Landon Donovan withdrew his name to be considered for the vacant position as manager of Real Salt Lake, sources told ESPN.
Donovan, 39, is in his second season managing San Diego Loyal in the USL Second Division Championship, with the team second in the Pacific Division among eight Western Conference teams. In addition to his managerial duties, Donovan is also a co-owner and executive vice president of soccer operations.
He had been among several names linked to the RSL work, a list that includes former San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear, current Philadelphia Union assistant coach Pat Noonan, former FC Dallas coach, Luchi González, and the current interim coach Pablo Mastroeni.
Sources did not indicate a specific reason for Donovan’s withdrawal from the contest, beyond the fact that the former player does not feel that RSL is the right team, but they emphasized that it is not due to a desire to remain in San Diego, and that the six Times MLS Cup winner has been sought for other MLS jobs. RSL is also up for sale, after owner Dell Loy Hanson made racist and misogynistic remarks last year. MLS has been managing the sale process.
In addition to RSL, there are five other teams with managerial vacancies, including the Chicago Fire, FC Cincinnati, FC Dallas, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps.
Donovan’s all-time record with the Loyals is 20-15-10. Along the way, he has built a reputation as a fierce defender of his players, including an incident in 2020 when he took his team off the field after San Diego midfielder Collin Martin was subjected to an anti-gay insult. by then-Phoenix Rising player Junior Flemmings.
Donovan remains one of the most decorated players in American history. Internationally, he is the top scorer in the history of the United States men’s team alongside Clint Dempsey, with 57 goals, five of which are disputed in the World Cup. He also posted 58 assists over the course of his 157 appearances for his national team.
In MLS, Donovan won two MLS Cups with San José and another four with the LA Galaxy. He was included seven times in the league’s 11 ideal eleven and twice was named MVP of the MLS Cup final.
In addition to the Quakes and the Galaxy, Donovan also played for Bayer Leverkusen and Club León, as well as loan seasons with Bayern Munich and Everton.
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