Donovan left off Olympic soccer roster
Galaxy star Landon Donovan, widely regarded as America’s top soccer player and the captain of the U.S. national team, was not included Thursday when the U.S. named its roster for the Beijing Olympics.
Coach Peter Nowak could have named Donovan as one of three “overage” players permitted to take part in the under-23 tournament, but instead opted for goalkeeper Brad Guzan, defender Michael Parkhurst and veteran forward Brian McBride.
The decision was based on the fact that the U.S. has a 2010 World Cup qualifying game on the road against Guatemala at the same time that Olympic games are being played in China.
Nowak said Thursday that he and national team Coach Bob Bradley sought to make sure that the U.S. fields the strongest possible teams in both events, and the belief is that Donovan is needed more in the World Cup qualifier.
“Landon is a really vital part of the senior team,” Nowak said. “As much as I would love to have him, needs are needs and World Cup qualifiers are not simple games.”
The Galaxy was traveling to New York on Thursday for Saturday’s MLS game against the Red Bulls and Donovan was not available for comment. He said this year that he wanted to play in the Olympics.
Alexi Lalas, the Galaxy’s president and general manager, said leaving Donovan out was understandable.
“As much as we respect the Olympics, qualifying for the World Cup is the most important part of the equation,” he said. “If you’re Bob Bradley, you need to be given every available resource to qualify. The Olympics are going to come and go, but not qualifying for the World Cup would be a disaster.”
Nowak’s 18-man roster features nine players from Major League Soccer, including Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan, and nine players who are based either in Europe or Mexico.
The U.S. plays Japan, the Netherlands and Nigeria in the first round.
“We had some tough decisions to make,” Nowak said of the roster selection.
“It’s no secret that the group we play in is very difficult, probably one of the toughest in the whole tournament, but we are looking forward to the challenge.”
The Dutch are considered the group favorite; Nigeria comes in having finished second behind Argentina in the Under-20 World Cup in 2005, and the Japanese make for a problematic first-game opponent.
But on Thursday the chosen players were simply celebrating their selection, not worrying about the matches to come.
“I don’t think it’s really sunken in yet, and I don’t think it will until we actually get there,” Houston Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden said on U.S. Soccer’s website.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, though. I was brought up watching the Olympics, and now to think that I’m going to be a part of that is kind of surreal.”
Toronto FC defender Marvell Wynne, one of three former UCLA players on the roster, was equally in awe.
“The fact that we’re going to China and going to be part of the Olympics is . . . something that a small percentage of people in the world will ever experience,” he said. “It’s something that no one can ever take away from us. We are now and forever Olympians, and that’s something special.”
Nowak will assemble his squad on Sunday in Palo Alto, where the team will train for six days before heading to Hong Kong. There it will play two other Olympic teams, the Ivory Coast on July 30 and Cameroon on Aug. 2, in its final preparatory matches.
Although there were no surprises in the 18-man squad, the inclusion of McBride is intriguing. The 36-year-old striker retired from international competition after the 2006 World Cup in Germany and after playing 95 games and scoring 30 goals for the U.S.
After a successful career in the English Premier League, he left Fulham after helping the team avoid relegation in May. He is now without a club but is the subject of a tug-of-war between two MLS teams, Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire.
Nowak said he believed playing in the Games would be “the cherry on the cake” for McBride, one of America’s all-time top forwards and a player widely respected for his leadership and example on and off the field.
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The full U.S. roster
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, Chris Seitz.
Defenders: Patrick Ianni, Michael Orozco, Michael Parkhurst, Nathan Sturgis, Marvell Wynne.
Midfielders: Freddy Adu, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Sacha Kljestan, Danny Szetela.
Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, Brian McBride, Robbie Rogers.
