Top Stories

The SBI Show: Episode 142 (talking USMNT World Cup roster w/special guest Taylor Twellman)

KlinsmannDonovan (ISIPhotos.com)

By IVES GALARCEP

The U.S. World Cup roster was revealed on Thursday, sending shockwaves throughout American soccer circles as the news of Landon Donovan’s exclusion from the squad dominated the conversation.

Episode 142 of The SBI Show takes a closer look at the 23-man roster, and the omission of Landon Donovan, with special guest Taylor Twellman. The ESPN analyst, former MLS all-star and U.S. Men’s National Team striker shares his take on the roster, and Donovan’s absence from the squad.

Co-host Garrett Cleverly and I also discuss MLS Week 12, and also answer reader questions in the latest SBI Show Q&A.

Give Episode 142 of The SBI Show a listen after the jump:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/150873355″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=’166′ iframe=”true” /]

What did you think of the show?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Ives and Twellman both agree that a 4-4-2 diamond with Bekerman as the lone DB and MB up top isn’t the answer. I THOUGHT the answer was going to be a 4-5-1 with MB up top and Jones with Edu/Bekerman as DM was the answer, necessitating you bring both Edu/Bekerman. So do we see this?:
    ———Altidore—
    Clint —-MB—(Zuzi or Bedoya)
    –Jones—Bekerman
    FJ—Matt—Cameron—Chandler

    Reply
  2. Sheeeeesh. A guy can’t lump positions into one category for the sake of saving letters on Twitter without getting blown up? RB, CB, & LB were combined into DB to cover the whole line. Point is Ives, you knew what I was talking about.

    Anyways, thanks for answering my question and thank you, Garrett, for speaking up for me, before clowning me on the sly afterwards.

    One other thing, Ives. Regarding players being listed at a position and playing elsewhere, the GK’s are the only ones who can’t switch, unless FIFA changed the rules. There was a country four years ago that tried that and it wasn’t allowed.

    Last, but not least, great show. Twell was a fantastic guest and I hope you guys can get Alexi, too.

    Reply
  3. Green may be a very talented player, but that’s all he is at this point. He is talent and potential. How many talented young players fail to fulfill their potential? Grabbed this link real quick from 2007 that lists 50 of the top teenagers in the world. http://soccerlens.com/top-50-most-exciting-teen-footballers-2007/4258/. Some became star players Some became decent players. Some players flopped completely. There is no way to know where Green will fall along this spectrum which is why its so baffling to me. He hasn’t proven a thing yet at this point in his career.

    Reply
    • With stuff like this you are going to be mistaken for Ronald Mcdonald.
      So let’s paint a picture.
      Time to play some hoops, The Garrincha gets to run with Kobe and Lebron and such.
      Obviously The Garrincha, doesn’t fit. can’t run with those boys one bit, never could,
      thus I or just about anybody else would look out of place.
      Now to witness JG, run on the pitch a couple of games with most of the first team at Bayern. He Looked completely in place, in fact you could probably say he played as well or even outplayed some starters, true it was International club championships and midseason friendlies, but if you know or have any scouting sense at all?, you can just tell he already has the quality just needs the experience to let it shine.

      Reply
  4. I guess the most obvious explanation and in a way the toughest to swallow is that he simply wasn’t, this time around, good enough. I don’t want to accept it, either. I’m as stunned as anyone.

    Reply
  5. I hate the idea of having Cameron play CB. How do you put the most creative and forward thinking defender into a position where he has to stay put. Don’t get that at all.

    Reply
    • Because while it may be “nice” to get some offensive play from him, his main value will be his judgment and quick thinking on defense. At RB that value is limited to the choices he makes on the right side of the field. At CB he can cover for any mistakes Chandler makes, or simply cover (as I suspect) when Chandler is asked to bomb forward. Similarly he will provide value covering for anything that gets by FJ….even if it is indirectly. So if FJ gets bypassed, and Beasler moves to try and rescue the situation, who do you want as the other CB to recognize and pick up late runs from the other team?

      Furthermore, while Cameron has his quicks, he doesn’t have the kind of recovery speed for wing play that Chandler does. That will be less of an issue at CB, but on the flanks? Go and watch the second goal in the last game versus Costa Rica. One sneaky pass on the flank and Costa Rica took him right out of the picture… he played no part in defending the ensuing goal at all.

