Landon Donovan joins ESPN World Cup broadcast team

Landon Donovan won't be playing in the World Cup, but he'll still be all over your TV screen. That's because he has joined ESPN to provide analysis for the tournament.

ESPN has an LA studio so it will be easy for Donovan to appear regularly and his schedule is free because MLS is taking a break during the World Cup. He will focus on analyzing the U.S. and will appear on pre-,halftime, and post-match coverage, as well as SportsCenter, World Cup Tonight and other shows.

It's no surprise that Donovan has chosen to do some TV work this World Cup. He has begun to think about life after soccer and TV will be an option for him. He did appear on the since canceled Fox Soccer Daily and there was some belief he may join Fox's World Cup coverage, but he's opted for ESPN.

Donovan should be an interesting pundit. He has always been very honest in interviews and has a unique way of viewing things, but he can also be a little soft spoken at times. Exactly how that translates to TV is unclear. He could be phenomenal or a little boring.

Odds are that Donovan won't discuss his being left off the World Cup team at much length -- he's said he didn't want to talk about it anymore -- but having played for Klinsmann before, he can bring insight that can only be gathered from being a part of this U.S. team.

Donovan's first appearance on ESPN will come today at 3 p.m. ET on the World Cup Preview Show.