By RYAN TOLMICH
Julian Green made his mark on last summer’s World Cup with a goal in the U.S. Men’s National Team’s final game, but the young winger won’t have a chance to repeat the feat in this summer’s Gold Cup.
USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann revealed Tuesday that Green will not be a part of his Gold Cup roster. Green, who recently featured in five matches at the Toulon Tournament, will be given some extra time off after enduring a difficult club campaign.
“He needs a break now,” Klinsmann said at a press conference. “We’ll give him a break. He goes back to Bayern Munich. Bayern will sort out where his next step will be. He keeps growing, so we leave him out of the Gold Cup and we give him a break.
“That’s how we manage, basically, a lot of our players who are not there yet. We manage their time. We manage their next steps. We see, OK, it’s good to bring him in. Maybe next time, it’s better to leave him out.”
Green’s absence from the Gold Cup roster would allow him the opportunity for a full training camp on the club level, while offering the 20-year-old winger some extra rest ahead of this fall’s Olympic qualifying, of which he is likely to take part.
With Green likely to once again be loaned out by Bayern, Klinsmann hopes the youngster’s Gold Cup omission gives him the chance to rest and refocus on finding success on the club level.
“We are not disappointed,” Klinsmann said. “We see everybody’s learning curve as a natural learning curve. Julian took the risk to leave his nest in Munich and go as a 19-year-old person to another club. It was very different. He gets into the relegation battle with a very big German club and has four different coaches in one year.
“It didn’t work out the way we all hoped. He struggled. And we want him to struggle in certain moments. The youngsters have to go through those rollercoasters. They are learning.”
The Gold Cup is set to take place from July 7-26, with the USMNT kicking off against Panama in Frisco, Texas.
What do you think of Green’s omission? What do you expect of him on the club level? Who do you expect to make the final Gold Cup roster?
Share your thoughts below.
Oh the irony.
Klinsmann says Green needs a break after punishing Donovan for taking a break.
Klinsmann cost the US an historic July 4th game against Argentina because of his dumb roster moves.
So the best players in US soccer history takes a little break after 12 years of playing, gets cut to make room for the over hyped little german…SMH
it was a sad thing for sure!
I actually watched Green pretty close in this U-23 tournament in Toulon. You know, the one that the US just finished third in by beating England.
He was pretty good, most days looked like one of the 2-3 best players on the field. Morris and Jerome Kiesewetter looked good as well. Green also scored the goal that put the US ahead of Qatar for a very ugly 1-0 win…but hey, ugly wins still count, and truthfully the only really overwhelming performance the US posted was that 3-1 win against the Netherlands.
He did have a tendency to have some strong first halves and then fade out of games…he did not look “90 minutes fit” in the parlance of the day. Which again, means he just likely wasn’t getting enough PT with his club…which we happen to know was the case.
But his skill, technical ability, and speed were obvious. I’d definitely say he cemented a place on the Olympic squad and will almost certainly be in contention for a permanent roster spot with the USMNT once he gets his club situation sorted.
Does he need another year or two of growth? Yup. And probably the best place for him right now would be the B.2 or MLS. But he still looks like a potential fixture on the squad to me, and he’s not terribly far off it now. Anybody who watched him and saw “bust” needs a new set of glasses. What Klinsmann is saying is what everybody who watched him in Toulon saw…very promising, but Not Quite Ready.
Will he be ready to be a heavy contributor by Russia 2018? I think it’s very possible, based on what I saw of him in prolonged action in Toulon. The technical skill and physical ability are obviously there, especially considering I think he barely aged out of the U-20 pool by a couple of months, or he could have been featuring in New Zealand.
Anyone ever think that since he was in the germany youth program and then all of a sudden say i want to play for americans, that might have rubbed some germans the wrong way. All his coaches Labbadia , Peter Knäbel, Josef Zinnbauer, Mirko Slomka are all german maybe they kind of took it as a shot at germany. Pep is from spain so it made no differnce to him.
He was good enough for the World Cup last summer based on reserve team games in Germany but not good enough for the Gold Cup based on reserve team games in Germany. Looking even more like a backroom deal was done to get him to commit to the US in exchange for a roster spot at the WC.
FF,
Green scored an important goal in the World Cup
Besides Clint, how many goals did the other US forwards score?
Green would develop better in MLS. Period.
JK making excuses as to why this relegation battle didn’t work out and that relegation battle didn’t either, Altidore’s, The other guys wallowing, wasting their careers at teams where the games don’t matter, they have excuses too.
Get play in meaningful, competitive games in a league where winning still matters.