      I also don’t know if Cameron really is more “forward thinking” than Chandler. Chandler had 1 goal and 2 assists in 21 games on an injury riddled team. Cameron had 2 goals and 1 assist in 37 games. Chandler also had way more shots (again in less games). The left DB on Nurenburg also had a lot of shots (19) and from what I have read is known for his dangerous crosses…Gertjan Verbeek asked his DBs to help out on the attack a lot to make up for the thinness and injuries the team suffered.

      Reply
  6. Was Donovan left off the roster for Julian Green? I do not think so. Julian Green was always going to be going.

    So was Landycakes left off for Brad Davis? Again I do not think so. JK said he thought of Landy as a forward. If that is true then LD was left off for Kevin Bacon and Wondo. Late in the game and we need a goal, AJ and CW are going to be his go to guys….

    I think JG only sees the field if we are well up or well down in a game.

    Reply
  7. I can’t get the show. For some reason the starting arrow doesn’t show up, nor does the graph that indicates that there is a show.

    Reply
  8. From people in the know:
    1. The players to a man were pissed off with him going AWOL on soccer last Spring and heading to Cambodia for a sabbatical. While they were trying to win points at Mexico and other tough Central American places to get into the World Cup.
    2. He is not fit. He is visibly heavier than he has been. And he’s a small guy to begin with. To notice it is not a good sign.
    3. He hasn’t scored a goal in 8 MLS games this year and has been injured off and on
    4. He literally said that he could not give 100% every day at this stage of his career. He’s 32. He’s not that good to overlook his weak mentality.
    5. His speed, much like an older wide receiver, has declined. That was a big part of his value.
    Bottom line: he wasn’t willing to completely suffer and give his all. That is table stakes given what they are about to face in a few weeks.
    I’m totally happy about the decision. Tells everyone there are no sacred cows. Get to work.

    Reply
    • You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. Jurgen’s son tweeted mocking Donovan which is so disrespectful to an icon of American soccer and revealing that the Donovan omission was personal. The real loser in all this is Klinsmann who makes the team all about him, picking five German Americans and continuing to show he doesn’t know anything about building a team, tactics or player selection. You really think John Brooks is the best central defender pick over Goodson or Parkhurst? The guy has been a disaster every time he has seen the field for the NATS. Klinsmann was one Dempsey goal in the snow away from being fired. Every player for Bayern Munich knows what a poseur Klinsmann is.

      Reply
      • You are a perfect example of what is wrong with this entire argument.BC stated his opinion on Donovan, with specific examples.
        You respond with:
        JKs son, picking 5 dual nationals, Brooks vs Goodson or Parkhurst, the snow game, and Bayern.
        -JKs son did a stupid thing, but that’s not why LD didn’t make it
        -3 of the 5 dual nationals started in our system before JK was our coach, and 2 others didn’t make it. Everyone gets excited when someone wants to play for us, but all of a sudden when it’s more than 2, people freak..
        Double standard
        – Parkhurst as a CB in world cup play? No way
        – Brooks over Goodson? 50/50… but nothing to do with Landon
        – Snow game? Getting fired? U have proof? Sources? NO…
        – Bayern? Who cares what happened at Bayern.. I see you didn’t mention when he coached Germany to 3rd place..

        You’re the one who doesn’t know what he’s talking about

      • Klinsmann’s deficiency is tactics. When he came in third place in the world cup Lowe was his tactician.

        Klinsmann’s son’s tweet was dripping with mean spiritedness — I highly doubt this is his own opinion and doesn’t represent any of his father’s feelings. My point was that there is a personal issue between Klinsmann and Donovan. Klinsmann is not making this decision solely on ability or for the good of the team. Donovan is a playmaker and an assist leader. Just because he doesn’t have a ton of goals doesn’t make him ineffective.

        In my opinion, JK’s sons tweet was not representative of his own, totally original opinion. And then JK coming out and saying that his son was one of Donovan’s biggest fans presses credulity to the breaking point. I mean come on.

        BC says players were pissed when Donovan went AWOL. That’s rubbish and he doesn’t know that. The guy gave his hear t and soul for years to the team and takes one half season off. Players understood that. Tim Howard recently said that Donovan was in his opinion still one of the best players on the team. But I guess the great Klinsmann knows better.

