FWIW I think that Donovan was the best ever US player. Judging by Donovan's interaction with Ian Wright as co-commentator of the last WC - and his fallout with Klinsmann - Landon seems to have major personality issues which likely prevented him from reaching his ultimate potential.
And, for a time, I think that Donovan might have been the best player in Everton's PL squad circa 2012.
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==> "Until the best American athletes start picking footy/soccer in their youths as their focus vs. American football, basketball, baseball or even hockey, this will be an issue."
I guess so. Still, America is a nation of some 300+ million individuals. Yet we cannot field a decent men's (international) football squad. Numerous gifted athletes are short of stature - and rule out basketball and football. And hockey seems a stretch too. What's left? Tennis (some will go that way) - and soccer. It's still puzzling to me why the men's USA team is so uncompetitive at the world level in this sport.
Yet, Uruguay, with a population of roughly 3 million, 100 times less than the USA, in years past has challenged for the world cup title.
Moreover, Women's "soccer" in the US is (was?) going gang-busters - producing the best squad in world football for years running. You'd think that some of this might rub off on the men's side of things (e.g., your sister loves soccer and that encourages you, a man, to try the sport).
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TL/DR - Donovan (**** that he is) is the best player men's soccer has ever had. And beats me, why men's soccer is terrible - even given the competition among other sports - especially since the women's game is so dominant.
Then again, China is even worse than the USA in world football in spite of their vast population. So I guess it's down to infrastructure - early identification of potential child stars and immediate focus on their development. Skip a year or two of this - and I guess the next Messi becomes the next Adu.
