Landon Donovan says he doesn't agree with Jurgen Klinsmann's decision to leave Clint Dempsey off of the United States squad for this week's opening World Cup qualifiers.
The U.S. face St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday in St. Louis (7 p.m., ESPN2) before traveling to Trinidad and Tobago next week, and while the competition isn't fierce, Donovan told Goal that he wouldn't take the risk of leaving a veteran player out of the squad.
"If I'm the manager, I want Clint to be part of what we're doing -- period, end of story," said Donovan, who retired shortly after Klinsmann left him out of the 2014 World Cup squad.
"Maybe if it's a friendly game that's different and you can start to look at other players but in a World Cup qualifier, there's no room for error. This round of qualifying on paper isn't as difficult as the final round of qualifying but there are only six games. If you throw away a game or two games you might not even advance to the next round.
"I didn't agree with it. I think most of the U.S. soccer community didn't agree with it. But it is what it is."
Dempsey, whose Seattle Sounders crashed out of the MLS playoffs on Sunday, told ESPN Soccer Today last week that he didn't believe the decision signalled the end of his international career.
"Clint accepted it and did a good job at least publicly of dealing with it, but I would still want him on my team," Donovan said. "If I'm a guy in that camp, I'm saying 'I want Clint on this team.'"
Donovan also had a critique of the Americans' recent lack of success under Klinsmann.
"I think there's just been a little too much mixing and matching of players and positions," he said. "Our players are definitely good enough and they know they're good enough but I think they need to be put in positions to succeed and then have some time to jell together."
Donovan, who recently trained with his former LA Galaxy teammates in preparation for an upcoming charity game, also said he was not feeling the urge to return to action.
"Not in a real way," he said. "When I watch games sometimes I think 'Gosh it would be fun to be out there.' I'm in St. Louis right now and it's enjoyable to be here at the match. It would be fun to go out on the field and play but I realize that those days are over now.
"I think I can be more impactful and helpful in other ways, but it doesn't mean that when I watch the games I don't get excited or I don't wish that I was out there playing. It took a while to get to that place too -- I didn't touch a ball for probably eight months or so but now it's been fun to have some pickup games, to train again and get back into the game."
The 33-year-old did say he was getting more interested in the prospect of coaching.
"Just in the last month I've talked a lot to my agent and my wife about starting to get the itch to coach," Donovan said. "I'm not sure what that means and at what level but I've started to get that itch. I think what it evolves from is being able to help and being able to improve the game in a way. What all of us want to do when we get out of the game is we want to have the ability to go back and make an impact and help others."