      • Once again, your anger and emotional outburst towards Donovans ouster is exactly my point. Everything BC said was based off what he’s seen of Donovan, and you in turn say “you don’t know what you’re talking about”
        You continue to make my point by your response to me.
        In regards to the comments by the players when Donovan took his sabbatical, there were just as many unnamed sources and quotes as there was when the Strauss article came out. But nobody remembers that because Donovan earned his way back in, and it wasn’t controversial, so it died…but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. It means people “choose” not to recall it..
        # DOUBLE STANDARD

        Donovans exclusion came down to two things.. Donovans form and fitness.

        Everyone is crucifying JK.. Will they summon the guts or the will to question Donovans form, fitness, or preparation? Or his mental toughness? If not I wonder why, because Donovan himself even stated he knew exactly what was expected of him and what his body was capable of.. yet he seemed prepared for this moment

      • Taking Brooks over Goodson definitely raised my eyebrow at first. While I wouldn’t go as far to say that Brooks was a disaster (Gooch & Brooks pairing vs Ukraine, far different than pairing Brooks with Besler or Cameron) he definitely has not showed particularly well to-date. However, his club form over the past few months has been solid. He also has a better technical ability than Goodson. Which is what JK was looking for. Distribution out of the back. He just rated that more valuable than Goodson’s experience. Personally, Omar and Goodson are interchangeable, with OG being the better distributor. For those reason I see why JK chose Brooks.

        Also, the only Germarican that worried me was Chandler. Not because of ability, but because of what his perceived lack of commitment to the team COULD do to team morale. Although, with leaving LD out I think that point is less palpable.

        As per the tweet. Huge fail on JKjr’s part. Klinsmann can’t control what his son tweets. Nor is it an endorsement of what JK thinks of LD, AT ALL, at least in my opinion.

  9. Great show guys. While the focus for many people is going to be Landon’s exclusion until after Tuesday’s tune-up game, I appreciated your focus on those that did make it and what it means. Ives, especially your article for goal.com. Best written article on the roster choices by a long shot. It’s amazing how many soccer writers out there write with a clear bias towards Donovan and disgust of Klinsmann. But I digress.

    Back to the show. When I saw it on SC this morning I literally said, “OH YEAHH” and was even more pumped that you guys got Big Head to join you. While I don’t always agree with his points of view, Twellman’s perspective was a great, surprising addition to the show and really added to the gravity of yesterday’s roster announcement.

    Thanks for all the dedication to getting these shows out (including the awesome 140). It’s far and away the best American soccer podcast out there. Guess I need to download iTunes to my work computer so I can leave you guys a review too.

    Thanks again and looking forward to all your coverage of the Cup.

    Reply
    • Though I’m a huge De La fan…I actually was disappointed this wasn’t “How I Could Just Kill a Man” once I heard the opening drums! haha. Cuz I think you guys missed a chance to say something thematically with the opening track, about Donovan’s omission.

      “Who Shot Ya” would’ve been dope too! haha

      (p.s. as a hiphop fiend on this page IG, you know I gotta go at you for being underwhelmed by Lupe Fiasco’s selection by US Soccer as its hypeman. Look, Lupe’s last couple albums have been underwhelming, but his lyrics have always been on point and when his beats are good…which is rare lately, let’s be honest…the kid is probably one of the best on the mic of the younger generation. and he’s from the Chi, which is where US Soccer is based, so its actually a perfect fit.)

      Reply
  10. I think the Donovan issues is giving more time than needed. The bigger question is including Davis and Wondo over guys like Corona, Edu, and Boyd. This is Klinsmann’s inherent contradiction. He makes bold moves with Green and Yedlin, which is fine. We need speed and some creativity. But if you are going young, why not do it whole heartedly? Edu and Cameron are great to have on the team because they are versatile. Corona is can play in the middle and outside and was huge in Gold Cup. He is just 23. Edu is only 28. Boyd is 23. I would trade these three for Davis, Wondo, and possibly Jones in a heartbeat. Jones has not had a great tenure with USMNT no matter what anybody says. He has a propensity to be a huge liability because of dumb decisions and a lack of discipline. Davis and Wondo make no sense. Green I understand. Brooks is justifiable. So is Yeldin. These guys have unique things to offer. Edu, Corona, and Boyd all three have speed and power and we will need that depth to have a chance in Brazil.

