US National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann said the omission of Landon Donovan from the 23-man World Cup roster was a technical decision, adding that other players are better than Donovan at this point of the 32-year-old's career.
Calling the exclusion of Donovan the toughest decision of his coaching career, Klinsmann argued that the the players chosen over Landon were better than the latter in certain aspects. He refused to name the areas where the selected players held advantages over Landon. He added, via US Soccer.com: "Where maybe he has a little bit of a weakness, another guy has more strengths, and where the other guy has more weaknesses, Landon has his strengths. It is a very tight race for those spots, and at this moment, we feel like the other players, without naming any of those guys, are a tiny bit ahead of him. That's why we made that decision, which is obviously and understandably the biggest topic out here."
Klinsmann also scoffed at insinuations that his extended contract affected his decision, saying that the final roster is based on what would happen in the next seven to eight weeks. "It has nothing to do with my contract or with the perspective that those players have for the longer run. It is our strong feeling that these guys are ready for the World Cup, coming in anytime and doing well."
Still, he expressed admiration for Donovan's professionalism saying: "He assured me that he is at our disposal 24/7. If a call comes, he is ready to go. He expressed his disappointment, but in a very professional way. I admire that a lot."
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