The head of Major League Soccer, Mr. Don Garber, is very upset with the things said by the USA national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann in the press of late.
In one of his press conferences recently, Klinsmann had said that the American footballers should continue playing for the European clubs rather than making their way towards their homeland to play in MLS.
According to Klinsmann, playing in MLS is not helping the players at all in terms of form and fitness and he, as a manager, is also finding it difficult to put together a high quality team.
Garber seemed to be absolutely furious with Klinsmann. He reckons that by making all these statements, the national boss has not only damaged the reputation of the league in America, but, has also sent a negative signal to the players.
Speaking to a television channel correspondent last evening, Garber said, “I just don’t agree to what he has said. We have all seen that the game standard in MLS over the recent times has been pretty high and if a player is a part of this league, it doesn’t mean his form would get affected in an adverse way. It’s completely wrong to say that.”
“As chief, it’s my responsibility not to let the reputation of the league fall down at any cost. I would condemn any unfair statement made against MLS, no matter who has made that statement.”
“Jurgen has to learn what to say and what not to say when being in public. This kind of situation is not good for anybody, be it the league organizers or the national federation.”
Klinsmann has been the USA manager for the last 3 years. The Yanks have played more than 50 games under him.

Swedish defender Olof Mellberg recently announced his retirement from football after a career spanning more than a decade of top-level football. Since making his debut in 1996 with Degerfors IF, Mellberg had gone on to represent the likes of Aston Villa, Juventus, and Villarreal. After one year spell at Copenhagen, he has decided to hang up his boots. The 36-year-old retired from Swedish international duty in 2012 after 12 years of service. During this period, he made 117 appearances for the national team.
Paris St Germain superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic says that Mellberg is the greatest defender to come from Sweden. Ibrahimovic is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. Mellberg will be extremely delighted to hear of such a glowing praise from Ibrahimovic. The Sweden national team has a number of ageing players and the retirement of Mellberg once again things this into concern. Ibrahimovic recently stated that he was extremely worried about the future of the national team considering that a number of their important players are above the age of 30.
Ibrahimovic himself is at the latter end of his career at 32 years of age. The former Juventus striker has 98 appearances for the Swedish National team and he is close to reaching the tally set by Mellberg.
“The day Olof Mellberg decided to quit the national team it was a great loss to Swedish football and the team. But to me personally it was an even greater loss. When I had him on the team I never had to look back because I knew he was behind me and I could concentrate on what was going on up ahead. Olof was the person that trigged and challenged me. This drove me to want to do more on the pitch,” said Ibrahimovic about the former Aston Villa man.

The United States go to the World Cup 2014 after having done extremely well in the recent major tournaments. Hence, expectations of US at the World Cup 2014 are higher than what they were a few years ago. Despite this, manager Jurgen Klinsmann has suggested that the US will not be able to lift the World Cup title in the Brazil edition. Currently, bookmakers do not have much close odds on the US winning the title. After having dropped star players like Landon Donovan, Klinsmann is adopting a new approach for the national team.

This also includes a new 4-4-2 formation with a diamond in the middle. Due to such aspects, Brazil will be tough for the national team according to Klinsmann. He has also recalled that the group stage draw is not exactly kind to them, as they will face former world champions Germany along with heavyweights like Portugal and Ghana. The US reached the last 16 at the World Cup 2010. An achievement of this result would be considered as a success by Klinsmann, although deep down, he would be wanting to reach the latter stages of the competition.

United States also did extremely well at the recent Confederations Cup 2013. They also have players in a much better physical condition than those European counterparts. “We cannot win this World Cup, because we are not at that level yet. For us, we have to play the game of our lives seven times to win the tournament,” said the former German national team manager. He surprised everyone by leaving out LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan, who has been part of the last three world cups. His experience could have been vital, but it seems that Klinsmann is now looking at younger players and is working towards the future of the team.

Jurgen Klinsmann has provided a couple of surprises after he has announced his preliminary squad for the World Cup 2014. The US national team manager has left out a couple of names like Eddie Johnson, who were expected to be part of the squad. Johnson will now miss out on the World Cup like he did in the 2010 edition. He came to prominence during the 2006 World Cup when he was just a 22-year-old. Many expected him to become the face of the US football for the next decade, but it looks like he will have to settle with just one World Cup experience.

Klinsmann has left the DC United midfielder, who has scored no goals in the 8 appearances he has made this season. However, his form has been a major reason behind DC United moving up the table in the last few months. The omission is surprising considering that Klinsmann praised several aspects of the midfielder like athleticism only after the friendly matches against Panama and Mexico. The move from Seattle Sounders, though, appears to have gone against him in terms of World Cup qualification. Johnson is believed to be the fifth the choice midfielder behind the likes of Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley.

“The way I want to build the puzzle for the 23-man roster, I see those players competing ahead of the curve. But I always recognize Eddie’s value and strengths overall. Not only by scoring very important goals and getting us to Brazil, but he’s a player who can make a difference within a second of being on the field. It was a very difficult decision based on what he’s done with me the whole time, and now not getting that chance at the last moment, it’s a tough one on him,” said Klinsmann.