World Cup 2014

Posted by on June 16th, 2014  •  0 Comments  • 

He’s going to do it his way…this will not work-at least not this summer.

The US World Cup soccer team, which captured the fancy of our country four years ago with its spirited comebacks, opens play today in Brazil when they play the Ghana Black Stars.

Jürgen Klinsmann is running the show and it is definitely his rules, his style, his roster, his opinions.  It’s all that counts.

And Landon Donovan no longer counts in the plans of Team USA.  The best player our country has ever had, the face of soccer and the growing MLS, will not be on the pitch this afternoon.  Thrown aside like a worn out soccer shoe with holes in it.  The coaches decision has left a huge hole in the roster, a hole in the American heart.

Klinsmann was a great player in Germany, and a great World Cup coach too.

He has enforced his will on the American side, from the packing of plays, to training methods, and now to the roster.  Cold and heartless, he cut Donovan two weeks ago, with a rather crass “I am not building my roster based on history.”

Sounds good in theory about moving on, getting younger, and getting more athletic.  But in Landon Donovan, you had spirit, style and a sniper mentality.  He has scored 5-goals in global play.  He is the leader.  Even at age 32, he could have helped even coming off the bench.

The US is not to be confused with Brazil or Germany of whomever will win the cup.  But they did, thanks to Donovan, get to the knockout round 4-years ago, capturing the fancy of America.

Gone are the veterans, Donovan-Eddie Johnson-Steve Cherendolo amongst others.  Replaced by kids who have never been in this line of soccer fire.

A classy hero, Donovan deserved better treatment in what would likely be his farewell World Cup tour.

Klinsmann has 3-rookies on defense, virtually no firepower upfront, and an older goaltender too.  He created more problems with a  roster in transition, when he should have relied on Donovan to do it one more time.

Jürgen Klinsmann doesn’t remember something else.   The American Flags, banners and soccer balls hanging off the overpasses in San Diego and other soccer cities four years ago after Donovan led the Americans to where they had never gone before, the knockout round of the tourney.

Team USA won’t win a game and probably won’t score a goal either in the next two weeks.  The Klinsmann way has seen to that.

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