Donovan Cut, take 2: Do we need a band aid?

You know, I'm old enough to remember when this board wanted present club form to play a much bigger role in selection. Well, guess what? This is what it looks like.Now everyone wants players to be grandfathered in based on past performance.

Most other players with Donovan's pre-camp level of productivity, or lack thereof, would not have even been invited into the 30. Ask Ed Johnson, who played a bigger role in qualifying than Landon. The only reason that Landon Donovan got invited is because he's Landon Donovan and what he's done for the program.

Maybe it was the right decision or maybe it was the wrong one. But the mob's official truth, that this was all a personality conflict, is bunk. The decision was based on performance.

 

OK. Explain Green. And Altidore. And not Boyd. And Gonzalez. And Besler.

Your argument seems to hold water until you examine it literally at all.

 

I also thinks it's interesting that the same posters who discredit what Donovan did at the Gold Cup are quick regurgitate that nonsense ESPN line that last year was our "most successful ever" in defense of Klinsmann. Leaving aside that it is impossible to have our "most successful year" during a year when we don't even play the World Cup, the winning streak, winning percentage, and all those other overrated stats that they cite for Klinsmann are in no small part thanks to what Donovan did at the Gold Cup.

 

The following post is not based on any stats, facts, or empirical data:
During today's game with Turkey, one of the announcers (Twellermen?) made a passing comment about one of the USMNT players catching grief on a non specified forum. Being as there are not many USMNT sites I feel we may safely assume that BS might have been said site if not part of the whole of a few various sites. I then found myself thinking what the stands during the game would have looked like if the fans present would treat the team and each other as I see the posters here treat the same team members and each other. The vibe would have definitely been less attractive and supportive.
I next thought about how many of the players must check these forums. How many of you all have googled your own name? I know that if I was a person that might be written about on the interwebbynet I would check it out. What does that mean as members of an online community such as us that love our team, wish to see them succeed, and want to have meaningful discussions about our feelings and interpretations of the current state of the USMNT?
As the the fans at the stadium are considered the 12th man, we are part of that idea before and after a given game. Though I am mostly a voyeur here, I have posted a handful of times and have said some fairly cruel things about a certain CB. He may or may not have read that post or any post about him, I have absolutely no way of knowing. I do know that I want our boy's to kick some ass in Brazil and I would do anything within reason to help them achieve that goal.
Donovan is an amazing player who I would to have loved to see play in Brazil and undoubtedly score an important and amazing goal. He is not going to be there. Davis and Green are going to be there. These two deserve our support and encouragement regardless of our personal feelings as complete outsiders to the very intimate relationships within the USMNT. This current roster is OUR USMNT. Be positive, temper your words, write thoughtfully, and separate your ego from our shared desire for an excellent performance at the Copa. If there is even a chance that one of the USMNT players will look here over the next few weeks do you want to tear them down because of your desire to be correct or do you want to get behind our horse and pump them up for glory?
I'll start:
Davis is very dangerous on set pieces and crosses. He is also about as gritty as they come and guys that have that much heart can surprise more often than not (see David v Golith). I saw him digging hard tonight and putting balls in the box in dangerous positions.Tonight none clicked but that seemed more due to positions in box than his crosses. One especially towards the end of the game where he sent in a cross inches from the line which almost panned out for a shot on goal. How would Landon have done on the left? we will never know. Good job Davis and keep wearing your heart on our sleeve!

 

Disagree completely. If Davis and Green are actually reading these threads and feeling bad about themselves, that's all the more reason they shouldn't be there. I'd much prefer players that use criticism to prove the doubters wrong. You know, like the player who was cut and is the topic of this thread has often done.

 

I had a dream about Donovan showing up at practice tomorrow. Write your own script and cast your own characters, but the visual went something like this;



Yeah, no chance in hell, but I still can't believe this.

 

Green has performed at his level. I would bench Altidore.

 

And the other thing is, if any player not named Landon Donovan were selected despite having 0 goals and 1 assist in MLS play, this board would be screaming about it.

 

This thread was not started to unveil the true definition of some obscure Klinsmann soundbite.