    Reply
    • Yes, to everything you said. I am worried about Davis and not sure about Wondo. Would have liked to see Boyd, Edu, and Corona. And now let us move on from the LD saga. Had he wanted to go, he would have arrived in camp as fit as Bradley.

      Reply
  11. Klinsmann made the right call. While Donovan probably is better than Davis right now, even with the spare tire he is carrying around, LD would have unnecessarily been the focus riding the pine.
    Experience is overrated. Just as many teams have flopped counting on older, experienced players (e.g. Italy 2010) as have suffered from youth. I saw a stat somewhere that practically every World Cup winning team had an average age of 27 or less. Playing in the Amazon carries a premium of being in top shape. This is our best competitive advantage.

    Every time someone like Grant Wahl questions Klinsmann, Klinsmann’s judgment turns out better.

    Reply
    • When has Klinsman’s judgment been better? The guy was one goal away (Dempsey’s in the snow) to being fired. He bombed at Bayern Munich and was not liked by the players, and his role with Toronto FC was a flop. It took him forever to land on the diamond formation and he shuffles players constantly. He now has created a totally unnecessary controversy that is going to be a distraction and his son tweets an incredibly disrespectful message about one of our county’s best ever players.

      Oh, and 35% of the team are Germans not good enough to make the German national team. Julian Green is a more worthwhile sub than Donovan? And what about Broooks? The guy has been a goal leaking machine every time he has been on the field for the Nats. And if we’re talking attitude, locker room chemistry and team commitment do we really need Tim Chandler who bombed in Honduras and hasn’t been around for 15 months? The reason the player pool is better and the team has done as well as it has (despite Klinsmann’s incompetency) is the MLS.

      Keep drinking the Klinsmann cool-aide. The guy is a fraud and needs to make it all about himself. Ask Phillip Lamm. Only the American soccer federation would be naive enough to fall for Klinnsman’s act. I suspect we’ll here an earful from players like Howard when the World Cup is over. I hope it results in the poseur Klinsmann getting shown the door.

      Reply
  12. This is only shocking to the media and those who get their opinion based on media generated opinions, versus those who focus on the facts.

    Reply
  13. I’m only like 20 mins in, and have to head to work soon. Do they mention the whole, “30 man provisional roster selection contest”? I ask because I’m pretty sure I won, and would hope to have that wonderful scarf before the WC.

    Reply
  14. Possibly JK feels the U.S. won’t make it out of group play and will use this World Cup just to give the younger players some experience?

    Reply
      • yup…and Donovan hadn’t even made the impact that Green had playing in the same league (Bayer Leverkusen II) and Green got professional contract as well.

      • Anthony, you conveniently forgot to mention that LD went to the Olympics in 2000 finishing in 4th place, played 1600 minutes in MLS in 2001 scoring 7 goals with 10 assists, MVP of the All-Star game that year and won the a championship. Landon had way more professional experience in 2002 that Green has today.

      • Bundesliga Region is professional. He played virtually every single game in the league until he was called up to the first team. He was the team’s leading scorer and one of the leading scorers in the league

  15. There is always a rationale. Whether the masses recognize it, understand it, or agree with it is obviously another question. If Landon was a cancer in the group or not up to par physically or mentally then it is the job of the head coach to make tough decisions. If it was purely a case of personality friction, it is the job of the head coach to rise above that and find a way to get the most out of a player he doesn’t necessarily like. Whichever it is, we’ll find out after the WC, as I’m sure older guys who don’t have to worry about next cycle will tell all.

    Reply
  16. Why don’t you allow downloads of your podcast? Makes it impossible to listen when wifi/data aren’t readily available.

    Reply
    • iTunes, bro.

      Though, I agree with you, it would be super nice for us to DL off SoundCloud, and it’s really easy for them to allow. But, Ives is all about the numbers, and wants to funnel all the DLs to iTunes. I love him, but you can tell from this commentary format, that it’s all about the clicks.

      Reply
      • Yes I regularly download the episodes off iTunes using the Podcast app, and it works great. That said, this particular episode doesn’t show up or download automatically because the date for it is set as Dec 31, 2000, making it officially the oldest podcast in the SBI catalog and thus one that does not show up in the feed for automatic download or even initially appear if you look at the list of episodes. Instead you need to go looking for it way back before any other episodes and then download it manually.

