Jurgen Klinsmann doesn't respect his mentality. I'd go as far to say he's disgusted and deeply disappointed by it. It's not something he wants in his locker room, especially from one of his veteran leaders. Klinsmann wants his players to play with a chip on their shoulder, to go out and want to prove their place on this stage. He wants players who are willing to fight and claw their way up the ladder. He picked Dempsey as captain because this is how he's played his entire career. This mentality is something Klinsmann has tried to instill in Landon over and over again for many years, but it just never took hold. Klinsmann knows Landon is still one of the team's most skilled players. He knows he wouldn't be a locker room problem even if he decided to start him on the bench. From the time he brought him to Bayern Munich to now, he's always believed in Landon's ability and potential. So much so that he put himself on the line and brought him into one of the biggest clubs in the world while everyone around him rolled their eyes and questioned him behind closed doors. Landon had the skill to prove his place there, just not the mental strength. When things got tough he quit on Klinsmann and wanted to go home. Even though this looked bad on himself as well, I don't this is what bothered Klinsmann the most. Rather, he couldn't understand why Landon didn't want to prove himself. He was from a country with little to no culture or interest in the sport he plays. One whose countrymen weren't respected in the soccer world. He had the skill to do something about it and change the perception, yet in Klinsmann's eyes Landon didn't even want to. Klinsmann couldn't understand why the circumstances Landon was in never lit a fire in his belly. Right or wrong, Klinsmann has himself and believes in the Clint Dempsey mentality. To go out on the highest level and want to show everyone that not only he could play with them, but Americans could. It always disappointed Klinsmann that Landon never seemed to want to use the skills he had to further that agenda, a mentality that makes good players great. A mentality that he wants to instill in his younger players. Yeah, this decision is hard to accept because it had nothing to do with skill level. But whether you agree or disagree, it's hard not to respect the fact that Klinsmann stuck to his guns and did exactly what he originally said he wanted to do. Change the mentality of the American player.
If, God forbid, we lose someone to injury in the next few weeks, Donovan will not be the one called in as the replacement if this is the case. That will be the only way we likely will ever know whether this is true. I think it's likely that it is true. Landycakes isn't exactly the nickname of the toughest kid on the team nor is it an unearned nickname...
what? are you implying that Michael Bradley has anything like the mentality of Landon Donovan? They come across as almost opposites.
Assuming that any of this is accurate it would be a pretty ugly indictment of Klinsmann. The kind of mentality you outlined is indicative of mental weakness and a massive blind spot based on some sort of juvenile personal bias. It would be a fatal flaw in management let alone being an ugly personal trait. This is the most accomplished player in US history. Worrying about the chip on his shoulder is some seriously empty headed sh*t.
Because he's scrapped and clawed his way into Europe. He played at several top leagues, at young ages, away from friends and family. The fact that he got a fat paycheck to come home doesn't equate him to Donovan's unwillingness to go to Europe.
Maybe. If I were hired to make sweeping changes to a corporation, I sure wouldn't just keep everyone below me in charge. JK's decided (wrongly, but I don't necessarily think it's as stupid as you're saying it is) that he's going to omit Landon in order to stop the US's reliance on him. I think his unceremonious dumping of Boca, Goodson, (and he should have dumped Beasley) and Evans would've been enough. No need to fire the President.
31:18 I'm assuming you're referring to him coming back to MLS, which I have no doubt Klinsmann wasn't initially happy about. At the 34:20 mark Klinsmann actually calls him out on his Toronto move a little bit. It's extremely subtle, but he makes it very clear what he thinks. But money talks and people understand that. Hard to say no to that kind of pay raise. As far as his mentality is concerned, I feel that that video clip shows all you need to know. He's been through a lot in his career already and it's made him into the exact type of player Klinsmann wants.
If there is any pattern to the selections after wading through all of the double standard reasoning I think it might fit your scenario. Clean house and bring in guys that will be beholden to you. Getting rid of LD could have been mostly about a pre-emptive control grab by JK. It's ceremonial. Show who is in control. Although that's actually not much of an endorsement because it suggests a leader who is mostly about control issues and sycophants.
34:20 to be more exact. Michael Bradley is not pushing himself to be the best he can be. Klinsmann does not understand that kind of mentality. Yet he is on the WC roster. Same with Dempsey.
