OT: USA Women's and Men's Soccer Team

[SFW]

I personally have no problem with Donovan not being on the roster and can say it with a straight face. He is not the same player he once was, he is not even close to that player anymore. Both in club and international play his game has left a lot to be desired lately. In many recent interviews he even talks about how his body is breaking down, doesn't respond the same anymore and how he is to pick his spots and can't train hard everyday. That last part goes against everything Klinsmann believes in and is probably what sealed his fate.

Now the one thing that does bother me about Donovan not making the team is it will give many fans ammo to blame Kilinsmann if the US doesn't perform well in the WC. I don't personally believe LD would have made the difference one way or another but many casual fans will now be waiting for US failure to blame it on Klinsmann's decision.

[sandiego17]

Now the one thing that does bother me about Donovan not making the team is it will give many fans ammo to blame Kilinsmann if the US doesn't perform well in the WC. I don't personally believe LD would have made the difference one way or another but many casual fans will now be waiting for US failure to blame it on Klinsmann's decision.

In regards to straight face, my comment was Davis being better, more deserving or more useful than LD, not simply LD on the roster. At the very least, you get more flexibility with LD, not to mention all the experience, etc.

Klinsmann has done a great job so far, but with the bold decision comes consequences. If they bomb, he is well deserving of the criticism and he knows that. Hopefully they do very well. IMO, this was all unnecessary.

[SFW]

In regards to straight face, my comment was Davis being better, more deserving or more useful than LD, not simply LD on the roster. At the very least, you get more flexibility with LD, not to mention all the experience, etc.

Klinsmann has done a great job so far, but with the bold decision comes consequences. If they bomb, he is well deserving of the criticism and he knows that. Hopefully they do very well. IMO, this was all unnecessary.

They are in a extremely tough group. What would be your expectations with LD and then without LD in bracket play?

[sandiego17]

They are in a extremely tough group. What would be your expectations with LD and then without LD in bracket play?

Ridiculously tough group. That's a tough question, but I think the chances are much better with LD than without. If they need a goal in the final 30 minutes vs. Germany to advance, I'd rather have LD available than in Los Angeles. You honestly wouldn't?

[SFW]

Ridiculously tough group. That's a tough question, but I think the chances are much better with LD than without. If they need a goal in the final 30 minutes vs. Germany to advance, I'd rather have LD available than in Los Angeles. You honestly wouldn't?

Personally I am fine either way with LD making the team or not. Either way I do not expect them to advance out of group stage. It's possible of course but highly improbable. My best case scenario for them would be 1W, 1D, 1L. And I don't see LD being there or not impacting my expectations nor prediction.

I am not saying he is not one of the best 23 players in the US either. I just don't see him as a top 15 field player player anymore and once you get to the end of the bench I have no issue with having players on the team that are part of the future and/or are considered specialists.

[SFW]

More from Klinsmann on LD....

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann says he dropped Landon Donovan from the World Cup roster because other forwards in the player pool surpassed him in the months before the American team gathered for its pre-tournament training camp.

''As a coach, you have to make a decision based on what you want to execute in Brazil, what you want to see, how do you want to build those components into the entire group. And then I felt - we coaches felt - the guys that we chose, they're a little step ahead of Landon in certain areas,'' Klinsmann said at a news conference Friday, a day after announcing his 23-man group.

[Yubaking]

Ridiculously tough group. That's a tough question, but I think the chances are much better with LD than without. If they need a goal in the final 30 minutes vs. Germany to advance, I'd rather have LD available than in Los Angeles. You honestly wouldn't?

This ^. Donovan is adept at both creating scoring opportunities for others and at scoring himself. His conditioning and body issues would not prevent him from being effective in limited minutes. Not having Donovan on the roster would be like us not having included Preki on the 1998 World Cup roster. Just because a player needs to have his minutes limited does not mean that that player cannot be a valuable role player on a team.

One of the things that we have praised McCoy for is his ability to adjust his coaching to the players we have. Leaving Donovan off the roster over Donovan's conditioning limitations represents a prime example of Klinsmann not being flexible enough to do that. Based upon his approach, one gets the sense that if Klinsmann coached the San Antonio Spurs, the first thing he would do would be to cut Duncan, Parker and Ginobli rather than brilliantly control their minutes to maximize the player value to the team like Popovich does.

