I'm not going to pretend I know enough about the U.S. soccer team to feign outrage over Landon Donovan's omission from the World Cup roster. Is it surprising? Certainly. Donovan has been the face of U.S. soccer for a decade and has played in more World Cup games than anybody. But am I shocked? Not completely. Him not being on the squad is unexpected, but I don't think his presence (or lack thereof) will be what ultimately determines Team USA's fate next month in Brazil.
There are plenty of factors that need to considered here, not the least of which was Donovan's self-imposed sabbatical from the National Team in 2012. Jurgen Klinsmann wasn't going to make him play if he didn't want to, so Klinsmann moved on without Donovan. And the team he was putting out there in the Red, White and Blue did just fine. Is Landon Donovan better than the players who replaced him? Yes. But in his absence, they got the valuable opportunity to play (and actually see time) with the National Team that they otherwise wouldn't have gotten. And that will only make the team better in the long run.
When he was ready to come back, Klinsmann told Donovan that he'd have to earn back his spot on the "A" squad. He was perfectly justified in doing that. And he was right. A spot on the "A" squad isn't anybody's birthright. For his part, Donovan didn't sulk. He went out and earned that spot back, and he was a big reason why the U.S. won the Gold Cup last year. And when World Cup qualifying resumed last fall, Donovan was back in the starting lineup.
But Klinsmann also views Donovan as more of a forward than a midfielder, which has always been his position. He's always been a scorer, so making that his primary focus probably wasn't a problem. But Donovan's not a natural forward. Maybe that was part of Klinsmann's decision-making process. The guys he is taking to Brazil are all natural forwards. And Clint Dempsey's the captain.
Speaking of Dempsey, he's one of the veterans that will be back. This World Cup squad is kind of like the Olympic hockey team. Plenty of familiar faces, with some new guys mixed in. Maybe Donovan is the soccer version of Bobby Ryan. The core of that 2010 team is still in tact. It's not just Dempsey that'll be back. So will Michael Bradley. And Jozy Altidore. And DaMarcus Beasley. And, most importantly, Tim Howard.
Whether or not Donovan was going to join them doesn't change the fact that this team has its work cut out for it. Germany's Germany, Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ghana has knocked them out of the last two World Cups. Getting out of the group didn't suddenly become more difficult just because Landon Donovan's not on the team. If they don't advance, Donovan not being there won't be the reason.
Landon Donovan has been responsible for plenty of memorable U.S. World Cup moments over the past 12 years. Probably more than anyone else in history. Who can ever forget the extra-time goal against Algeria that clinched the group four years ago? Or his performance against Mexico in 2002?
In Brazil, it'll be someone else's chance to shine. And who knows, maybe the next Landon Donovan will emerge. After all, somebody's going to be wearing No. 10.
The other guys stepped up when Donovan was away from the national team during the run up to the World Cup. Now's their chance to do it again. But if they don't, Jurgen Klinsmann better be ready for the second-guessing.
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