Klinsman goes all in with Donovan snub

Landon Donovan (left) and USA team Manager Jurgen Klinsman

by Richard Spragg  I  Houston, TX

When Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés landed in South America in 1519, he sank all his own ships. It was an act of total commitment and a very clear message to his men: there is no option other than victory. 

On Thursday night Jurgen Klinsman sank his own ships. The omission of Landon Donovan, the most experienced and accomplished American soccer player in the country’s sporting history, is a move that leaves only two possible outcomes for Klinsman as coach. There is no longer a B, C, D or E grade for the German to earn in Brazil. It’s an A or an F.

Expectation is not high for the USA. What little optimism there was for the potential of a shallow squad was obliterated in December with a group-of-death draw. If Klinsman had selected the squad that he was expected to select, he would have escaped blameless from an early exit. Afterall, could even the most patriotic American have believed that either Germany, the three time champions and ever present force in the final stage, or Portugal, who’s headline stars are among the best on display in the tournament, would be on a plane home after the group stage?  And to add insult to injury, the gods of football threw the last place in the group to Ghana, who have effectively knocked the USA out of the last two world cups. Beat the Africans, and give a decent account against the giants for a third place finish, and nobody would ever look to Klinsman as the scapegoat. Nothing more could have been done, they would say. It was impossible.

Apart from now, something more could have been done. He could have taken Landon Donovan. Now he’s got something he will be held responsible for – leaving behind the most decorated, well liked, hard working and experienced player in the country in favor of a young German, who is yet to kick a ball for his own club and an English Premier league drop-out currently playing for the Sunderland under 21s. Now, he had better get that A grade, or a lot of people are going to want to know what the hell he was thinking.

For those who live under a rock or more likely under a jingoistic delusion, the A grade in this situation is to get out of the group. This will be a significant result for a USA squad that boasts only a few top flight players. Besides the former Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Bradley, Seattle's Clint Dempsey and the traditionally deep goalkeepers roster - USA are every bit a 250/1 long shot.  

There's been a fair amount of criticism of the lack of scrutiny that Klinsman faces as a head coach. It's true that he has been treated with all the deference and indulgence you would expect him to receive as a former world cup winner and thirty year veteran of the superior European leagues. But the Donovan decision sees him take his place where all international managers ultimately stand - on a slippery podium rotating endlessly above an ocean of bile.

But good. If he only wanted to endure as coach and finish out his contract (a $2.5m a year cake walk) then he would surely have taken the populist approach. In switching up the squad, he’s swallowed a pill that many before him have refused to swallow – dropping a popular individual to strengthen a team. The fact that he's prepared to take the harder road says a great deal about his ambition in this tournament and even more about his willingness to risk his comfortable position. 

People should see this squad - and this decision - for what it really is – a refusal to surrender to expectation. This decision is evidence that Jurgen Klinsman intends to take a run at that A grade. Supporters and critics alike should stop seeing Landon Donovan’s exclusion as an inexplicable snub to a great player and start seeing it as a flicker of hope that the team’s coach, if not its fans, has every intention of breaking with expectation. Since expectation is early failure, this can only be a good thing.