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By IVES GALARCEP
When the USMNT roster for January’s training camp was announced on Sunday, Landon Donovan’s name wasn’t on the list. That wasn’t really all that much of a surprise, but Jurgen Klinsmann’s comments about his absence provided some insight into where things stand now.
“Landon has not been invited because obviously he is taking his break,” Klinsmann said on Fox Soccer’s Goals on Sunday. “He’s thinking about his future. We stayed in touch after the MLS Cup Final and he’s not at a point yet where he knows what he wants to do.
“It’s simple as that. That’s why we didn’t invite Landon,” Klinsmann said. “We are as curious as anybody else what his decision will be in the future time, but right now he is not part of our camp.”
Donovan made no secret of his desire to take a long break after the 2012 MLS season, so it never seemed like a realistic possibility that he would be a part of the USMNT plan in early 2013. If Donovan does, in fact, skip the January camp it would make it highly unlikely that he would take part in the February 5th World Cup qualifier against Honduras.
The real word on Donovan’s plans will come later this month, when the LA Galaxy report for pre-season training camp. If Donovan doesn’t join the Galaxy, we can begin the serious conversation about the possibility of him walking away from the game. As things stand, Donovan is just a month away from having finished the last season. Not much time for a player who clearly had some soul-searching to do.