  17. Reminds me of when Aime Jacquet cut Eric Cantona for Euro 96. The French roster had a couple of players along for the ride. When they needed a goal vs. Czech Republic, nobody on bench to help. But Aime Jacquet was arrogant and had to prove he was smartest. Managers are arrogant. More important for JK to prove he is “smarter” than every other soccer fan or pundit. I like JK, but he’s a manager and he is arrogant.

    Reply
    • I remember that time mainly because I moved back to France a little after that, and you are taking some creative license. Aimee Jacques and GIG made the conscious decision to move on from the Cantona and Ginola group because of their failures. Instead he went with a younger generation that proved to be the basis for the team that won in 98 and 2000. He left a few veterans on the team that bought into the concept. Klinsman did the same thing in Germany 2006…so this is not that surprising.

      Reply
      • Not to mention France lost to a good Czech Republic team in the Semi-Finals in penalty kicks

      • I agee that it isn’t cut and dry, but I lived in France at the time, watched all the qualifiers, read all the interviews, read France Football every week, and in my opinion Jacquet decision was very similar to Klinsmann. He left off Cantona as much to assert his own authority as anything else. In the knockout round, France scored no goals against Netherlands and won on penalties, and no goals against Czech Republic and lost on penalties. And the roster included Mickael Madar who offered absolutely nothing offensively, and France had no options on the bench when they needed goals. France could have won the tournament if they were able to score in the last 240 minutes they played in the knockout round. And Cantona would have been a great option.

        I think the US could end up in a similar situation with players like Julian Green and Brad Davis not ready to contribute at WC level. Klinsmann doesn’t have the benefit of the Zidane/Djorkaeff/Henry/Blanc generation coming together in the next 4 years to save the day. The USA should be playing for this tournament. Who knows what group we will be in in 4 years and what players might develop.

        I like Klinsmann. I don’t think the USMNT is good enough to leave Landon at home ane include a player like Brad Evans.

  18. Flabbergasted and numb. Don’t even know how to feel any more. No one has more experience going up against teams the caliber of which we will see in this world cup than Landon Donovan. Time and time again he comes through in the clutch for the US. Form or not… he brings something to the team that no one else does.

    Reply
    • I understand how you feel. My reaction too. I think there are so many factors that are “truly” behind this that we genuinely cannot ever know or understand. In many ways, it is borderline obvious that JK and LD are two unique personalities who are simply not “cut from the same cloth” at all (look no further than the excellent photo Ives selected above– says it all, no?)

      Here is one thing I would share (forgive the analogy– I am a dual UK and still have a modest though ever-declining interest in the England side). A week or so back Roy Hodgson surprised many by choosing to leave Ashley Cole off of the England squad sheet. He is not the iconic figure in England that Donovan is here, but he has been the undisputed first choice left back for England for over a decade, during which he was widely regarded as among the very best and most reliable at both club and country level. Probably the only English player during that time who had any claim at all to being the “best in the world” at his position for any meaningful stretch (they love these sorts of lists there).

      For whatever reason, he was swept out the door. England have Leighton Baines, of course, and Cole did not play much this season at Chelsea. But nothing can change my mind about when this decision was made. It happened back in 2012, when England crashed out to an (admittedly superior) Italy side on penalties. Cole (who had buried his clinically weeks earlier against Bayern in the CL final) took a poor effort, which Buffon saved easily. In this moment, my instinct (and nothing else) tells me Hodgson made the decision that it was time to turn the page. The PK quarterfinal exit that most England fans genuinely expect had crept into his mentality. He had become self-limiting, and belonged in the past with the other underachievers of his once-promising generation. Gerrard was captain had dutifully converted his, so he was spared the axe.

      If this sounds long-winded and ridiculous, it’s because it is. I’ll never know (actually I don’t really care– but now I have this theory I just can’t let it go…). And that is exactly what will happen here. Right now the conventional theory is that the Cambodia trip was the beginning of the end for LD with JK… actually I would doubt that Klinsmann learned anything about Donovan he hadn’t already suspected from the Bayern experience and their many, many interactions in the SoCal community. Maybe there was some more personal beef (that Twitter thing from JK’s son? Should we care?). Doubtless more theories will emerge.

