U.S. men’s soccer coach Juergen Klinsmann has taken some heat for leaving Landon Donovan, the team’s all-time leading scorer, off the team’s World Cup roster. In an interview with the New York Times, Klinsmann tried to explain his reasoning by saying that he simply wasn’t going to play someone based on their past achievements. He said that’s a very American thing to do and used Kobe Bryant as an example.

“This always happens in America. Kobe Bryant, for example — why does he get a two-year contract extension for $50 million? Because of what he is going to do in the next two years for the Lakers? Of course not. Of course not. He gets it because of what he has done before. It makes no sense. Why do you pay for what has already happened?”

Former Post columnist Michael Wilbon did not like the German coach’s reasoning, or the fact that he said that his team has no shot at winning the World Cup. Not at all. He made that clear Thursday on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.”

“I’ve known Kobe Bryant,” Wilbon said. “And you, Mr. Klinsmann, are no damn Kobe Bryant. I mean seriously, Mr. Klinsmann now wants to tell all of American sports how to work. Get the hell out. Get out of America. If everything here — you want to coach this team fine. You haven’t won anything. You’re so gutless you went out and said ‘oh, our team can’t win, we can’t win.’ You’re supposed to be such a great coach, why are they paying you? They’re apparently paying you for something you did not only yesterday, but somewhere else about 4,000 miles away. I repeat: Get the hell out. When did Klinsmann become an expert on American sports?”

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Jurgen Klinsmann knocks Kobe Bryant to explain why he left Landon Donovan off the team

Ronaldo is nursing thigh and knee injuries

From qualification rounds to the final: How the World Cup works

[H/T: For the Win]