Landon Donovan accepts whatever role Klinsmann assigns

During the previous three World Cups, no player has meant more to the U.S. team than Landon Donovan, the team's all-time leading goal scorer and assists leader. However, when the team heads to Brazil in June, expect his role to be far different.

In what is expected to be the final World Cup for the 32-year-old, Donovan could be a bench player instead of a star. Whether such a delegation is merited or not, remains to be seen. But it is rooted in a choice he made, and a coach not about to give him a pass based on pedigree.

In Wednesday night's 2-2 draw with Mexico, Donovan entered the game in the 59th minute, to lusty boos from Mexican fans. For a decade, Donovan has been the player El Tri fans love to hate, a role he's mostly relished.

Though he's been central to this rivalry, and though this could have been his last game against Mexico, Donovan didn't display any signs of anger or a bruised ego. He's already accepted whatever role he'll play in the coming months. The next U.S exhibition is May 27 against Azerbaijan in San Francisco.

"I'm fine with whatever," he said. "I like being part of the team. On a certain day if Jurgen wants me to start and play many minutes, that's great. If on other days he sees other options and wants to take advantage of that, I'm happy to come off the bench. I'm at a different phase in my career so I can handle that."

So what does he have to do to convince coach Jurgen Klinsmann he's a starter? "I am who I am. I play the way I play. I think my teammates vouch for who I am and what I do and how I help the team. I'm going to do my job, that's what I can control, everything else, I just have to go with the flow and let people do what they do."

Klinsmann said he chose not to start Donovan because the veteran midfielder had not performed well in training in the days leading up to the match.

"He had no tempo in his training sessions, he had no kind of higher pace, higher rhythm, he didn't take people on," Klinsmann said.

He met with Donovan and they reviewed his performance. "I told him based on what I saw the last three days, 'I can't leave Wondo out there because Wondo deserves (it) after two goals against South Korea (in January). He's working so hard," Klinsmann said about Chris Wondolowski, who scored the team's second goal against Mexico.

Donovan didn't disagree. He said tendinitis had limited his movement. "I was compensating and not myself so I stayed off it a bit the last two days. I took it easy the last two days; it probably didn't help my cause to start the game," Donovan said.

If he had gone all out in training the day prior to the game, he probably wouldn't been healthy enough to play Wednesday night, Donovan said.

Last year, after losing his passion for the game that has consumed his life, Donovan took a three-month sabbatical from the national team. As the team went on to put itself is solid position to qualify for the World Cup without him, Klinsmann moved on. Donovan was welcomed back into the fold during last summer's Gold Cup, but still remains a bit on the outside.

When Klinsmann talks about the core of the team, the spine, he mentions Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Tim Howard, Jermaine Jones, but not Donovan.

Just to be clear, Donovan was asked one last time if he's fine coming off the bench. "Sure, I like doing that. It's a role I've had to learn over the years because it's definitely a different mindset. You don't have 20, 30, 40 minutes to get into the game and get yourself going. You have to make an impact right away, but it's enjoyable and I want to do what I can to help the team," he said.