Donovan says U.S. squad is the most talented ever

There isn't a team that compares to the current United States squad in the country's history, according to former international Landon Donovan.

In terms of skill and depth, Donovan thinks the American coaching staff is spoiled for choice, describing the current crop of players as being more talented than any previous edition.

"From a pure talent standpoint, there's no question that this is the most talented group of players we've ever had. It's a stupid debate to have," Donovan told ESPN FC's Doug McIntyre.

"Do we have that same desperation that the 2002 team had or the '94 team had? Not always."

Some, however, might debate his assessment considering the success the Americans had in South Korea and Japan, with Donovan in the fold, when Bruce Arena's squad reached the quarterfinal stage at the 2002 World Cup.

Donovan's comments come on the heels of Tim Howard's scathing analysis of the squad. The Colorado Rapids netminder criticized former manager Jurgen Klinsmann, who was relieved of his duties in November 2016, and the lack of pride among players under the German. He later backtracked on his remarks, however.

According to Donovan, recent teams have lacked components that made their predecessors successful, adding that the 1994 and '02 editions were well-equipped with the hunger and desire to compete that went beyond competitive matches.

"The '94 group had to fight for everything they got," Donovan said. "Literally every dollar that they earned, every inch they got on the field, every victory. From that group was born this group of guys, which translated onto the next group, which was our 2002 team.

"Every time we came into camp, training was an absolute war. They were the most competitive training sessions I had in my career, that '01-02 group."

He added that the current squad is capable of surpassing the heights reached by former teams if it can discover the tools that vaulted past teams into uncharted territory.

"If we get that sort of fight and hunger back, that talent will shine through, and if we get it right on the day, we can genuinely compete against any team in the world," he said. "That's going to be Bruce's challenge."

Arena will be at the helm when the U.S., which sits at the bottom of the fifth-round table through two matches, takes on Honduras in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match March 24.