Klinsmann made it very clear he didn't like either of them coming back to MLS, but he said he understood why they couldn't say no financially. If you think these two situations are the same as Donovan's, I don't know what to tell you.
While I more or less agree with your overall point, one key correction: Donovan didn't quit at Bayern. By all accounts, he did very well during his trial but the loan extension was declined on Bayern's end. Donovan stated before that he was very disappointed how it worked out. By this time, having matured a little, he really wanted to give it a serious go in Europe. Otherwise, I agree. This is a really a battle of philosophies. Obviously Klinsmann was born in a pressure-cooker type situation and that groomed him into a World Cup champion. Landon Donovan was groomed through a no less specific, meaningful and uniquely American process. But it's not like he was a stranger to pressure and rising to the occasion.
Eh, the sacking of LD isn't good. Getting rid of the other guys I mentioned would've been fine. They're guys that are pretty mediocre, so it'd send a message that just because you have experience doesn't mean that you can be mediocre and still start on the team. I think it shows that JK really likes younger players. With Landon, that preference seems to have gone a little far.
Good points. In my opinion though, I just don't think this is how Klinsmann views that. And it might be unfair to compare him to Dempsey. Dempsey was told multiple times he wasn't good enough for the highest level by a few different coaching decisions. He was never given a spot at Fulham, he took one. Based on comments Klinsmann has made on Donovan over the past decade, I think that's what he wanted him to do and again, in my opinion, I don't think he feels that Donovan did that.
Have you guys ever heard of Socrates? One of the greatest Brazilian players of all time. Socrates was a bit different and said many times that soccer was not everything. And he smoked. Being Gung-Ho is one approach but not the only approach. What matters is performance on the field and while Landon has not been perfect, he certainly has been better than every other American player. People love to demean Landon as being soft, but players who are soft don't score 5 goals in 12 WC games.
Klinsmann put his reputation on the line at Bayern Munich to bring Donovan there when he was the head coach. Result? Donovan disappoints and Klinsmann gers fired. Strike one The USMNT is struggling in qualifying and desperately needs veteran leadership. Donovan is in Cambodia on sabbatical. Strike two Last match before squad selection with our most hated rivals and Donovan shows up in the worst shape of his life. Strike three, you're out!
I think it was the wrong move not to bring him. I just think his exclusion was less about the petty reasons so many have attributed it to and more about a philosophical change in the system.
This is one spot where I'll always defend Landon. Between the Galaxy, national team, and Everton loans the guy didn't have a real offseason in years. That's hard on a young player let alone one 14 into his career. He needed a break and that 3 month rest would have probably resulted in him playing a few more years longer. I've always viewed that sabbatical as being for the greater good for this World Cup and after it.
True, LD never took the all-or-nothing approach to playing in Europe. When he saw a good opportunity, as with Bayern and Everton, he really pursued them.
Yeah, that looks like a big mistake in hindsight. But how do we know Landon didn't promise Klinsmann after the Mexico friendly that if he was selected in the 30 man roster he would be in the best shape of anyone in camp? And he wasn't....
I'm not commenting on the situations. I'm commenting on the mentality. Not Donavan, not Dempsey, not Bradley made it in Europe. They all gave up. Same mentality. Yet they're on the roster. I get that this doesn't support your theory.
Jurgen was getting fired from bayern either way, his results were bad, the team played bad, and he had lost the locker room. Which makes me think what has this dude actually accomplished to be the national team coach? considering Low was the real mind behind germany and he was a total failure in bayern
It has nothing to do with you disagreeing, your point is just off. Under the same circumstances Bradley and Dempsey would never have made the same decision that Donovan did. I can say that because they didn't. Dempsey was at the end of his career and was offered a huge paycheck. He wanted his children to grow up in the United States. Bradley came back after battling in the trenches for years at the highest level for the sole reason that he was offered a 600% pay raise. If Donovan acted under those same circumstances it'd be different. That's not the case. That's why multiple people in this thread disagree with you. Nobody denies what he's done for U.S. soccer or the accomplishments he's had. He's the greatest player to wear the U.S. jersey. But I'm looking at this objectively. Saying Dempsey and Bradley coming back to MLS is the exact same thing based on the exact same mentality just isn't correct.