Life is good for Landon Donovan, even though he isn't playing in the 2014 World Cup—at least according to this new ad for EA Sports.
Instead of participating in the world's biggest sporting event, the U.S. soccer icon is rolling out of bed late in the morning and chilling in his terry cloth bathrobe, enjoying his morning coffee and playing as himself in the PlayStation 3's 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (where, apparently, it's easier for him to score.)
The spot is a clever, topical and deftly executed take on U.S. coach Jürgen Klinsmann's controversial decision not to bring Donovan with the national team to Brazil, a move that observers will continue to parse as the tournament unfolds.
Donovan's self-deprecating performance in the ad is excellent, especially at the end of the clip, when a deadpan song about getting left behind turns out to be less morose than it seems.
But if he does start getting lonely, he can always go hang out with Beckham and Zidane in Adidas' ad. Nike, though, probably wouldn't like that much.