      It’s a shame. I feel sorry for Donovan, because I wanted him to participate and because I think he had something to offer that was unique. But he isn’t going and it’s done. Did he “deserve” a more respectful ending? Might have been nice… but Bocanegra was politely swept under the rug with much less fanfare and we were just as unhappy.

      My advice (if you care). Find a way to embrace it. It’s all you can do. One thing won’t change: 23 of our boys are going to Brazil with the intention of causing problems — we wait four years at a time to go nuts for a few hours while watching it. Life will go on for LD. Nobody can take his contribution or our appreciation of it. Thing to do now is move on… we can all revisit this after we somehow do not win the World Cup (Of course, I have a betting slip that says otherwise).

      Reply
      • +1 Nice write up. I was pissed yesterday when I got home and read the news, but oh well, JK knows this team better than I do.

        Okay, I’m still pissed. I can’t help but imagine the possible reasons. I think JK knew EJ and LD weren’t going, and used some pretty lame excuses to justify his choices (LD is a pure forward).

        Anyway, you’re right. I’ll lick my wounds quietly and try to be 100% invested again by the time this tournament rolls around.

      • Mr.dia,

        Which World Cup vets made the team?

        Timmy, Clint, Jozy, Mikey, DMB.

        Since JK took over they each had their ups and downs, Jozy was banished by JK for a while, Clint and Mikey moved back to MLS, DMB was in and out of the Puebla side. JK wasn’t crazy about everything they did.

        But from the start, I never doubted that those five guys were doing as much as they could to get to Brazil to get with the program. Their ability may have been questioned but their commitment and their heart never was.

        My disappointment is with Donovan because I never thought his heart was in it and he constantly reinforced that with his words and actions over the last two years.

        When you have such a conflicted, ambivalent cultural icon as a team “leader” it makes it very hard on a manager who believes that total commitment to a cause is the only way this US team can advance.
        The reports of bad feelings or grudges may or may not have been true. It’s irrelevant. JK has been a pro a long time and has worked with all kinds of scum and human stains such as Lothar Matthaus.
        JK loves winning above all else and a fit committed Donovan makes that easier.

        Donovan is still one of the 30 best US soccer player alive right now and his ability, scaled back as it may be , is such that if he really wanted to, he could have reached down within himself and found a way to make that 23. He just did not want it bad enough. Of maybe he just can’t do it anymore.

        The difference between LD and the five vets I named is that all five have been cut from teams, told they were not good enough. Dempsey spent his whole career in England fighting to make the team every year. and SAF cast Timmy out from heaven.

        When Leverkusen would not elevate Landon from the reserves he just “cut “them and went to the Quakes and won some championships. In other words he just took his ball and went home. The Bayern fiasco was clearly LD being caught between the Bayern vets and JK.

        In his heart of hearts even though he knew better, LD never believed he would be cut. He felt that his 90% was better than anyone else’s 100%. When the best US player of all time openly settles for second best, it is not setting a good example.

        Unlike Clint, LD just doesn’t know how to fight his way past the doubts of a manager and onto a team.

        Your mentioning England is apt because they are comparatively young and seem to have low expectations now just like the US. The England team has always been burdened by delusional expectations from their public.

        Hopefully both teams will confound the demands for blood from the sans culottes and the great unwashed masses.

      • Good observations. LD is not the easiest player to understand. I think it would be a lot easier for many of us (and probably Klinsmann) if Donovan was more like the best-of-the-best athletes our country produces. Guys like Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning make sense to us. They are openly competitive, aggressive, direct guys who are inspired by little outside of winning and achievement. Dempsey is a little bit like this in personality… But Landon just never gives this vibe. Even when he he is playing well and winning things.

        I have a buddy I watch games with who once joked while watching an LD interview “Why does he always sound like a guy who had his childhood taken from him?”

        I think I spat my beer out at this it was so funny… why does it strangely seem so accurate?

      • Mr dia,

        Your friend is very perceptive. Tell them that maybe it’s because LD’s childhood was taken from him.

        This guy has been US soccer’s equivalent of Lebron since he was 18, 19 years old. He’s not your average guy. Grant Wahl said he was the most honest interview he ever had. Sometimes with LD it is TMI.

