Why isn't Landon Donovan going to the World Cup?

A friend of mine who is an avid soccer fan and a huge Landon Donovan supporter sent me this email over the weekend:

I’m still just stunned over the Donovan decision, Ferris. I hear he’s been injured and not playing well this year, and I can certainly understand that he wouldn’t start – and may not even play during the tournament. But leaving him off the entire 23-man roster? Inconceivable. Absolutely inconceivable. No one could ever convince me that Kyle Beckerman, Demarcus Beasley or even Brad Davis are better picks. I’m curious as to how my favorite football fan feels about this. Tell me your thoughts some time. In the meantime… 

FIRE JURGEN KLINSMANN!

(And you know me. I never call for the coach’s head. Well, until now.)

So here are my thoughts about Donovan not being on the roster.

1. It's not just about form: Donovan has not been playing great this year. He has struggled to impose himself in games in MLS this year. But there are other players who did make the World Cup roster how have also been struggling (like Josy Altidore). And Donovan has shown an ability in the past to rise up in big moments:



2. It's not just about Donovan's omission, but the players selected instead: It's easy to complain about Donovan not making the team. But then you have to ask yourself: who should have been left home instead? 

Klinsmann considers Donovan a forward (not a midfielder) and he named 4 forwards to the sqaud: Josy Altidore, Aron Johannsson, Clint Dempsey and Chris Wondolowski. Three of those 4 guys are in good form. And Josy is going to start every game as the primary striker for the US, so he wasn't going to be left out. 

3. Can't Donovan play midfield? Why wouldn't Klinsmann bring Donovan to play midfield? This is a tougher question to answer. Donovan may not have the blazing speed he did 4 years ago (he's 32 now). But his vision, passing, shooting and ability to disrupt defenses are all still there. Here, I think, is the strongest case for including Donovan. But, again, who do you leave out? 

He's not really competing against Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley or Jermaine Jones. They are all central midfielders, not attacking players (although they can all bring something to the attack when needed).

The remaining midfielders are Alejandro Bedoya, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Julian Green and Graham Zusi.

Bedoya and Zusi are the most similar players to Donovan. They tend to play on the wings, cut inside, whip in crosses and track back on defense. Both are younger and in arguably better form than Donovan. Davis isn't really the same type of player as Donovan; he is a specialist who will be brought in late in games to try to serve in good crosses, free kicks and corner kicks (although Donovan is no slouch at those either).

So that leaves Julian Green. He is an 18-year old German-American who plays in the Bayern Munich system. He's played only a few minutes for Bayern and made his first appearance for the US just a few months ago. He's a highly coveted prospect and has a huge upside. 

But there are rumors that Klinsmann promised Green he would be named to the World Cup team if he promised to play for the US instead of Germany (who he was also eligible to play for).

So it seems to me it came down to Donovan vs. Green. And Klinsmann, rightly or wrongly, elected to go with youth and the future over experience and past success.

He also could have taken Donovan instead of Brad Davis, although Davis is one of the few naturally left-footed players and has easily the most cultured left-food in the player pool.

4. I still think there is more to the story: As you may know, about a year and a half ago, Donovan took a sabbatical from soccer and just cruised around the world. He had been playing high-level soccer for about 14 years straight and just needed a rest and break. Donovan is one of the more introspective players that I've seen and it really didn't surprise me that he did that. 

When he returned, he worked his way back into shape and into the lineups for both the LA Galaxy and the USMNT. Last summer he scored the most goals in the Gold Cup as the US won that tournament. 

But Klinsmann, while seemingly mellow and amicable on the outside, is an intense guy. He was a ruthless, dedicated player who played for the best teams in the world. One of Germany's top strikers during the 1990s, Klinsmann scored in all 6 major international tournaments he participated in, from Euro 1988 to 1998 World Cup. In 1995 Klinsmann came third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award, and in 2004 he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the "125 Greatest Living Footballers."

And I think Klinsmann doesn't like Donovan's attitude. I think there is a severe disconnect between the coach and the greatest US player of all time. I suspect he believes Donovan should have pushed and challenged himself more during his career and doesn't want what he considers a "soft" player on his roster.

I also think Klinsmann is keeping one eye on the 2018 World Cup by naming Julian Green (along with other young players like DeAndre Yedlin and John Brooks); they will gain invaluable experience this summer. Klinsmann recently got a contract extension that keeps him on as manager though the next World Cup. 

5. I would have named Donovan to the roster. But there is no guarantee that the US will qualify for the 2018 World Cup. And if you want to get out of what is the most difficult group in 2014, you need a player like Donovan on the team. Maybe not as a starter. But if the US needs a goal late in a game to advance out of the group or to the next round, I know I would want to be able to look down the bench, see Donovan there and be able to tell him, "Get warmed up."

And I would have taken Donovan instead of DeAndre Yedlin (a defender). I don't think Yedlin will play any minutes in the World Cup - he's too inexperienced and raw. 

6. Klinsmann has put the focus on himself: No matter how the US does, Klinsmann has made himself the focus of the team. He will get tons of credit if the US gets out of the group and advances beyond that. He will also be severely criticized if they do poorly.

