Donovan surprised by U.S. World Cup team snub

CARSON, Calif. - Landon Donovan is surprised and disappointed by U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann's decision to drop him from the World Cup roster.

“I’m not angry. I’m disappointed,” Donovan said. “I’ve spent most of my adult life, and the majority of my life in general, dedicating myself to this sport and my country, and representing my country. And so I was really looking forward to the opportunity to play in another World Cup and to help this team. Having been in camp for ten days, I really thought I was going to contribute in a real big way – probably bigger than I had expected going in.

Donovan also disagrees with Klinsmann's assertion that other American players were a step ahead of the 32-year-old attacker. In fact, Donovan thought a strong performance in U.S. training camp had earned him a chance to play a significant role for the Americans in Brazil, perhaps even as a starter.

“I don’t agree with that assessment. I think I was as least as good as everybody else in camp,” Donovan said. “I think you guys that know me well, know that I’m pretty honest when it comes to my assessment. When I don’t play well, I say ‘I didn’t play well.’ When I say I played well, I think I played well. I think I trained and played very well in camp."

Klinsmann's decision was still sinking in when a saddened Donovan returned to work with the LA Galaxy on Saturday instead of preparing for his fourth World Cup.

While Donovan says he would gladly return to the team if an injury created a spot on the 23-man roster, he's urging fans to support the current squad.

With files from Mark Edward Hornish