M
L
S
Whining,
So MLS is the only league where winning still matters?
Wait… so winning to not be relegated matters not… but when you aren’t making the playoffs by mid-season… and there is nothing to fear from being dead last… that is the time you think people care most about gutting out a win?
He is not there yet… yet he was there enough last Summer to take a spot away from the greatest field player our country has ever produced… JK is just a douchenozzle
David Odonkor.
1. Green won’t be at the Gold Cup due to current form= totally makes sense
2. He’ll be with Bayern for full training camp to figure out his future=totally makes sense
3. “he needs a break to rest”=WTF?
Klinsmann still runs into trouble trying to speak the language of American Corporate B.S.-like most Europeans do. Instead of being direct and pointing to points #1 and #2 and leaving it at that, he’s trying to provide cover for Green but doing in such transparently false fashion that he brings the heat on himself. No one needs a break from resting on the bench for 90 minutes at a time 95% of matchdays.
I do not fault him for taking Green along last summer as the price of nabbing a promising prospect in a top tier system-also younger players have done well historically in World Cups and “broken out”, while older players and teams have fallen on their faces plenty of times before. I do fault him for spitefully taking Wondo and Davis, two mediocre players who have never been superior to LD in any way shape or form, due to some personal grudge.
I wish Green the best and hope he becomes a star for club and country and if not, I hope that other young prospects emerge.
“Yes, it is true,” said Green. “I need a break — a break from the close scrutiny and sharply worded criticism from those posters at SBI. A teenager can only bear so much Internet attention. I’m just going to try to fly under the radar for a while and see what happens when World Cup qualifying starts.”
He needs a break lmao. From what? Meanwhile, JK’s “spine” is in the middle of their season and where’s their break?. Face it kid, you’re not ready and there are many others that are more ready than you are. Get in line, work on your game, go to the beach
He needs a break from the national team.
Don’t take a break Julien, it’s a trap.If you take a break, everyone will question your loyalty to the USMNT, especially after a tough club campaign (for how many months straight). And don’t even think about going to Cambodia, the jokes will never end.
Funny, but he is taking a break, not quitting soccer.
or then returning to star for the coach who INVITED him back
USMNT first opponent is Honduras, not Panama. It’s a doubleheader in Frisco, and Panama plays in the other game.
My earlier comment was mysteriously deleted. Probably made too much sense; unlike Yves.
It’s now back. You are forgiven Yves…for now.
Who is Yves?
Yves St. Laurent was a famous designer.
jaybeezwax is confused. This site is about soccer not high fashion.
Oh you guys…. *tear*
you’re forgiven in my book!
I honestly don’t think it was Green that took Landon spot. We are all assuming and I’ve always been told assumptions are dangerous. I think it was Wondo. Klins said in and out that he viewed Landon as a stricker. Soooo I think most are just assuming it was Julian that took his spot because of the shoc . It honestly could have been ANYBODY.Yedlin, Mix, Davis, Zusi. So can we stop with that. The anomisty towards him is unbelievable. What is he suppose to do? Say oh no I’m too young to go to the World Cup even though it’s every players dream. And to those that try to deminsh his goal in the world cup. Y’all are pathetic. A goal is a goal. Like dang. I’ve never seen a goal been so critique before. Are we gonna start calling goals that are deflected or somewhat mishit bad goals. People on this site make me laugh. Like I literally come on here just to see what some people have to say. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Don’t get me wrong. But some opinions are crazy…on both sides.
Regardless, we can all agree that several players less deserving than LD were chosen because JK has a personal grudge against the player.
“we can all agree that several players less deserving than LD were chosen because JK has a personal grudge against the player.”
Speak for yourself.
Nah, he is speaking for everyone. Some just choose to deny how they feel because they have big biases too.
^this
comment of the thread!
Green is a very quick player and does seem to be able to see good spots to make runs. Yet he is still not a player, I think, you want to count on to play on both sides of the ball or do do lots of the little bits of work than make a complete player. I think that is why he was used by JK as a sub, not starter in the WC. You could roll the dice and hope what he does well would work (it did) and pray that his shortcomings would not come back to bite you in a short time.
Apparently the coaches in Germany have the same sort of opinions of him, promising enough to keep around, but not quite at the level to be trusted yet.
With other players (Morris, Yedlin, Johnson, Bedoya or Feilhaber) capable of making an impact and mostly not having the down-side, Green gets to spend time learning.
wait… did you just use feilhaber as an example of someone who A) doesn’t have a down side… or B) is better than Green?
Dennis… you have just lost your mind. I award you no points, and may god have mercy on our souls.
“or B) is better than Green?”
