He is the highest scorer in MLS history and has the most goals in the World Cup play for team USA.  He has more goals in the World cup than Messi and Ronaldo.  But, like you and me, he will be sitting on his couch watching the World Cup when it starts this week.

Landon Donovan, at the age of 32, did not make Jurgen Klinsmann’s 23 man roster.

This shocked every United States soccer fan.   Even casual soccer fans remember him as the man who saved the United States in the 90^th minute to bring them into the group stages of the last World Cup. Some say he was not in form, or he was too old. Klinsmann just believed he was not going to produce for the team.

Klinsmann just signed a 4-year deal that lets him be the coach until the next World Cup in 2018. Some believe he is building for the next Cup, by taking young footballers and giving them experience. He said to the New York Times, “For us, we have to play the game of our lives seven times to win the tournament.” Some fans believe comments such as this one suggest that he has already thrown in the towel for this World Cup, but in reality the Unites States does not have a strong squad.

On the 23 man roster, 21 percent of players are German, meaning that either their mother or father was born in Germany and the other parent was born in the US.  The German-born Klinsmann is bringing in a lot more talented players from his home country. He is getting them while they are young. For example, 18 year old Julian Green who is the upcoming face of US soccer picked playing for USA rather than powerhouse Germany.

Also Klinsmann picked the 23 man roster a week before every other team which made people think twice. He picked the roster before the “sendoff series” when they play three friendlies. People were surprised he did it so soon instead of testing different combinations. When the squad gears up for the 2014 World Cup, Clint Dempsey will be the man with the armband instead of Goal Keeper Tim Howard.

USA was drawn into what sore are calling “the group of death” and will have to face powerhouses Germany and Portugal – whose team features Ronaldo, one of the world’s best players – and Ghana, to whom the U.S. lost in the group stage in 2010.