USA national team manager Juergen Klinsmann admits Landon Donovan still has some work to do in order to convince the coaching staff if he is capable of being a starter at Brazil 2014.
The LA Galaxy star, who is the all-time leading scorer for the US, has been working his way back into national team calculations over the past 12 months after taking a self-imposed hiatus at the end of 2012.
Despite being the most-capped and highest-scoring player in the 30-man preliminary squad for the World Cup, 32-year old Donovan is no guarantee to be starting in the group games against Germany, Portugal and Ghana unless he shows Klinsmann and his assistants that he is at the top of his game.
"I was always straightforward with him," Klinsmann told reporters of Donovan.
"There's no doubt what he did for U.S. Soccer, for the clubs, mainly the Galaxy, or before that with San Jose, or what he did in his personal career for the National Team is undoubtedly amazing.
"You give him every compliment, and he deserves every compliment for that.
"Since he took his break, I simply told him, 'If you take a break like that, then you have to fight your way back into the picture and you have to confirm it week -in, week-out with performances for your club team and you have to confirm it also with performances for the National Team environment once you get back.'
"For me this is very, very normal, and again, with all the appreciation, with all the admiration for what he's done throughout his career, which is extraordinary and deserves the compliments that he gets, but soccer is about what happens today and what you do today, and what you hopefully do tomorrow."
