Landon Donovan Tells Pulisic to Hit Back

Here’s what we’re talking about this week…

It’s a mix of wisdom, honesty, and reality checks — starting with Landon Donovan’s message for Christian Pulisic on how to handle defenders who take things a little too far.

Let’s dig in!

“Don’t Ever F*cking Do That Again.”

Landon Donovan’s Advice for Christian Pulisic on Dealing With Aggressive Defenders

Landon Donovan notices that teams constantly target Christian Pulisic. He has some advice for him, using his own experience against Nat Borchers to show how to deal with aggressive defenders. He talked about how Borchers always used to foul him and one day, he responded by running through him. Borchers fell and looked like a wounded deer. Needless to say the aggression stopped after that.

Our take on the situation: Donovan’s advice doesn’t sound too bad. The only way to stop these aggressive fouls is to give them their own medicine. Obviously you want to avoid being carded but you need to set the tone and show them you won’t get easily bullied.

“The Dream Always was to Go to Overseas.”

Auston Trusty Speaks About His European Dream

Auston Trusty says he had a really big offer from Colorado Rapids, but he turned it down to go to Europe in 2022. He admits his dream was always to play overseas, and he now feels fulfilled by doing so. After signing with Arsenal, he had a loan stint at Birmingham. Then Sheffield United and now, he’s at Celtic.

Our take on the situation: It’s good to see players challenging themselves to go to Europe instead of staying in MLS and accepting big offers. Obviously money talks, but sometimes you have to back yourself and go play at a higher level. Props to Trusty for doing so.

“The U.S. Has Given Me Everything.”

Diego Luna on Why He Chose the USMNT

Diego Luna was born and raised in California to Mexican parents. He said he chose the USMNT because the U.S. has given him everything. But that doesn’t mean he’s ashamed to be Mexican or he didn’t want to play for Mexico. He just simply chose what his heart told him.

Our take on the situation: It’s good to see Luna being so well spoken despite his young age. He is very proud of being a Mexican-American and loves both countries. When it’s time to choose, he chose the country that he was born and raised in. Now, he’s excited to ball out at the World Cup.

Do USMNT Fans Need to UP Their Game with Soccer Chants?

Landon Donovan Calls Out USMNT Fans for Their Boring Chants

Landon Donovan spent most of his career playing in the U.S. So he is very familiar with American soccer fans, and he’s called them out on their boring chants. He spent two short stints playing in England and he was very impressed with English fans. So he’s telling U.S. fans to spend some time coming up with clever songs.

Our take on the situation: Donovan is spot on here. People always make fun of American soccer fans for lame chants, from I believe that we will win to Seattle’s fight and win chant. The world will be watching in 2026, and USMNT fans have a few months to come up with something.

What Makes a Great Team?

Oguchi Onyewu Speaks About Building the Best Team

Oguchi Onyewu had a lot of experience playing in Europe. He once went up to a coach because he wasn’t playing. The coach admitted that Onyewu was better than the guys playing, but his job was to field the best team, not the best players. Onyewu’s mentality changed since then.

Our take on the situation: This is a good point. Often times, fans just want to see the best players play. What they don’t realize is best players don’t always make the best team. Sometimes, you will have to sit out great players if it means you want to get the best out of your team.

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American soccer’s growing up fast — from legends like Donovan keeping it real to young stars like Luna and Trusty chasing their dreams. If you’re feeling it too, share Footy Fix with your fellow soccer-sickos and help the GOLZ community grow before 2026 kicks off.

See ya’ll next week!