United States men’s national team (USMNT) legend Landon Donovan is arguably one of the most renowned Americans in soccer. And, he has jumped to the defense of two managers who previously worked at Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs on social media.
USMNT Icon Defends Two Under-Fire Ex-MLS Managers
After EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion confirmed the departure of Eric Ramsay from the role of head coach earlier this Wednesday, one USMNT fan provided a unique take on MLS coaches.
He highlighted that Ramsay and Wilfried Nancy were both sacked by their recent employers, West Brom and Scottish giants Celtic, respectively, after short spells.
“Wilfried Nancy lasted 8 matches at Celtic. Eric Ramsay lasted 9 matches at West Brom. If you wonder why most USMNT fans usually don’t want a manager from (the) MLS hired, this is why. The quality of players in (the) MLS has improved a lot recently, the same now has to happen for managers,” the commentator, boasting a username of ‘usmntaut’, wrote on X.
However, Donovan pitched in and refuted the aforementioned supporter’s point. He claimed that both Ramsay and Nancy are capable tacticians, and that the pair have suffered for being named West Brom and Celtic’s managers in the middle of the ongoing 2025-26 campaign.
“(I) need to chime in here because everyone seems to be missing the point. These are very good coaches. They just made really poor decisions to take these jobs in the middle of the season with no prep, no pre-season, no ability to change the roster, etc. Getting immediate results with a new team requires a unique skill set that very few coaches possess,” the ex-Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes attacker asserted in a post on X.
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Ramsay, 34, joined West Brom last month following a two-year spell at MLS side Minnesota United. However, the former Manchester United first-team coach failed to guide West Brom to a single win in his nine matches in charge before being sacked on Feb. 25.
Nancy, on the other hand, was appointed Celtic’s full-time manager in December, having made a name for himself during his three-year stay at Columbus Crew. The 48-year-old is currently on the lookout for a job after guiding Celtic to two wins in eight games.
While West Brom legend James Morrison has stepped in as an interim boss after Ramsay’s departure, former Celtic and Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill has succeeded Nancy.
