U.S. coach defends decision to leave Donovan off World Cup squad

U.S. national soccer team head coach Jürgen Klinsmann defended his decision this week to leave Landon Donovan off the World Cup squad, saying he felt other players were a “step ahead” of the veteran Los Angeles Galaxy

forward.

The German manager has been criticized for cutting the 32yearold Donovan, the United States’ alltime international scoring leader with 57 goals, including five in three previous World Cups.

“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,” Klinsmann said here at the U.S. national team’s World Cup training facility.

“The guys that I chose there are a little step ahead of Landon in certain areas, which is why we made that decision,” the coach said, adding that “it’s a roster if you really go through it is an experienced roster. It is not a young roster.”

Klinsmann said Donovan had changed his game in recent years, “which is normal at that stage of his career,” and was not the best fit for his system.

“Maybe is not the one now anymore to go one against one all the time or going into the box or finishing off,” the coach said, though he insisted that Donovan’s international career was not over and praised the player for his “outstanding passing game, his experience, which is a big factor always.”

Donovan, who has struggled thus far in the 2014 Major League Soccer season, notching just two assists and no goals, said he was disappointed at Klinsmann’s decision Thursday to cut him from the squad but expressed support for his teammates.

“It has been an honor and privilege to have represented the U.S. National Team in three World Cups. I was looking forward to playing in Brazil and, as you can imagine, I am very disappointed with today’s decision,” the forward wrote on Facebook.

“Regardless, I will be cheering on my friends and teammates this summer, and I remain committed to helping grow soccer in the U.S. in the years to come.”

Along with Donovan, defenders Michael Parkhurst, Brad Evans and Clarence Goodson; midfielders Joe Corona and Maurice Edu; and forward Terrence Boyd also were left off the final 23man roster.

Klinsmann said now is the moment to focus on the players who will be playing in Brazil and that “this is the right time to start working on details toward Ghana,” the Americans’ first World Cup opponent on June 16.

Germany and Portugal are the other two teams in a difficult Group G.

The 49yearold Klinsmann, who as a player was part of the West German squad that captured the 1990 World Cup and a member of the unified German team that won Euro 1996, was hired to coach the U.S. national team in July 2011 and last December signed a contract extension until 2018.