I thought he had some really interesting thoughts on the youth program going forward, and this excerpt about who should be the next full team manager and why was interesting.
"That begs the question of what is there specifically about the American player that needs to be understood. Donovan provided an example.
"In Mexico -- and this has been part of a perspective that I've gained -- and in Latin America in general, players are sort of told more what to do situation by situation tactically on the field; how to do things, where to move, what to do," he said.
"In America we're taught in our society to question things. 'Why are we doing that? You want me to go there, but why? Why not go here?' I think that's part of the American psyche. It's not just America; it's not unique to Americans. There are other countries that are like that too, but that's one small example of how the American psyche is."
Donovan added that managers familiar with the American system, like FC Dallas' Oscar Pareja and New York City FC's Patrick Vieira have been in the U.S. long enough to know what makes the American player tick.
"I promise you if you talk to [Pareja or Vieira], they'll say there is a big difference between the American player and the Latin player or the English player or the French player," he said. "They will tell you the same."
I like that he is emphasizing the American player in terms of mindset/psyche instead of technical ability. I'm sure he isn't the first person to say it, but I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he said.
"That begs the question of what is there specifically about the American player that needs to be understood. Donovan provided an example.
"In Mexico -- and this has been part of a perspective that I've gained -- and in Latin America in general, players are sort of told more what to do situation by situation tactically on the field; how to do things, where to move, what to do," he said.
"In America we're taught in our society to question things. 'Why are we doing that? You want me to go there, but why? Why not go here?' I think that's part of the American psyche. It's not just America; it's not unique to Americans. There are other countries that are like that too, but that's one small example of how the American psyche is."
Donovan added that managers familiar with the American system, like FC Dallas' Oscar Pareja and New York City FC's Patrick Vieira have been in the U.S. long enough to know what makes the American player tick.
"I promise you if you talk to [Pareja or Vieira], they'll say there is a big difference between the American player and the Latin player or the English player or the French player," he said. "They will tell you the same."
I like that he is emphasizing the American player in terms of mindset/psyche instead of technical ability. I'm sure he isn't the first person to say it, but I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he said.