No Brazil For Donovan

It is hard to believe that Landon Donovan isn't going to be in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.
 For all of the uncertainty about his mental state and the fluctuations in his form,  it just always felt as though he would end up on the plane.  That the best player in the history of the USMNT won't be participating in a World Cup due to a manager's decision, and not because of age or injury, borders on surreal.  For those of us that came of age during Landon's breakout performance in the 2002 World Cup, his inclusion in the squad has been almost a formality.

After announcing his 30-man preliminary roster for the pre-World Cup training camp, Jurgen Klinsmann made it clear that he was viewing Landon Donovan as a forward.  This seemed reasonable enough at the time considering that he is one of our most dangerous players when given opportunities near the goal, but to throw him into that position battle seemed a little limiting.  I assumed that Klinsmann would really view him as more of a Mid/Forward hybrid, with an eye toward maybe playing him on the wing during the last 20 or so minutes of a given match.  It now seems clear that he never had any intention of giving Landon minutes on the wing, and that his ability to make the team was entirely dependent on beating out one of the forwards.

 Much has been made of Landon admitting that he is no longer capable of giving it everything he has during every training session, but I assumed that this would take him out of serious consideration for cracking the starting eleven.  If he truly couldn't be trusted to give 100% through ninety minutes I had no problem with him starting on the bench, as using a sub in the 50th minute for exhaustion is unacceptable.  Starting Donovan at forward never seemed to be a serious consideration, but I always assumed that bringing him in at the end of the game as a midfielder that doubled as a third forward was the plan.

I was prepared to see Landon left off of the starting eleven June 16th in Brazil, but I hadn't truly readied myself for the possibility that he wouldn't even be in the stadium.  I trust Jurgen Klinsmann.  I think he has done a terrific job over the last several years changing the culture of the USMNT, and has shown that he is willing to make his decisions based on form and not prevailing perception.  He has earned the right to take the 23 players that he thinks will be the best team in Brazil, and Landon shouldn't be immune to any of the scrutiny the other players face.  But if I'm being honest, I have to believe that this was about more than soccer.  Jurgen had to sense something in Landon's demeanor that just didn't resonate with the atmosphere that he wanted to create within the team.  There is no way that he believes that, all things being equal, Alejandro Bedoya, Julian Green, Chris Wondolowski, and Brad Davis all have more to give in the last 20 minutes of a match than Landon Donovan.

In the last several interviews I have heard with Landon (all before the 23 man roster announcement), he has sounded very at peace with his career.  He knew that this was his last shot to go to a World Cup, and while it means so much for any player to go to the event he was mentally prepared to get left out of the team.  Not that he was expecting to, quite the opposite.  He sounded as though he had gotten used to the atmosphere of uncertainty around his national team status that Klinsmann had created upon returning from his sabbatical, and took it in stride that Klinsmann wouldn't publicly say that Landon had the inside track to make it to Brazil.  Upon listening I was happy to hear that he was in a healthy state of mind ahead of the World Cup, but now I realize that his attitude likely reflected very differently to Jurgen Klinsmann.  Jurgen viewed it through the lens of a manager that is trying to create an atmosphere of urgency, and who is tasked with using this tournament as a blueprint for the future of the National Team.

All of that being said, I am probably way over thinking this.  It is entirely possible (probable even) that it was obvious that Landon was a step behind throughout the first weeks of training camp, and that it was obvious to everybody on the field.  These guys have been playing their entire lives, and it is clear when somebody is just not keeping pace with the rest of the game.  Despite everything that he's done, and everything that we know he's capable of doing, he might have just looked like crap over the last couple of weeks.  I am certain that the rest of the locker room would completely understand if Donovan had made the team considering everything that he has accomplished in the jersey, but it might have been viewed as a legacy pick more than anything else.  And if Jurgen had just spent the last several years preaching that form (and form alone) is what will get you picked to the squad, it could have put a small crack in his credibility in the eyes of the team.

It's depressing.  I wanted so much for Landon to earn a spot on the team and once again be a difference maker for us, even if it was coming off the bench.  I firmly believe he is not only the most talented player in USMNT history, but also the greatest player we have ever had.  It might be a long while before another player has the sort of impact on the team that he has had over the last 12+ years, but Donovan's legacy is one that allows for a move like this to happen.  His rise to stardom parallels the rise of our own expectations for what our National Team is capable of, and has helped to create a culture in which such a decision is even possible.  We believe that we can win.  If we didn't, Landon would be on that plane.

Like I said, I trust Jurgen Klinsmann.  If he thinks this is what is right for the team at this time, then I'm glad he had the balls to stick with his convictions.  It will be impossible to judge this move based on the results in Brazil, but one has to think that this adds extra pressure on the team to perform well.    Good luck Jurgen, this had better fucking work.