsmann's relationship has been icy for years and it appeared broken when Donovan was left off the 2014 World Cup team. But Donovan and Klinsmann seemed to make up some over the last two years. Plus, by the time Donovan might consider getting into coaching seriously, it would probably be beyond 2018, when Klinsmann's contract with U.S. Soccer expires. After that, who knows, for both Donovan and Klinsmann.
For now, Donovan is a player who would be open to playing for the U.S. down the road if he gets back to that level and Klinsmann is the manager who would have to consider it, again, if Donovan gets back to that level.
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