[SFW]

This ^. Donovan is adept at both creating scoring opportunities for others and at scoring himself. His conditioning and body issues would not prevent him from being effective in limited minutes. Not having Donovan on the roster would be like us not having included Preki on the 1998 World Cup roster. Just because a player needs to have his minutes limited does not mean that that player cannot be a valuable role player on a team.

One of the things that we have praised McCoy for is his ability to adjust his coaching to the players we have. Leaving Donovan off the roster over Donovan's conditioning limitations represents a prime example of Klinsmann not being flexible enough to do that. Based upon his approach, one gets the sense that if Klinsmann coached the San Antonio Spurs, the first thing he would do would be to cut Duncan, Parker and Ginobli rather than brilliantly control their minutes to maximize the player value to the team like Popovich does.

I don't get that sense at all. Two totally different games and rules. NBA players can constantly be subbed in and out with no restrictions, obviously in soccer that is not the case. Comparing apples to oranges here is pointless.

Klinsmann has been a really successful coach for the US thus far. And you are now calling his ability to coach into question without the team even playing a game in the WC.

[thelightningwill]

I don't get that sense at all. Two totally different games and rules. NBA players can constantly be subbed in and out with no restrictions, obviously in soccer that is not the case. Comparing apples to oranges here is pointless.

Klinsmann has been a really successful coach for the US thus far. And you are now calling his ability to coach into question without the team even playing a game in the WC.

If Klinsmann were a condiment at McDonalds, he'd invade the French fry section and build some beer gardens.

Anybody remember the Sausage King in La Mesa? Das place was really gut.

Prost!

[Yubaking]

I don't get that sense at all. Two totally different games and rules. NBA players can constantly be subbed in and out with no restrictions, obviously in soccer that is not the case. Comparing apples to oranges here is pointless.

Klinsmann has been a really successful coach for the US thus far. And you are now calling his ability to coach into question without the team even playing a game in the WC.

Klinsmann has not coached a single WC game for our team. Merely qualifying does not make him successful. Our team was expected to qualify. He would have had a great deal of explaining to do if he blew it with the talent he had available to him versus the rest of CONCACAF.

Klinsmann called his own coaching ability into question by cutting Donovan.

My comparison to the NBA players was, of course, with respect to the management of aging veterans. Skilled coaches recognize that aging players can still make a valuable contribution, but in limited action. The NBA comparison is, of course, valid as to the reduction of total minutes for the aging stars, which was the obvious point I was making. It has nothing to do with the rules of substitution, the color of uniforms, the height of the players involved or any other red herring that might be suggested.

If Donovan can go 30 minutes, then he would be a valuable sub due to his ability to create goal scoring chances, which is arguably better than anyone on the roster right now when goal scoring and assist potential combined are considered. I disagree with your assertion that he is not a top 15 player in terms of potential team value while in the game. He is more like a top 5 player in that respect. His spot should be secure right after Bradley, Altidore, Dempsey and Howard's are locked in place. The difference is actual ability to get something done versus long periods of just holding the fort down, which is what most of the remainder of the roster represents.

Using Klinsmann's approach, a very skilled offensive player like Preki would have been left off our WC roster in 1998. That's just a dumb approach in my opinion when a guy can come in for 30 minutes and make a real difference.

I am not going to say that Donovan's absence is guaranteed to make a difference because we are in the most difficult group, but if his absence does make a difference, I think there is about a 99% chance that that difference will be that the team would have been better off with him than without him.

Klinsmann's decision represents personalities and politics more than it does actual soccer ability in my view.

[Beerman]

Plain and simple you have to cut the cord sometime. By quite a few accounts, Donovan hasn't been playing very well recently. His fitness is also very suspect per reports.

The only way the US program will improve is by giving all the young guys experience. Klinsman is looking toward the future. Plus, why does he need a washed up player that hasn't accomplished shit worldwide? It's not like we are talking about an old Pele or something. There's nothing in the US program that deserves to be protected, let alone an old player.

I get Donavan is the only recognizable player in the US, but isn't that the issue? They should be looking to improve the players worldwide and that only happens by playing its youth players.

[Beerman]

Also assuming anyone thinks they know about futbol than Klinsman is just ridiculous. If his decision was politics based, he would of kept Donavan on the team, not suffer the backlash he has. (Which I also think is comical, since those same people probably can't name a single player on the roster).