It's not a pretty thought: What would the U.S. national team do without Landon Donovan and Tim Howard? Against either Honduras on Saturday or Ecuador on Tuesday, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann may well give Uncle Sam's Army a glimpse at a future that every right-minded American soccer fan has no desire to see anytime soon.
Landon Donovan is the most talented player ever to pull on the U.S. national team jersey. But for once, the Los Angeles Galaxy star is not able to answer the call of duty for the upcoming international break due to injury. The "Donovan Dilemma" has been an intriguing puzzle for national team head coaches from Bruce Arena to Klinsmann. The challenge has always been how best to effectively utilize Donovan's prodigious talents. And every different option has spawned a mountain of opinion and criticism. And now Klinsmann, at least for a couple of games, will have to field a team without him.
For all the condemnation heaped on Donovan for staying in MLS and allegedly shying away from the tough challenge of developing his game in Europe's school of hard knocks (a la Claudio Reyna, Clint Dempsey and yes, Giuseppe Rossi), the California native has made a huge impression at two World Cups (2002 and 2010), broken all U.S. national team scoring records and been a major force in expanding the MLS footprint.
At 29, Donovan also seems to be at a professional crossroads. He's in the prime of his career and has already "been there and done that" in MLS and got the endorsement T-shirts (although Hope Solo seems to be taking over as the face of American soccer post-Women's World Cup). If the Galaxy, as they're favored to, win the 2011 MLS Cup, Donovan should be tempted to take another shot at Europe. His short loan stint at Everton a couple of years ago gave a tantalizing look at what might have been for Donovan among the big dogs. While Tottenham Hotspur is reportedly interested in bringing Donovan's creaky teammate David Beckham back to Blighty in the January transfer window, Harry Redknapp would be better served signing an American original.
There's nothing original about outstanding American goalkeepers; there is a long timeline of them with Howard being the current, magnificent standard bearer. At 32, three years older than Donovan, Howard has already suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous EPL fortune and overcome them to be a Premiership star. While the Garden State guardian of the goal can still be vulnerable from long range, he's unquestionably one of the best shot-stoppers in the game. And he's a strong leader and an inspirational presence on the field and in the locker room. But there is a lot of concern about his backups. DC United 20-year-old keeper Bill Hamid is being touted as Howard's long-term successor, and Klinsmann may give him an opportunity to enhance that claim against Honduras. Real Salt Lake's Nick Rimando is the other keeper in Klinsmann's 22-man squad this week and while he's a very capable MLS player, the international level may be a stretch.
And that's the big issue for Klinsmann when it comes to his best two players: Who can step into their boots? As every England fan (and U.S. fan) can tell you -- there is nothing more important in soccer than a solid goalkeeper. Robert Green has not been the same player since spilling Clint Dempsey's shot into his Rustenburg net and gaining World Cup infamy. Howard covered himself in glory in the same game. But while goalkeepers often save games, it is goal scorers that win them. Cue Donovan's goal for the ages against Algeria at the 2010 World Cup.
Edson Buddle replaces the injured Donovan in Klinsmann's squad, which says everything about the U.S. national team's depth problem. Granted, Buddle has scored a few goals of late in Bundesliga 2, but he's just not going to score a bundle of goals at the international level. Brek Shea might, though. The FC Dallas striker has flourished during Klinsmann's brief reign and he can stake his claim to be the next Donovan over the next few days. Every U.S. fan will hope that he does.
While the U.S. plays a pair of friendly games over the next week, other CONCACAF teams will be playing World Cup qualifying games. And pretty soon the U.S. will be back on the World Cup trail as well. Donovan and Howard have shown they have the right stuff when it comes to soaring at soccer's highest altitude. Klinsmann will want them to keep on track for the 2014 Brazil World Cup tilt, but this week the coach will be looking for more than his first U.S. national team win, he'll be hoping some other players show they are ready for the big time and that they can compete for Donovan and Howard's numbers.