MB also has a Roma match on May 26 so may not be able to go v Belgium on May 29. The CM choices looks like Edu (coming off groin injury), Jones, Williams (coming off ankle and illness) and Kljestan v Belgium Williams and Boyd would not make a Germany F team.
We always struggle with Panama and Jamaica just beat us for the first time in World Cup qualifying history a few months back and actually took it to Mexico at the Azteca, compared to us, who sat back and prayed for 90 minutes. So yeah, you don't purposefully under man your roster for qualifiers.....even against "minnows" like Jamaica and Panama. I'm pretty sure the whole point of the Donovan hiatus was to get over the war weariness. Now that Donovan has come back, Klinsmann isn't doing anyone but his own ego a favor by leaving Donovan off the roster. We're three games in, in a three way tie for 2nd-4th, only one point ahead of Mexico, who will eventually snap out of it and go on a run. That's hardly "pointed at Brazil", and definitely not the time to go willy nilly with the roster and see "what guys can do" in crucial qualifiers.
From the horse's mouth http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...nn-throws-few-wrinkles-us-national-team-roste
For the record... Players that Klinsmann has enforced playing time/form/chemistry rule on Michael Bradley Jermaine Jones Carlos Bocanegra Landon Donovan Jozy Altidore Eric Lichaj Oguchi Onyewu Players that Klinsmann has exempted from playing time/form/chemistry rule Clint Dempsey Danny Williams Jose Torres Alfredo Morales Maurice Edu Terrence Boyd (had never played in a senior professional game) Michael Parkhurst Stuart "has played five matches in two years" Holden The only correlation I can see is that, on both fronts, he wants to grandstand and make intentionally provocative choices. He wants to say that either he discovered some new, unappreciated talent...or that he's the new sheriff in town and all these glory boys who had it easy under the jokesters who used to be in charge better wise up and learn how us World Cup-winning big shots do it. Because the only thing he understands about being a soccer coach is the celebrity posturing and media game, and he's terrible at that too.
"but maybe later on we’ll definitely expect him back in the team.” He does do coach speak at the highest levels.
Further info from Geoff that as I said, the Dolo omission was in consultation with Dolo and club Veteran right back Steve Cherundolo (knee injury) recently returned to action for Hannover, but as a precaution against long-term issues, he has been advised to rest when the Bundesliga season ends this weekend http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...16/donovan-left-off-u-s-national-team-roster/
Jesus? I can't speak for you, but my coaches pushed that concept from pre-teen years on. But being told to do that, and actually pulling it off are two different things. Donovan has the highest soccer IQ of anyone in our player pool. Bradley is the only other one that is really even close.
We didn't just sit back and pray for 90 minutes. We played solid D. It wasn't the prettiest game but it wasn't bad either. You do it if you feel it's the right move, a la Jozy. Ego a favor? Ya, "I'm going to not call this guy up because it's so detrimental it's going to make drop points. That'll show him! I'll be free of any criticism." Do you really think JK is rolling the dice on this because of his ego? We're not in a three way tie. We are in 3rd. I think it's funny that you're accusing JK of going willy nilly with the roster... remind me again why Donovan hasn't been at any of our first 3 hex matches? Was it ok for him to go "willy nilly?" Donovan hasn't been a central piece of our team for a while. We aren't going willy nilly, we're moving like it's business as usual.
Or you know, he's ESL. I hear my German grandparents, who have been in this country for 50+ years, say shit like this all the time. haha, "coach speak" you're just trying to find anything you can, huh?
Dempsey and Altidore are our offense for both friendlies and qualifiers. Only they will be able to offset JK's defensive rosters. They both depend on service, so let's hope that Fabian, Bradley, and maybe Jones can provide it. I am nervous. We've managed to get the least out of the most expensive con-artist, JK.
I feel you're unaware of how good a year we had last year, especially if you consider the winning %. We're in transition and playing extremely well for that case. But you know, it doesn't look pretty so it's not good.
I did want to jump on this one but between the whole second language and his holistic bullshit, I didn't know what to make of it.
For the same reason that Wayne Rooney plays against San Marino or Luxembourg. There is zero reason to play at anything less than full strength until you have qualified.
...and Edgar Castillo. And Alan Gordon. And Juan Agudelo. Why have all these third-rate players gotten waivers, but the entire spine of our team has lessons to learn?
Also Feilhaber, Boyd, Adu, Clark, Buddle, Orozco, and maybe 30 others. I would have to see the exact wording of the time/form/chemistry rule to be sure but I can't seem to find the specifics of that rule anywhere.
0 shots on goal the entire game. Compare that to what Jamaica did against Mexico at the Azteca, and underestimating the Reggae Boyz like Yankee was doing is pretty stupid. Yes. I think his ego is telling him that he doesn't need Landon Donovan to qualify, and he's going to show everyone how great he is by being controversial. On goal differential. And I think you have a serious reading comprehension problem, because that's not what I said. I was responding to another poster who was suggesting that we were in such a comfortable position in qualifying that we should be experimenting with unproven players in qualifying to "see what they can do".
I really don't think that there's a handbook where he's diagrammed the specific parameters of what constitutes a call up or not. Its the constant double talk every single time he formulates a roster. He'll say player A got left out because they are in poor form with their club, or aren't playing. But on that same roster, players B, C, D and E are in the exact same situation, or worse, with their clubs but still get called up.