One of the greatest athletes to ever represent the United States in soccer thinks it’s possible that he, his accomplishments, and his legacy could be surpassed. And it could happen in the coming weeks. 

Landon Donovan recently partnered with Raising Cane’s ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Raising Cane’s provided Donovan with some chicken at a phenomenal (and soon to be opened) interstellar travel-capable restaurant in Inglewood, California. That provided me with the opportunity to witness one of the greatest soccer stars in US history crack a few jokes and work a shift at Raising Cane’s.

And that also happened to provide Donovan the opportunity to chat about his legacy and how Pulisic has the unique chance to do something that no other US men’s soccer star has been able to accomplish.

“I think he has the opportunity to do that,” Donovan stated. 

As for how that happens? Well, Donovan has the exact sort of formula for that to play out that would lead to that result.

“Let’s just play out a scenario,” Donovan explained. “Let’s say this team gets to the quarterfinals or the semifinals and has this miraculous run and he scores four goals or five goals or six goals and becomes one of the stars of the tournament. That is miles better than anything any of us have done previously.”

Will Christian Pulisic surpass Landon Donovan as the greatest US men’s soccer player ever?

But it’s not just the sort of athletic accomplishment and the ability to excel on that stage that makes this hypothetical run such an important and impactful run.

“Because you’re getting far in the tournament, but two, because you’re on home soil in front of all these people,” Donovan continued.

And of course, US soccer has more attention on it because the audience just keeps growing and just keeps getting more and more invested. 

“Soccer is much more popular now than it’s ever been,” Donovan continued. “He absolutely has that opportunity and he’s capable of it.”

And that’s an interesting thing to think about. With all that Donovan has accomplished over the years and the way he’s worked to advance this sport on these soils, it’d be fascinating to see Pulisic’s career and legacy here surpass that of Donovan. 

Now, none of that is guaranteed. 

We’re having to work through hypotheticals and there’s a ton of ingredients that need to be baked into this for that to all happen. The deep run and the personal scoring burst are both musts and there’s a ton for both of those that will be way outside of Pulisic’s control. 

But it’s not impossible. And that’s what matters here.

This is part of a series of coverage of a Raising Cane’s event. More coverage is available here at The Underdog Tribune.