[nas] How Long Do We Ride Landon?

Tab Ramos started his final must-win game for the US at age 34. Claudio Reyna 
had a World Cup team built around him as he was nearing 33. Looking around our 
top Concacaf rivals right now, Costa Rica's playmaking centerpiece is 
34-year-old Walter Centeno and Honduras' is 33-year-old Amado Guevara, while 
Mexico just went back to 36-year-old Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

This brings me to Landon Donovan, who in 2010 figures to be a healthy 
28-year-old at the peak of his game. As a 32-year-old in 2014, he'd be a much 
shakier proposition, but the only challenger I see on the radar is Freddy Adu, 
still less than a sure thing.

As much as we're justifiably concerned about the weak links in our line-ups, 
the impact of star performers is far bigger (this is why getting Rossi would've 
helped so much). If the national team is stuck riding Donovan on the downhill 
slope of his career, the entire program may stagnate as a result. 

P

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