Landon Donovan took the news he wouldn’t be heading to Brazil with the U.S. Men’s National team so badly he’d wanted the team to do poorly in his absence.

Landon Donovan Rooted Against US Team

Donovan, likely the most recognizable face in men’s soccer in the US, was stunned to learn that coach Jurgen Klinsmann was leaving him off the 23-man roster for the 2014 World Cup. The perceived slight caused Donovan to want to see the team struggle without him. The first game they played without him was versus inferior European opponent Azerbaijian.

"I'll be completely honest, watching them play Azerbaijan, inside, part of me was thinking, I hope the game doesn't go very well today," Donovan admitted in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "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."

Donovan’s bitterness was short-lived, however. By the following day, he decided that rooting against his country and his teammates was far from productive.

"Then the next day I woke up and said to myself, that's a really crappy way to feel," he said. "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."

"Life isn't perfect, of course, but we all know it's how you react to things that counts," Donovan added. “I did not want to let this define me."

Team USA has gone 1-1-1 in the World Cup, managing to emerge from the Group of Death and into the knockout rounds based on goal differential. The squad will play Belgium in the Round of 16 Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST.