BRISTOL, Conn. -- Landon Donovan said he was reluctant to return to the U.S. national team after he was cut from the World Cup roster and admitted to suffering from depression during his career, particularly around the time of his four-month sabbatical that extended into the 2013 MLS season.
Donovan makes his 157th international appearance on Friday night in an exhibition against Ecuador. He is the American career leader in goals and appearances, and the 32-year-old forward is to captain the U.S. for the 19th time.
He declined to discuss his relationship with coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who said on Thursday he wished Donovan "could have done a bit more'' in establishing a career with a European club rather than spending most of his time in Major League Soccer.
"It's easy for people to judge others in their career choices in their life choices," Donovan said during his U.S. Soccer sendoff news conference on Friday. "I've tried not to do that because I don't live anyone else's life and likewise nobody lives my life.
In an earlier interview with ESPNFC.com, Donovan admitted to suffering from depression during his career, and in particular around the time of his four-month sabbatical. He also spoke of how following the L.A. Galaxy's triumph in the 2012 MLS Cup final, he wasn't even that excited about his team's victory.
"It's human nature to have sad periods in life," he said. "I would much rather feel than not feel things that we as human beings go through. It's normal to feel that way. I've never shied away from being honest. I always try to be honest about how I feel, to my detriment at times. But I have no problem being honest with those things."
Prior to his sabbatical, Donovan had alluded to feeling exhausted, and needing a break from the game, one which he eventually took. In general, the decision was not received with enthusiasm, but Donovan took time away from the game anyway.
Speaking generally about his career, Donovan said, "I've always made decisions that have been best for me, and I know that's not always wildly popular."
At the time, Donovan had stopped short of using the word "depression" as a reason for his break. Not so now, though he declined to take much credit for making his condition public.
"I think that I'm far from a shining light on that issue," he said. "I think there's many people in life who deal with periods of depression. There's many people in this country who deal with mental health issues. There's many people who are undiagnosed. There are many people who are afraid to admit it. There's many people in the past, both famous and otherwise, who have dealt with these issues."
But Donovan's message that those suffering from depression aren't alone is one that will no doubt prove inspiring.
He later added that in terms of his public admission, "It's not for the goal of bringing light to it, but if that's an added benefit then that's great."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.