        Unlike just about everyone else, I think depending on how things go, if the opportunity arises, he will play again for the USMNT. He could not possibly resist a call back, not to HIS team.

        The English used to say that Bobby Moore was an England player who happened to play for West Ham in between internationals. I always felt the same way about LD.
        He confirmed it in one interview, explaining that as a kid growing up the ultimate was always the World Cup, not the Champions League or the EPL or the Bundesliga. And he was fortunate enough that from the age of 20 he was always a stone cold lock as an automatic USMNT starter.
        Since he had a big money deal from Leverkusen as a kid, money was not really an issue.
        So many of these outraged fans are probably the same ones who named him Landycakes for not moving to Europe. Landon never had any incentive to move to Europe since he did not need the money, was staying sharp with guaranteed playing time in MLS and every four years he was guaranteed a shot at testing himself against what he viewed as the best in the World Cup. All this he and gets to live at home in So Cal. It’s hard to argue against him.
        It reminds me of Henrik Larsson.

        Where the fan base got it wrong was in assuming that every American player could do the same thing and get the same results on the playing field. I can’t think of any examples.

        It tells you just how prodigiously talented Landon was and still is that he could do that and perform at the World Cup.I doubt you could say that about any other American player of his generation.

        This is a long winded way of saying the USMNT has been another wonderful way for LD to extend his childhood and we all know how hard it is to put away childish things. It is JK’s great misfortune to be the big meanie who has to tell LD it is time to grow up. I think , if he is still interested and in shape LD may want to come back for the Gold Cup or Copa America.

        Or maybe he will move on, retire from the Galaxy and move on with the rest of his life.

        Either way I wish him the best..

      • Not to be that guy, but explain to me again how a guy who had his childhood taken from him is fortunate to have been able to extend it for so long? That’s as accurate a picture into LD’s head as any.

        Part of me thinks the past two years have been as much about getting fans ready for this moment as much as LD coming to the end of this incredible run. That said, I wish we were giving Damarcus Beasely half the attention we’re giving this story.

        If you read the tea leaves right, you can see that all LD wants is for folks to leave him be and let him move on. If you look at DMB’s action for the past three years, what you see is a guy who only wants one more shot. That’s the story that deserves endless opinining.

    • Insanely tough group we are in. Not all of the moves make sense in a traditional, conservative approach but. WTF… going with the ordinary and expected and hoping to gut it out ain’t going to work. Gonna take something ballsy… audacious… unconventional… semi crazy and brash to break out. The energetic exuberance of youth is just that. Audacious. Too stupid to know you are overmatched coupled with amazing physical tools and talent can sometimes perform miracles. It’s a very American approach. The USA is a young country, seen by the rest of the world as naive and brash…. and envied the way an adult does a young kid throwing himself at the world.

      ___________________________________

      Klinsi: What? Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

      Berti: Germans?

      Tab: Forget it. He’s rolling.

      Klinsi: And it ain’t over now. ‘Cause when the goin’ gets tough . . . the tough get goin’! Who’s with me? Let’s go! C’mon! [He runs out of the room screaming but then returns.]

      Klinsi: What the phug happened to the USA I used to know? Where’s the spirit? Where’s the guts, huh?! This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re gonna let it be the worst! “Ooh, we’re afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble.” Well, JUST KISS MY ASS FROM NOW ON!!! Not me! I’m not gonna take this! Essien, he’s a dead man! Klose, DEAD! Ronaldo—

      Berti: Dead! Klinsi is right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. [Otter stands up.] We gotta take these bastards. Now, we could fight ’em with conventional weapons. That could take years and cost millions of lives. Oh no. No, in this case, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.

      Klinsi: And we’re just the guys to do it.
      [Boon and D-Day stand.]

      Tab: Let’s do it.

      Klinsi: Let’s do it!
      [Everybody cheers and starts running out of the room, with Bluto still standing there.]

      Klinsi: Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!

      _________________________________

      What the heck is more underdog American than Animal House?

      USMNT/Group of death

      “…in this case, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.
      Klinsi: And we’re just the guys to do it.”

      I say, if we’re going to go out… let’s go out bat s%$t crazy. Who knows… may be just crazy enough to work. Going to be fun!!!!!!

      Reply

Leave a Comment