Good luck to our recently named (and controversial) 23 man World Cup squad
- Updated: May 25, 2014
Yes, there was lots of upset, speculation and brouhaha on the exclusion of Landon Donovan from our U.S. World Cup squad. Personally, I would have included him and excluded Jozy Altidore, but I’m not in charge. I’m glad I missed Grant Wahl’s annoying, twanging criticism against Klinsmann, because I’m sure he made one. I could do without Wahl’s inclusion in the field of ‘experts’. If we think we can’t possibly have a chance without this one player, then we’re doomed before we start. Which, given the Group of Death, seems like a no-brainer anyway.
It’s a new day in American soccer. Kind of like the changing of the guard when we no longer had Brad Friedel in goal, Brian McBride up top, or Eddie Pope keeping us out of trouble in the back. We were sad when these guys moved on..but others were given their chance to shine. Donovan has had his say in the press and it can’t have been easy to be so close and then be dropped. I hope that’s the last of it and Donovan will do what he says and back up the squad, and deflect any continued discussion on the subject of his exclusion. It’s time to move on.
Remember? We’re in the Group of Death. We play against our nemesis Ghana and powerhouses Portugal and Germany. Our road is already a tough one and we need to support the players we have, and not dwell on the exclusion of one guy. Yes Donovan had fantastic days of glory, amazing finishes…and who knows…if injury or a future occasion call on him, he may still add to his persona as the greatest American soccer player. But not now. It’s time to move on.
A HUGE congratulations to Chris Wondolowski who has continued to work hard, play hard and was finally rewarded for it by making the World Cup squad. It’s a testament to his love of the game, his pursuit of a dream, and the American ‘never say die’ attitude. If you want to learn more about Wondo, there’s a great article Elliott Almond of the San Jose Mercury News at: http://www.mercurynews.com/earthquakes/ci_25823246/wondo-ful-life-chris-wondolowski-usmts-little-engine. As San Jose Earthquakes supporters, we are ver
y happy for him and wish him and his fellow U.S. teammates all the best.
The US 2014 World Cup Squad:
Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nürnberg), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)
Midfielders (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
 23 man World Cup squad){kind=link}
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