Why Chris Wondolowski Should Be Axed for USMNT Following Loss to Ireland

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: November 19, 2014

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Match sheets are usually too limited by their silence to tell the whole story of a moment, but Tuesday night's recitation of Republic of Ireland 4-1 United States contained one fairly telling piece of information.

Bobby Wood came on for Chris Wondolowski after 45 minutes, even after Wondolowski had assisted on Mix Diskerud's goal in the 39th minute. It may not have been Wondolowski's last action as a USMNT player, but if it was, he could have done worse.

Granted, Wondolowski was removed from the match because, like Diskerud, he had done precious little in the first 38 minutes of the match. Wondolowski was losing possession in the midfield too cheaply. The greater sin for Wondolowski was going 45 minutes without taking a shot, much less putting one on goal.

So Wondolowski, 31, came off for Wood, 22. The next World Cup for Jurgen Klinsmann's side is still almost four full years away. The mathematics and the realities of age and time compelled this substitution, on Tuesday against Ireland and on a going-forward basis, too.

Somewhat ironically, it was numbers and timing that put Wondolowski on the Americans' 2014 World Cup side in the first place.

Numbers, because without his 2012 27-goal outburst for San Jose in Major League Soccer, his international profile would almost certainly have remained nearly non-existent.

Timing, because without Landon Donovan's inexplicable refusal to try seriously for a place on the Americans' World Cup team this past summer, Wondolowski may not have ever made it to Brazil.

"In (Donovan's) place are young playmaker Aron Johannsson, 23, and MLS veteran Chris Wondolowski, 31," trumpeted ESPN.com when Klinsmann's 23-man roster was announced. "Wondolowski was a hero of the U.S. triumph in last summer's Gold Cup, with five goals in the first two games." 

Being the man who replaced Donovan on the 2014 American World Cup squad might have made Wondolowski l...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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