USA vs. Ecuador: Winners and Losers from International Friendly

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 11, 2014

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Landon Donovan was always going to be the story of the United States men's national team's friendly with Ecuador. From the moment Donovan announced that this match would be his last in an American shirt, the primary takeaway would be how his storied career ended.

But to the surprise of this correspondent, anyway, the number of issues that sprung from this seemingly mundane friendly were numerous and worthy of discussion. Here are your winners and losers from United States 1, Ecuador 1.

 

WINNER: LANDON DONOVAN

Short of actually scoring, Donovan did everything anyone could have asked of him in this match. He hit a post in open play, coming agonizingly close to getting that goal the American supporters in the stands so desperately wanted to see.

Beyond that, he was gracious and apparently humbled by the adulation he received and the enormity of the moment. He participated meaningfully and thoughtfully in ESPN's halftime feature, which was basically Alexi Lalas, Kasey Keller and Bob Ley hammering him with questions of all kinds. Donovan even shared a respectful moment with Klinsmann as he left the pitch. That could not have been easy for the star player.

Fairly or not, Donovan has a reputation for dancing to his own drumbeat. On this night, though, he was all the American supporters (and ESPN) could have asked for.

 

WINNERS: LALAS AND KELLER

Lalas' first question of the halftime interview with Donovan was cold-blooded. Lalas prefaced the question by noting that Donovan had said he felt that he deserved this farewell match in East Hartford, Connecticut then asked him why he felt that way.

That took some marbles. Most presenters in that spot would open with a softball in the "how did it feel out there tonight, Landon?" vein. Not Lalas. Right into Donovan's kitchen.



After Donovan parried that question with a vanilla an...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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