USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann defended his decision to keep all-time American top scorer.Landon Donovan out of his FIFA World Cup squad, saying the 32-year-old striker simply was not good enough.
"The other strikers we see that inch ahead of him," Klinsmann said. "We feel those guys are a little step ahead of Landon in certain areas. That's why we made that decision."
Former German star international and coach Klinsmann noted how Donovan's game has evolved as he has grown older with fewer one-on-one attacks and charges into the penalty area.
He reflected how players gain experience as they get older but "maybe physically they lose a little bit of an edge".
"He has done an amazing job the last ten days he was here," Klinsmann said. "He has done everything right. It has been not easy. These are very close decisions. It's not a decision against a player, in this case Landon. It's a decision for another player. We coaches had the feeling over the last few days. We had an inkling a little bit. We sensed it was the right time now."
Klinsmann, whose USA team opens in Brazil against Ghana on June 16, cut his squad from 30 in training camp to the final 23-man lineup due to FIFA next month, saying he and his staff felt the timing was right and the selections were clear.
"It's a difficult situation for all of the players coming into a camp. It hangs like a cloud over the group for eight, nine, ten days. If you wait it gets even heavier," he said. "It's a huge boost for everybody in the 23. We can start preparing for the details going into the match with Ghana."