And that, in the end, is the silver lining of this whole Donovan controversy. In 1998, the US coach cut his captain, John Harkes, just before the World Cup in France. It barely made a ripple in the sports news landscape. But in 2014, Donovan's omission was a big story all over the news (not just the sports pages). The United States is now a proper soccer nation. And that is a happy byproduct of this event. I just hope all the American viewers who tune into this summer's World Cup aren't disappointed by the US team's performance. And if they are disappointed, they will all blame Klinsmann. 

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Here is the full US roster, BTW:

Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Nick Rimando

Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Timmy Chandler, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson, DeAndre Yedlin

Midfielders (8): Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi


Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aron Johannsson, Chris Wondolowski

Show me the money

How much to American players make for playing in the World Cup? SI's Grant Wahl looked into this and published a great column online. Turns out, making the roster provides a nice bonus, but the farther the team advances, the more money the players will make.

If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, here are the highlights:

• If you are a player on the final 23-man World Cup roster, you make a minimum of $76,000.
• FIFA gives out team bonuses in larger and larger amounts depending on how far the team advances in the tournament. The country's soccer federation can then distribute the money as it sees fit among the players. According to Wahl, in 2002, when the US advanced to the quarterfinals, "each player received $203,000. I have been told the figure would be more than double that amount if the team repeated the 2002 run in 2014."
• And here are the salaries of the MLS players who are competing for a spot on the final roster. As you can see, there is a pretty wide disparity among the players' salaries and just an extra $76,000 would make a big difference for some of the lower-paid players:
  
• Clint Dempsey: $6,695,189
• Michael Bradley: $6,500,000
• Landon Donovan: $4,583,333
• Omar González: $1,250,000
• Chris Wondolowski: $650,000
• Maurice Edu: $650,000
• Graham Zusi: $398,250
• Brad Davis: $392,062
• Kyle Beckerman: $378,750
• Clarence Goodson: $342,000
• Michael Parkhurst: $300,000
• Brad Evans: $293,666
• Nick Rimando: $235,833
• Matt Besler: $200,000
• DeAndre Yedlin: $92,000

61 Days until the World Cup - Answering some questions for casual fans

It's only 61 days until the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Brazil (I knew that without looking it up online, BTW). During the 2010 World Cup, I posted several blogs intended for non-soccer fanatics who were getting swept up in the tournament. I got some very positive feedback 4 years ago, so I'm giving it another go this year.

Here are a few questions casual soccer fans often ask me about the World Cup.

Why do we call it soccer in the US when the rest of the world calls it football (or futbol)?

Brian Phillips wrote a great piece in Slate 4 years ago answering this question. If you don't want to read the whole thing, here's the short answer from the article:

It's an abbreviation of association football. Both soccer and American football come from the same set of precursor sports, which became popular in upper-class English schools in the early 19th century and spread across the Atlantic. All these games involved advancing a ball through an opponent's territory and scoring at the far end, but the rules varied from place to place. Ultimately, the version adopted as standard in the United Kingdom came to be known as association football, while another set of rules won out in the United States. Thus the Americans took to calling their gridiron variety football, and referred to the British sport by the slang term soccer, derived from the soc in association.

Who is the US playing in the World Cup?

The US is playing in what most commentators are calling the "Group of Death." That's a hyperbolic way of saying the US is in the toughest group on the tournament. Their opponents are:

• Ghana - Ranked 38th in the world, but Ghana have knocked the US out of the last 2 World Cups. 
• Portugal - Ranked 3rd in the world, they boast arguably the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo.
• Germany - Ranked 2nd in the world, they have won the World Cup 3 times (only Italy and Brazil have won it more).

The US are ranked 13th. So you can see why this is called the Group of Death. Keep in mind, however, that part of the reason it's considered the most difficult group is because it includes the US. Portugal and Germany would feel a lot better about advancing if, say, Australia (g'day, mates!) were in this group instead of the US.

Can the US advance out of their group?

Yes, if they can earn 4 points. (In soccer, you get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie and 0 points for a loss.)

Here's how the results could break the Yanks' way:

Germany ties Portugal
US beats Ghana

US ties Portugal
Germany beats Ghana

Germany beats US
Ghana ties Portugal

That would leave Germany with 7 points, the US with 4, Portugal with 3 and Ghana with 1. The top 2 teams advance, meaning the US and Germany would proceed to the knockout stages.

Who is favored to win the World Cup?

As the host, Brazil are the safest bet. The other favorites are Spain, Germany and Argentina. After that, you could make a case for France, Belgium, Italy, Columbia, Holland and Portugal having a chance.

What other questions do you have about the World Cup or the US team? Post in the comments below.

Rainbow loom footware

Photos from last weekend's soccer tournament

Last weekend, John and his Chelsea teammates played in a two-day soccer tournament. They made it to the final game, which they won the game 4-2 in overtime. John made a clutch save with just minutes left in regulation to keep the game tied and force overtime. A the boys played their hearts out and deserved their victory.

The Ferris Family in Paris - Video

It's a little long (about 6 minutes) but here's a video slideshow about our amazing trip to Paris. Thanks again to Alexis and Maxime for being such fantastic hosts.

 

More from Paris

Last night we enjoyed dinner with Alexis and Maxime in their beautiful Parisian apartment. This morning we got a personal tour of the Louvre from an Art History PhD student from Dallas. Later, John had a snowball fight and soccer kick around with some local kids while Mary had tea and cake with Aunt Lex.