USMNT betting on youth

A United States Man's National team side that drew a hard group paired with Germany, Portugal and Ghana will not bring baggage with them to Brazil, only Damarcus Beasley remains from the group that nearly beat Germany in Korea 2002, the USA leading scorer in World Cups Landon Donovan will watch the games from home.

Donovan, one of the anchors of the U.S. national soccer team for the past decade, was cut by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who reduced his 30-man squad to the mandatory 23. For pro soccer players looking to book a spot at the World Cup, the last cut is the cruelest. Joining Donovan on the sidelines were two other 2010 teammates, Maurice Edu and Clarence Goodson. Brad Evans, Michael Parkhurst, Joe Corona and Terrence Boyd were also told they won’t be making the trip.

Some of the selected players make the average American fan wonder how Donovan was left off the team, Among those are Aron Johannsson, a 23-year-old, American-born, Iceland-raised forward who plays in Holland and has impressed Klinsmann with his ability to make an impact on a game. He also selected 31-year-old Chris Wondolowski of the MLS San Jose Earthquakes. A few minutes watching Wondo play and you’d think he might be a good addition to your weekend pub team; what he lacks in style he makes up for in his penchant for scoring goals, which is not a bad thing in a World Cup.

No matter what the result in Brazil, the USMNT has made a generational change that will serve it for the future and to feed the budding career of many would be soccer writters and prognosticators.