The plot thickens for US Soccer..
Shock waves sent as Klinsmann leaves off Donovan
STANFORD, Calif. -- U.S. men's national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann announced his 23-man roster late Thursday afternoon, and it was full of surprises.
Landon Donovan is out, but that was by no means the only eyebrow-raiser, so here are three initial thoughts on the 2014 U.S. World Cup roster.
1. Landon Donovan's omission is a stunner
Yes, this had been rumored for a while. Some, this writer included, thought that Klinsmann was using this as more of a motivational ploy than a real threat, a way of kicking Donovan into gear and making sure he'd give the maximum. But as has often been with the case when it came to Klinsmann's treatment of Donovan, there was little gray area, and he followed through on his threat.
It's a move that has the potential to backfire completely on Klinsmann. This situation isn't remotely similar to last year, when Donovan took his sabbatical, and was forced by Klinsmann to work his way back into the roster. Donovan had served his penance, and had actually delivered some excellent performances since returning to the national team, including in the Gold Cup and -- more importantly -- the 2-0 win over Mexico that clinched qualification.
Now Klinsmann has created a huge distraction for the squad. If things don't go well in Brazil -- and given the difficulty of the group, that's likely -- questions about what might have happened if Donovan was around will abound. That's not something any team needs heading into the World Cup.
The remaining players on the team are professionals, and will no doubt give their maximum. But one has to wonder just how this decision will be received in the locker room. Donovan is hugely respected, and while Clint Dempsey is the team's captain, and both Tim Howard and Michael Bradley provide leadership as well, the L.A. Galaxy midfielder is another of the team's leaders, a player that younger members of the team often sought for advice.
Klinsmann will ultimately explain his decision in the coming days, but one area that doesn't appear to have been an issue was Donovan's fitness. The team's fitness coach, Masa Sakihana, granted an interview to ESPNFC.com earlier this week and confirmed that Donovan had been "working really hard. He's been putting in a good effort every single day."
Was Donovan struggling with his club form? Sure, but that hardly made him unique in this squad. Jozy Altidore, Omar Gonzalez, and DeAndre Yedlin have not been exactly tearing it up with their clubs either, yet that didn't figure into Klinsmann's thinking.
With Klinsmann contracted through the next World Cup cycle, it seems only logical that this marks the end of Donovan's national team career. Which leads us to...
2. Did job security convince Klinsmann to go young?
It seems likely that this was the case. Looking at the roster, one almost gets the impression that Klinsmann is building his team for 2018 rather than 2014. In addition to Julian Green, there is John Brooks (three caps) and Yedlin (two caps). Granted, none of these three players figure to play prominent roles in Brazil. But what if circumstances force Klinsmann to go that route? For this tournament, the U.S. manager might have been better served by going with more experience heads like Donovan, Clarence Goodson, and Michael Parkhurst. The World Cup is not a tournament at which to be throwing inexperienced players into the deep end.
Yet the contract extension Klinsmann signed in December gave him the wiggle room to think more long term, almost as if this World Cup is a throwaway and that 2018 is the one that really matters. World Cup opportunities are rare, and should be treated as such. At this point, it’s tough to see how this current roster constitutes the best 23 players today.
Granted, this is not the first time Klinsmann has taken such a route as a national team manager. When he was in charge of Germany in 2006, Klinsmann also went with a young squad that included Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Lukas Podolski, all three of whom were 22 or younger. But that trio also had over 18 caps each, a level that Brooks, Yedlin, and Green haven’t begun to approach.
3. There were other surprises besides Donovan
Of the remaining roster decisions, the next biggest omissions had to be the cutting of Goodson and Parkhurst. Goodson had performed relatively well for the San Jose Earthquakes, and his performances in qualifying seemed to indicate that he was the third choice at center back. Now it appears that he was a victim of Geoff Cameron's versatility, in that the Stoke City man appears slated to line up at center back, instead of the right back slot he occupies for his club.
But if versatility helped Cameron, it wasn't enough to save Parkhurst, this despite the Columbus Crew defender's ability to play anywhere on the back line.
Instead, Klinsmann has opted for the promise of Brooks and Yedlin, which likely won't be realized at this World Cup. The selection of Yedlin comes as a surprise given his struggles in terms of his defensive positioning in recent weeks for the Seattle Sounders. Brooks' performance in the friendly against Ukraine was tepid at best, although his club form did see something of an uptick.
The decision to cut Brad Evans doesn't quite rise to the surprise category. The moment Klinsmann included a total of six right backs on his preliminary roster, Evans' candidacy seemed doomed. That said, it's a tough break for the Seattle Sounders utility man.
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