Is there really any question that Feilhaber is better than Green?
Feilhaber is not an all-time great, but he has had some sustained quality in Europe, the MLS and with the USMNT. Green has yet to show any sustained quality at any level above the Bundesliga 4th division.
Don’t mistake potential for achievement.
….and you left a legend, and arguably the best US player, off the world cup roster, a player who’s very efforts got us to that point in the first place……for “he’s not there yet” Julian Green?
Sorry that’s the first thing that came to mind ………….AND NO I’M NOT GOING TO LET IT GO ALREADY!!!!!!! lol
Except, as has been pointed out frequently, it wasn’t Green who took Donovan’s spot, but Wondo and Davis. I think it was a terrible decision to leave Donovan home, but it’s ancient history now. You can’t rewrite the past and we will never know how it could have turned out differently, but you need to let it go. I have.
We can all let it go. We move on, and continue to cheer on the national team. I even forgive and hope Jurgen improves as a coach and when possible learns from his own mistakes. That doesn’t mean we forget the past. JK’s resume’ includes wins in the 2013 Gold Cup, making out of the 2014 World Cup group stage. He also gets saddled with disenfranchising the greatest American soccer player of all time. It is history now. Say what you want about the situation, a coaches job is to get the best performance out of his best players and he couldn’t. It’s a good resume’, but it has some holes too.
last gc was easy tho
I would let it ago except that people say things like this. It was Green, Davis, Wondo and anyone else who had no business being on that roster, who took LD’s spot.
That is a like arguing a defender who had no business being took his spot. JK took a chance on several chances on youth players on the team (Green, Yedlin, Brooks) that were always going to be there. LD is an attacking central midfielder/withdrawn striker. He was not a winger anymore. As much as I like LD, his spot was Wondo/CD/AJ. I would have brought him and Lee Nguyen. Dumped Davis and Wondo. We were cdm/cm heavy.
Gary Page,
bizzy still thinks Freddy Adu should be on the USMNT so you are wasting your time.
Got us to what point? The 2014 World Cup? Yes he scored many goals in qualification and got us a lot of wins. Oh wait, he took a sabbatical right as the Hexagonal started.
Unfortunately, this issue will never die…lol.
In hindsight, there is no question in my mind that Donovan’s exclusion from the roster was simply a personal/professional issue between Klinsmann and Donovan. There is no on the field performance justification for leaving him off. Klinsmann simply did not agree with Donovan’s training/preperation methods or his choice to mentally cleanse himself during Hex qualification. To argue that there were 21 field players ahead of Donovan at the time of selection is silly.
No one player took Donovan’s spot. Klinsmann was simply not going to take Donovan to the World Cup. He didn’t need Donovan to secure his own future. Klinsmann did not need a good result to maintain and expand his power within US Soccer. He already had his extension.
Just me thinking aloud, but I suspect that if Klinsmann’s future within US Soccer was dependent on a good result in the 2014 World Cup, the roster would have looked a bit different.
Julian Green’s deal for a WC roster spot I think had little bearing on the Donovan fiasco. Everyone else in camp was fighting for 20 spots, not 21.
insight…thanks man
People are forgetting the JK coach LD at Bayern in 2008 when he was on loan and decided not to extend his loan so maybe he sees something in him that dosent fit his style of play.
Clickbait headline designed to turn the comments into a Klinsmann bash fest. Of course it makes perfect sense for Green to figure out his club situation considering what happened over the last year. And if you think this somehow means Green isn’t in our long term plans then you’re clearly mistaken.
Besides describing him as a player who is “not there yet,” JK is unable/unwilling to say that Green is simply not good enough at this point to crack the senior team roster. I guess that’s politic for the player’s confidence — and his long-term development and usefulness to the senior team may be better served by letting him have a full training camp — but it does make you wonder how Green made the roster last summer. Did the other midfielders suddenyl get much better? Did Green regress? Was it simply a cap-tying ploy?
All good questions, even last year, he barely played the second half of the season even at Bayern II. Perhaps Klinsmann is admitting he made a mistake?
Many people, including myself, figured that was the price of getting Green to commit to the US team. That;’s why many who questioned Green’s usefulness in the WC accepted his place on the roster as the price Klinsmann had to pay. Weren’t you reading/posting here then? It was discussed often on this site.
Green made a positive contribution at the WC, making the most out of the minutes he was given. His goal and overall performance against Belgium answered the questions about the usefulness of bringing him to the WC. Brooks and Yedlin, whose inclusion was likewise questioned, also contributed on the field in a positive way. You cannot say the same for Wondo and Davis.
