On Wednesday evening, Jürgen Klinsmann confirmed his preliminary 35-man squad for next month’s Gold Cup tournament.

Among the surprise inclusions, there were some notable omissions. Benny Feilhaber of Sporting Kansas City currently leads Major League Soccer in assists – but could not engineer his name on to Klinsmann’s list. “I don’t expect to get called in, unfortunately,” Feilhaber said last week. “It would be big surprise for me. I would take [a call-up] by the horns and prove it to Jürgen and myself that I belong with that group.”

He will not get that opportunity to grab the bull by the horns, the latest instance of the 30-year-old being overlooked by Klinsmann. Making his senior national team debut in 2007, Feilhaber was a regular member of the squad. Of his 41 caps, 38 were gained in the four years preceding Klinsmann’s arrival.

It leads to an obvious question: just why is Feilhaber is being omitted? “I actually wish someone in the media would ask him that question to see if he has an answer. It would help me out,” Feilhaber said with a laugh and a tone that suggest he was only half joking.

“You think about it and you kind of wonder [why you’re not there]. It’s only human,” he went onto say. “You think what is missing for you to get that opportunity. In the last two, three years, I’ve spoken to Jürgen and he’s told me things I’ve needed to improve on and I’ve taken it very seriously.”

Feilhaber has not been completely absent from the USA picture. “I think I’ve been in three camps since he’s been coach, and at each camp he’s spoken to me, telling me the things he has liked or hasn’t liked,” he explained.

“I can honestly say everything he’s told me [to improve on] is something I can check off the list as something I have improved on. Whether it be my fitness, my leadership, my working for the team, being selfless for the team, being a 90-minute player that isn’t turning on and off through the game.”

Having had time to reflect, where he may once have been frustrated Feilhaber now attempts to take a more holistic view: “Unfortunately, it’s not only about the way you’re playing,” he said. “It’s about what you’ve done in the past. Do you fit the system? Does the coach rate as you a player?There are so many factors.”

I would take [a call-up] by the horns and prove it to Jürgen and myself that I belong with that group Benny Feilhaber

Few can contest the case for the 30-year-old’s inclusion in the preliminary squad, if not the final 23. Blessed with experience in Europe and at international level, he also brings positional versatility, which at times can make it hard to nail down one position. Having played as a No 6, a No 8, a No 10 and out wide during his career, Feilhaber says he plays best as an ‘eight and a half’, a remark he makes while laughing.

The statistics would suggest that USA thrive with his inclusion. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, in his 165 minutes on the field, USA netted four goals and gave up just one. During the other 225, the Americans scored one and conceded four.

Benny Feilhaber, bottom middle, with his teammates in the 2010 World Cup. Photograph: Kim Ludbrook/EPA

Yet in among our discourse over his national team chances, Feilhaber admits he has ‘disconnected’ somewhat. Absent from the playerlist in US Soccer’s latest media guide, it seems sensible for him to distance himself and avoid disappointment. “I think it’s detrimental at some point, where you focus on it too much and it brings you down a bit,” he said. “Some people can use it to their advantage; for me, I’ve typically not been like that as a person.”

That’s because at the heart of it, Feilhaber is a soccer fan. He admits to watching every USA game, and, being born in Brazil, was exposed to soccer at an early age. “The first game I ever want to was Botafogo against Flamengo at the Maracanã,” he said. “I was about four, and you weren’t allowed to take in kids under six, so my dad snuck me in and my mom didn’t know about it and found out later. She was pissed! It’s probably not as bad now, but there were no seats, only bleachers, and there would be fights between fans. I don’t even know how he snuck me in I think he might have just lied about my age.”

From then on he was hooked. He left Brazil aged six, but it seems some facets of the culture remained. In soccer, players can often be characterised in one of two ways: piano players or piano carriers. Feilhaber identifies more with the former. “I’d love to be thought of in that way [as a piano player] – that’s how I describe myself. If I ever learned how to play any instrument it would be the piano,” he said, laughing once more.

His jovial nature and spirit sprang up throughout our conversation. He believes being happy has been intrinsic to his success with Sporting Kansas City. “I’m usually playing better when I’m having fun, and I’m excited.”

As for his future with the national team, Feilhaber is optimistic, if not expectant. “History should teach you a couple of things, and in the past three or four years Ive had extremely limited opportunities with the national team. It’s hard to see that changing now, and if it hasn’t happened it probably isn’t going to.”

A player that once lit up the Gold Cup with a goal described by Sports Illustrated as one of the 10 most influential in US Soccer history, it is unfortunate that he will not get a chance to build on that legacy this summer. While a call-up for Feilhaber may be too much of an extension for Klinsmann, an explanation at least seems nothing but fair.