 |
| Photo credit: U.S. Soccer |
Pictured above is the team that Jurgen Klinsmann will take to Brazil for the World Cup in less than a month. And yes, there is a glaring omission. I'll get to that eventually.
But first I would like to say that I have to trust Jurgen knows what he is doing. He has won a World Cup and achieved third place as a coach. It's safe to say that he has an idea of what it takes to go the distance and I really do believe he has made all of his decisions based on 2014, not on 2018 as some have been saying, considering the inclusions of Yedlin, Brooks, and Green.
Jurgen isn't stupid. He knows that he'll most likely get the boot if we go 0-0-3 in the group stage. Planning for the 2018 World Cup and not for the one that is happening in just a few weeks is a ludicrous idea. I have to believe that these are the 23 players that he feels gives him the best chance to win right now. None of us fans are there at training every day, analyzing every little minute detail of what a player does and how he fits into what the coaches are looking for. None of us watch every club game of every player.
This isn't a "young" roster as some have said, not with Howard, Dempsey, Bradley, Beasley, Jones, Cameron, Zusi, etc. all figuring to play significant roles. The core of the team has plenty of experience. There are some similarities to Klinsmann's 2010 German team as far as youth goes, with him opting to include Yedlin, Green, Brooks, and Mix. I like the combination that we have of experienced, been-there-done-that veterans and hungry, driven youthful (and some older) players that are looking to lock down their future with the national team and prove their worth. It's a healthy mix. Guys with energy will be needed in the extremely hot and humid climate that everyone will be having to cope with. I actually think that the weather is one of the more underrated factors in the player decisions that Jurgen has made. With all that being said...
You have to take Landon Donovan. You just have to.
I get that he's old. I get that he's put on a few pounds. I get that he's slower. I get that he can't go a full 90 minutes every game. I get that he needs to go easy sometimes during training. I get that he took a sabbatical. I get that he's not the player he used to be.
But you're telling me that Brad Davis made the roster? That DeAndre Yedlin made the roster? That Julian Green made the roster? (I'm actually ok with this because he's ours forever and no one can do anything about it.) That John Brooks made the roster? That an injured Omar Gonzalez made the roster? Child please.
Screw Davis's left foot. Spain won the last World Cup without a left foot (David Silva played very sparingly). He's too slow to get past anyone and use it anyways and he's just as much a defensive liability. Yedlin makes average wingers look like world class players every week. Omar literally can't even train right now. Donovan would make more of an impact than many players that did make the roster. Not to mention that he's, you know, the greatest player we've ever had.
Jurgen is a great coach and obviously knows his players better than anyone else. I know that I'm just a lousy fan sitting behind a computer screen writing on a blog that maybe two people read. But I just really think that it's a mistake to leave LANDON DONOVAN off of a World Cup roster when he still has the ability to contribute to the squad.
I trust Jurgen as our coach. But I just can't see how this decision is the right one, but only as an outsider who isn't around the squad everyday. I hope I'm wrong. I really do.
But first I would like to say that I have to trust Jurgen knows what he is doing. He has won a World Cup and achieved third place as a coach. It's safe to say that he has an idea of what it takes to go the distance and I really do believe he has made all of his decisions based on 2014, not on 2018 as some have been saying, considering the inclusions of Yedlin, Brooks, and Green.
Jurgen isn't stupid. He knows that he'll most likely get the boot if we go 0-0-3 in the group stage. Planning for the 2018 World Cup and not for the one that is happening in just a few weeks is a ludicrous idea. I have to believe that these are the 23 players that he feels gives him the best chance to win right now. None of us fans are there at training every day, analyzing every little minute detail of what a player does and how he fits into what the coaches are looking for. None of us watch every club game of every player.
This isn't a "young" roster as some have said, not with Howard, Dempsey, Bradley, Beasley, Jones, Cameron, Zusi, etc. all figuring to play significant roles. The core of the team has plenty of experience. There are some similarities to Klinsmann's 2010 German team as far as youth goes, with him opting to include Yedlin, Green, Brooks, and Mix. I like the combination that we have of experienced, been-there-done-that veterans and hungry, driven youthful (and some older) players that are looking to lock down their future with the national team and prove their worth. It's a healthy mix. Guys with energy will be needed in the extremely hot and humid climate that everyone will be having to cope with. I actually think that the weather is one of the more underrated factors in the player decisions that Jurgen has made. With all that being said...
You have to take Landon Donovan. You just have to.
I get that he's old. I get that he's put on a few pounds. I get that he's slower. I get that he can't go a full 90 minutes every game. I get that he needs to go easy sometimes during training. I get that he took a sabbatical. I get that he's not the player he used to be.
But you're telling me that Brad Davis made the roster? That DeAndre Yedlin made the roster? That Julian Green made the roster? (I'm actually ok with this because he's ours forever and no one can do anything about it.) That John Brooks made the roster? That an injured Omar Gonzalez made the roster? Child please.
Screw Davis's left foot. Spain won the last World Cup without a left foot (David Silva played very sparingly). He's too slow to get past anyone and use it anyways and he's just as much a defensive liability. Yedlin makes average wingers look like world class players every week. Omar literally can't even train right now. Donovan would make more of an impact than many players that did make the roster. Not to mention that he's, you know, the greatest player we've ever had.
Jurgen is a great coach and obviously knows his players better than anyone else. I know that I'm just a lousy fan sitting behind a computer screen writing on a blog that maybe two people read. But I just really think that it's a mistake to leave LANDON DONOVAN off of a World Cup roster when he still has the ability to contribute to the squad.
I trust Jurgen as our coach. But I just can't see how this decision is the right one, but only as an outsider who isn't around the squad everyday. I hope I'm wrong. I really do.