Alright then why not take him to the Gold Cup now?
Because he’s not a better option right now than the other forwards and it is more important to get him re established with whatever Bayern has planned for him and then get him going for the Olympics.
US fans noted what a cluster Sunderland was and how that did not help Jozy’s career a whole lot.
Do you suppose Hamburg with 4 managerial changes after Green got there and the pressure, the instability and the wacko freak show that comes with relegation worries was any less f++ked up?
+1
What do you mean, relegation fights are great for players. Klinsmann said as much in the same interview.
Not if they won’t play you in the relegation “fights”.
He was a better option than the other forwards at the World Cup than?
He scored a goal didn’t he?
True, but none of us could do anything except speculate. Just wondering if anyone had anything more concrete to report. Maybe we are still limited to speculation.
“Maybe we are still limited to speculation.”
When are we NOT limited to speculation?
“Many people, including myself, figured that was the price of getting Green to commit to the US team”
I agree with that statement.
Only time will tell if Green will develop into an international senior team level player to justify the deal.
i always surmised that his inclusion last summer was that of a young, highly touted, wild card sub- not at all an unusual move.it was LD’s omission that created the blood sport.
That is exactly what felt. It was funny that people thought to single out Green, when (in my opinion) he was always going to be the (or one of the) wildcard inclusions, and not Wondo or Davis. Frankly, Wondo took LD’s spot.
I actually like Donovan a lot, and still think he is the most offensively talented player that US has produced (I know there are a lot of Dempsey supporters, but he did more with less). However, at this time in his career, he is a withdraw striker/attacking midfielder/2nd striker and not a winger. He was competing with Dempsey, Wondo, AJ.
+1
#WuckFondo
lol jk… (sorta)
and c’mon- isn’t it a bit silly to blame the guy who was chosen by the coaches? like any player is going to say no?
LD set assist records last year as a LEFT WINGER! Come on people,
And more, he was NEVER an effective attacking midfielder in the center of the pitch. In fact, last season in that role when Arena put him out there briefly at the tip of the midfield diamond, he struggled. Only after getting placed outside on the left flank, again, did he go off
I get that is what Klinnsman sold America, and pathetically, too many of you all bought that jar of cheese
Is there really any question anymore whether there was a direct commitment for World Cup roster spot deal?
He’s “not quite there yet” for the Gold Cup roster, but was ready last year for a World Cup roster spot?
Looks like Green is going to have to earn his roster spots from here on in.
Klinsmann never misses a chance to be dishonest.
He’s not being dishonest, he’s saying that Green shouldn’t be on the roster because he still needs to develop and the kid is stressed out. He’s putting it in nice terms, there’s no need in this situation to say that he’s playing like s**t and shouldn’t be called in. And he shouldn’t be on the roster. Way to find some random way to criticize JK for no reason when he’s doing something that everyone’s been wanting him to do. Some kids just aren’t mentally ready. Let’s move on the from the WC roster decision because fans are clearly still worked up about something that happened a year ago.
If you read Klinsmann’s remarks carefully over the years, it has become apparent that he is what is called a player’s coach. He may call out the team for poor play or say that some players he doesn’t name are lacking somewhere, but he almost never publicly criticizes an individual player. There was an NFL coach named Don Coryell who had good success both there and on the collegiate level. It was said that players would run through a brick wall for him. A lot of coaching is like good managing in any organization. Most of the job is motivating your subordinates. It doesn’t matter what kind of formation you play, and sometimes not even the players you have, if they don’t want to play for the coach. A lot of posters here denigrate this aspect of coaching, saying Klinsmann is a psychologist, but really doesn’t know tactics, etc. I think player motivation is and should always be most important. I was a manager in a large organization and have had graduate work in management. A good manager provides guidance and support, teaches, and often acts as a cheerleader. A good manager does not micromanage. If you are a good manager, the organization should be able to function well even if you aren’t there, because your people have learned their roles and are able to take initiative.
Thank you! People underestimate proper management. In all my years as a consultant and in business (including MBA where I focused on management),
BTW, You must be a San Diego fan (Air Coryell)
Thank goodness. The latest product of the US Soccer hype machine, hailed as a savior before accomplishing anything. He should concentrate on actually getting on the field. Maybe he can figure out how during his “break”
Didn’t he go on loan to try and get playing time? I don’t understand your critique. He did exactly what you want him to do.
Except he clearly wants him to be a “true American”. Which gathering from his previous posts means someone who played soccer here as a youth for a minimum of 3 or 4 years. Nothing Green ever does will satisfy him.
