Not Doug Logan over at Logan’s Revenge had the same thought I had, wondering whether Bruce Arena’s concern with team chemistry might jeopardize Clint Dempsey’s status with the team. Over at the World Cup Blog, however, the sentiment seems to be that Arena has made his point and Dempsey should be called up now in light of Landon Donovan’s injury.
I would tend to disagree though. If The Bruce is serious about team chemistry and finding the right mix of players, as opposed to selecting the most talented 23 , I don’t think he calls up a guy that he intentionally passed over only days before simply because our midfield looks weak for a meaningless friendly against Germany. It will be a good opportunity to experiment and practice worst case scenarios.
Do you think there’s a chance that, in the interests of team chemistry, Arena will leave Dempsey out of the next trip to Germany? I’m not so sure Mr. Dempsey is World Cup bound anymore.
I do agree that Dempsey’s trip to Germany is jeopardy. I think it does depends somewhat on the details of the incident, but it does not look good for him.