Landon Donovan is NOT a graceful loser. After being left out of the U.S. men’s national team for the FIFA World Cup, Landon was not shy in expressing his displeasure — indeed, he even rooted AGAINST Team USA!

Landon Donovan, 32, was cut from the U.S. national team roster ahead of the FIFA World Cup amidst major controversy. Easily one of the United States’ best players and a World Cup veteran whose three goals in the 2010 World Cup made him the highest-scoring American player in World Cup history, it was a shock to many — himself included — when he was cut from the team. Well, in a new interview, he’s revealed that he’s not the most graceful loser — he rooted against Team USA!

Landon Donovan Disses Team USA: Wanted Them To Lose Against Azerbaijan

“I’ll be completely honest,” Landon told the Los Angeles Times. “Watching them play Azerbaijan, inside, part of me was thinking, I hope the game doesn’t go very well today. In my heart of hearts, I thought, ‘If we get a 1-0 win and the team doesn’t perform well, that would feel good.'” So salty!

However, the feeling didn’t last too long for Landon. “Then the next day I woke up and said to myself, ‘That’s a really crappy way to feel,'” Donovan added. “That’s a bad way to live your life, it doesn’t help me, it doesn’t help the team, it doesn’t help the energy that the team needs.

Landon Donovan: ‘I Love Playing For This Country’

“I love playing for that team, I love playing for this country, I’m not going to turn my back on them all of a sudden. […] I did not want to let this define me.”

OK, so we suppose that he has a good attitude about it after all. It can’t be easy to be graceful in the face of being cut from the USMNT when the whole world thinks you deserved to make it through! That said, Landon is not resting on his laurels — he’s been playing for the LA Galaxy and starring in commercials for EA Sports. Could be worse, really.

So, HollywoodLifers, do you think that Landon has a good attitude about his being cut from the team? Or is he a sore loser? Let us know!

– Amanda Michelle Steiner
Follow @AmandaMichl

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