Yes I would like our players to have lived here and have a connection to our country seeing as they are representing it. However, my critique of Green is pretty valid I think – he went on loan and flopped. He’s played a total of about 100 minutes of first-team football so why don’t we wait until he actually establishes himself before anointing him our savior. He certainly hasn’t done anything to merit a spot on the Gold Cup roster.
Do you guys remember some of the hysterical comments on the day it was announced Green would play for the US? People calling it a historic day etc. This type of hysteria regarding the next big thing in US soccer is pretty common but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.
Actually, Green did accomplish quite a few things, like getting the playing time for Bayern in the champions league, scoring in the World Cup, being praised by Pep Guardiola and being considered one of the top three talents in Bayern’s youth system. This is pretty impressive for a young player. As for the playing time with the first team, you ignore the fact that Bayern is one of the most talented teams in the world and that Robben or Ribery play his position. Bayern is not an easy squad to break into – remember Landon Donovan in his prime failed at Bayern at the time when Bayern was not nearly as talented as the current squad. And Donovan was a very good player, arguably the best all-time for the USMNT. So let’s not place unreasonable expectations on a young player. And, by the way, the latest product of the US Soccer hype machine is Jordan Morris, who is older than Green and has not played a single minute of professional soccer.
If you’ve read my posts on Morris I’m not on the hype bandwagon although I do think he’s better than Green. However, I’m not one of the posters who were on here Friday speculating that Morris was on his way to Man U. That’s the sort of hype I’m talking about.
If you think two minutes in a dead rubber Champions League game and some praise from a manager (what’s he going to say about his own youth player anyway?) is accomplishing something, then you and I have very different standards. The WC goal was a shank although he looked very good in those 15 minutes. Unfortunately, that’s only appearance with the USMNT where he’s looked good.
People keep referring to Green’s goal as a shank. Since he just recently replicated it I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Come on man, look at the replay of the goal. He made a nice run and got himself into a dangerous position but he surely did not mean to hit the ball the way he did. Even if he had unleashed a thunderous volley and scored, it wouldn’t change what I’ve said though.
The kid was the leading scorer on the Bayern reserve squad and one of the leading scorers in all of reserve league at 17/18. He went to a bad situation. I’m saying the kid is Pele, but he does have some accomplishments under his belt.
You know who was Bayern II’s leading scorer 6-7 years ago – Saer Sene. A true legend.
Actually if you look at the list of their top scorers, most of them are stiffs (other than Thomas Mueller of course).
slowleftarm,
Saer Sene?
From 2009-2012 he scored 19 goals for Bayern II in 55 games.
Then he went to the NE Revs and scored 17 goals in 59 games for them. Unfortunately he blew out his knee.
He then moved on to NYRB but apparently was never the same.
That Saer Sene?
Anyone who tries to diminish Green’s WC goal implying that it was a “shank” so that he just got lucky… makes me everything you say. It means you’ve probably never played soccer at a high skill level or possess any skill. Or you are so insanely biased against Green that you are reaching for anything to criticize.
come on man
I doubt anyone is holding not playing regularly for Bayern against Green. But what about bottom of the table Hamburg? Surely a player who has the credentials of Green’s could have at least seen the field. He didn’t even make the bench numerous times. In that case why should Green make the Gold Cup squad over more deserving players.
“He needs a break now,” Klinsmann said at a press conference. “We’ll give him a break. He goes back to Bayern Munich. Bayern will sort out where his next step will be. He keeps growing, so we leave him out of the Gold Cup and we give him a break.”
A break from what? sitting down?
A break from undeserved senior team call-ups.
I’m glad to hear this. A dose of humility might get Green to a place where he can thrive….or maybe he’ll be riding the pine in Finland in five years…who knows?
yes! this!
a break from the U.S. hype machine, and a chance to be part of Bayern’s preseason.
“That’s how we manage, basically, a lot of our players who are not there yet. We manage their time. We manage their next steps.”
I think he “needs a break” because until he gets his club situation right he’s running in place. Maybe leaving him there sends the message something needs to change and gives him plenty of time to make it happen. Either he gets worthy of BM and US or goes to some other team that can help. One hopes.
I was becoming convinced that his deal included not only the World Cup but the Gold Cup as well.
Sarcasm aside, I hope that this is a positive step for Julian Green. The realization that Green is not yet an international level player will allow Green to develop at a level that matches his form. No longer burdened with the pressure of being given a World Cup roster spot and/or auto call ups will hopefully allow Green to develop out of the spotlight with other like USMNT prospects.
+1
Go Julian!
You think he sits through training every day? Just cause he doesn’t play in games doesn’t mean he doesn’t train.