He and Donovan have had their issues, most notably last year when Klinsmann did not hide his disapproval of Donovan\u2019s four-month sabbatical from soccer. Donovan worked his way back, but it had been clear for a while that Klinsmann believed Donovan\u2019s form had declined.<\/p>\n
Yet many other coaches would have kept Donovan based on his past, bowing to the tendency to trust in the familiar when situations are uncertain. Athletes often feel that way, too; Donovan\u2019s teammates, including Tim Howard and Michael Bradley, said as recently as this week that they believed he was critical to the team\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
Klinsmann was not interested. He did not discuss his roster decisions with any of the team\u2019s veteran leaders \u201d\u201d \u201cOur picture is different than what a player has of his teammate,\u201d\u009d he said \u201d\u201d and acted swiftly and decisively.<\/p>\n