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| Landon Donovan, USA |
GOALKEEPERS (3):
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8):
DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nürnberg), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)
MIDFIELDERS (8):
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (4):
Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Dropped: Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna /Austria), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana /Mexico), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Philadelphia Union), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew)
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Here are five thoughts I have on this squad:
1) WHAT THE HELL JURGEN KLINSMANN?!? - I'm still not over Landon Donovan's exclusion.
2) If I had to say, Donovan was dropped because of a poor relationship with Klinsmann - Yes, it's true that Donovan has been struggling for form as of late. He hasn't scored a professional goal since October 6 of last year. That being said, Donovan was the best player for the U.S. at last summer's Gold Cup, and it's unlikely his ability has declined exponentially in less than a year's time. Even if it has dropped, why not take Donovan for his experience and leadership as he reportedly is a very respected figure in the locker room. The potential answer is that he and Klinsmann don't see eye to eye. Klinsmann publicly stated his disapproval of Donovan's self-imposed break from the national team in late 2012 and early 2013. Klinsmann has continuously dropped hints since then that Donovan isn't untouchable, and it's now clear that Klinsmann was serious.
3) Klinsmann is going to do things his way - Donovan is American soccer royalty (#1 in goals, #1 in World Cup goals, #1 in assists, #2 in games played), and he's as close to untouchable as a player gets. We now know that Klinsmann is firm on making his own decisions.
4) A big part of Klinsmann's way is youth - Yes, the Donovan decision is part of this, but it's broader than that. If you look at the entire 23-man roster, there were some other surprises, and the common theme is young talent. Julian Green is 18. DeAndre Yedlin is 20. John Anthony Brooks is 21. All three of these players were something of surprise inclusions, and they were all chosen over veteran counterparts. Green was preferred to Donovan. Yedlin was chosen over club teammate Brad Evans who played an instrumental role in the U.S.'s qualification for Brazil. And Brooks goes in place of 32-year-old Clarence Goodson. Klinsmann recently extended his contract through 2018, and these decisions makes you wonder if he has one eye on the future.
5) Just how serious is Klinsmann about this youth movement? - It's one thing to take unproven young players to Brazil. It's another thing entirely to play them, and that isn't out of the question. The U.S. has a gaping hole at right back which many thought would be filled by Evans. Could Yedlin actually start at right back? He's undoubtedly talented, but he played exactly 0 minutes during U.S. qualification. The same statement holds true for Brooks. If either Matt Besler or Omar Gonzalez gets two yellow cards, is Brooks next in line at central defender? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, Klinsmann is pushing a lot of chips into the middle of the table.