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“Regardless, I will be cheering on my friends and teammates this summer, and I remain committed to helping grow soccer in the U.S. Still, Klinsmann said at the press conference, Donovan’s a “great passer” with lots of experience.ĭonovan accepted the decision maturely, saying he was disappointed. Donovan recently acknowledged himself that he struggles to find the motivation to train at 100%. Klinsmann defended his squad – and Green, Yedlin and Brooks – in a Friday press conference, saying, “They might surprise some people.”Īs for Donovan, Klinsmann said other players were “a tiny little bit ahead of him,” and though he didn’t want to go into details, he alluded to Donovan not having the speed and ankle-breaking one-on-one skills he once possessed. Fans also decried the selection of Brad Davis, a 32-year-old MLS player who, while wicked with set pieces, at just 14 caps doesn’t own a resume nearly as shimmering as Donovan’s. More angry barbs were pointed squarely at the youngsters named to the squad – in particular, Julian Green, 18, DeAndre Yedlin, 20, and John Brooks, 21, whose combined caps total a whopping six. Of course, there were a few anti-German epithets hurled at Klinsmann on Twitter as well (never mind that he’s a 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year who coached an unheralded German squad to a third-place 2006 World Cup finish). Not everyone was so diplomatic, as some folks resorted to calling the move shortsighted or the machination of a madman. Meanwhile, soccer guru and Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl flatly stated, “Cutting Landon Donovan will prove to be a mistake.” While some speculated whether Donovan’s age (32) or perceived lack of heart – he said in 2012 he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to Brazil and last year went on sabbatical during an arduous World Cup qualifying campaign – others simply denounced the decision.īruce Arena, who coaches Donovan for Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy and also skippered the 20 World Cup squads, told the San Jose Mercury-News, “If there are 23 better players than Landon, then we have a chance to win the World Cup.” Now come the questions, the doubts, the Monday-morning goalkeepers. So if Klinsmann is honest in saying that his goal is to raise soccer’s profile in the United States, snubbing Donovan seems to have done the trick. The sports world expressed outrage at Thursday’s announcement – and not your typical ho-hum soccer outrage (they flop! it’s too low-scoring!), but real, palpable baseball- or football-esque outrage.Īmericans, many of them thoughtfully, questioned a personnel decision, like they might question the Philadelphia Eagles not re-signing Mike Vick.īut this is soccer, and American soccer at that.