You cannot watch these Nats and honestly believe that Zusi, Bedoya, Davis and Green are all more effective than Donovan. Landon is, at worst, our second-best offensive player and third best field player overall. You don't leave a guy like that at home if you think you're going to do anything but park the bus in Brazil.

Obviously, Jurgen believes that we're so inferior to our group opponents that we're going to put 11 men behind the ball and hope we get lucky. If he doesn't, we're going to get absolutely shredded.

Either Ghana and Portugal are far worse than we think they are (I think they're a little overrated in these parts, but they're far from bad) or this World Cup will be a very humbling experience for us Americans.

 

I can't remember the last time we parked the bus for 90 minutes. It is not in Jurgen's DNA to play that way and it would not be good for the game. We will go down swinging or win it all. This thread is pointless and yes I am an idiot for posting in it.

 

That's on Klinsmann.
He created this.
And he refuses to explain why.

 

We're not going to park the bus, but LuckofLichaj is absolutely right that you can't tell me that guys like Julian Green, Brad Davis, and even Alejandro Bedoya and Graham Zusi are better than Landon Donovan right now. I'm still really stung by the cut, and not just because Landon Donovan is my favorite player, and not just because I think he deserves better recognition as the best player we've ever produced, but because he is still a difference maker and he still belongs on the field if we are going to achieve success to our highest potential.

 

Well, an injury could occur yet...

 

Y0u mean any other players without 450 games/175 goals in MLS?
Yes, some people on here might have gotten upset over a 0 goal start to a MLS season.

 

This thread's not going to last till the morning. I'll see it when I wake up with that nice little 'locked' symbol on it. Ah, that'll be nice.

 

I admit that it wasn't a good first post (no sophisticated thought, really), but I'm surprised that there aren't more "we have no chance" threads regarding the World Cup.

I think I've been a thoughtful poster in the past, but I'm tired of laying out the reasons why Michael Bradley is a solid #8 and a laughably disastrous #10. I'm tired of emphasizing how utterly lost Geoff Cameron is at CB. I'm tired of pointing out the fact that Bedoya and Zusi can't create any offense by themselves.

We're putting all of our eggs into the paper-thin parchment basket known as Jozy Altidore. We'd better park the damned bus.

 

That's why Zusi doesn't play on the right wing for SKC.

Check out Zusi's fantastic pass in the 7th minute to set up Dempsey one on one with the goalkeeper.

 

This made me smile . . .

Ummmm, what would be your analysis as to Jozy's form and JK's comments that he was assured of a spot on the team, despite not scoring for Club or Country since December 4?

 

That's because we very much still have a chance, despite its diminution by our coach's omission of Landon and by other decisions our coach has made. We are still bringing one of the top two starting goalkeepers in our group, and Neuer will need to recover fully and be healthy throughout the Cup to keep that merely "top two" rather than "top". We have Fabian Johnson, who brings something that I don't remember seeing in any previous USMNT player. Bradley is the best I've ever seen him. Jones has a good chance to set a new standard at defensive midfielder. Dempsey is in the zone. Aron is looking good. Mix can bring a spark. Zusi, Bedoya, and Davis are no Donovan, but are looking at least a little better than we might have expected. Cameron is a solid defender outside or inside. Even Brooks has shown that there might just be a chance that he's peaking at exactly the right time.

 

And what level is that?

 

I would assert, that if the player, Julian Green, had, say, the words "New England Revolution" after his name instead of "Bayern Munich", people would be up in arms . . .

Unfortunately, he is way, way, way out of his level and though we all are hopeful of him blossoming, it is very tough to predict where a 17 year old kid might be headed.

I am sure there are some folks back in Munich, including some of Julian's teammates, who are chuckling as they watch these matches.

 

I asked it before but it bears repeating. What does a spring friendly with Mexico have to do with winning games in Brazil? I don't really see why Donovan is required to play in such games when he was fighting a knee injury at the time.

 

don't get me wrong, I don't buy that assessment of LD either, for all the reasons you mentioned. and if JK cut him for anything like "attitude" or such, than it says more about JK as a coach than it does the player.

 

Hell, at this point Diego Fagundez WITH the words "New England Revolution" after his name and roughly the same age is a more complete player.

 

So Altidore, 56 games and 2 goals - that's performance?

Green, OGonzo and Bes?