Jurgen Klinsmann has provided a couple of surprises after he has announced his preliminary squad for the World Cup 2014. The US national team manager has left out a couple of names like Eddie Johnson, who were expected to be part of the squad. Johnson will now miss out on the World Cup like he did in the 2010 edition. He came to prominence during the 2006 World Cup when he was just a 22-year-old. Many expected him to become the face of the US football for the next decade, but it looks like he will have to settle with just one World Cup experience.

Klinsmann has left the DC United midfielder, who has scored no goals in the 8 appearances he has made this season. However, his form has been a major reason behind DC United moving up the table in the last few months. The omission is surprising considering that Klinsmann praised several aspects of the midfielder like athleticism only after the friendly matches against Panama and Mexico. The move from Seattle Sounders, though, appears to have gone against him in terms of World Cup qualification. Johnson is believed to be the fifth the choice midfielder behind the likes of Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley.

“The way I want to build the puzzle for the 23-man roster, I see those players competing ahead of the curve. But I always recognize Eddie’s value and strengths overall. Not only by scoring very important goals and getting us to Brazil, but he’s a player who can make a difference within a second of being on the field. It was a very difficult decision based on what he’s done with me the whole time, and now not getting that chance at the last moment, it’s a tough one on him,” said Klinsmann.

England have been dealt a major blow with the news that Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez will not be fit for the World Cup 2014 after suffering a serious injury, which will see him remain on the sidelines for at least the next six months.

The 24-year-old has been spoken of as a potential contender for the World Cup squad, which will be announced by manager Roy Hodgson shortly. He has done exceedingly well in the friendly matches that he has taken part over the last few months, while he has been an integral part of the Southampton team that has been doing exceedingly well under Mauricio Pochettino.

Rodriguez has already scored 17 goals for Southampton and he was recently handed his debut against Chile, which ended in a win for England. This latest injury news is not good for Hodgson, who is already struggling without a number of key players. The likes of Theo Walcott will not be available for the World Cup while some candidates are seriously out of form right now. England need all the best players available in order to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the tournament.

This is primarily because they have a tough group in which they will be coming against Italy and Uruguay.

“Southampton Football Club can confirm that, following his injury on Saturday against Manchester City, Jay Rodriguez has been diagnosed as having suffered a rupture to his anterior cruciate ligament. This will keep him out of action for six months and regrettably means he will not be fit for selection by the English national team at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil,” read a statement on Southampton’s official website.

Southampton director Les Reed claimed that the player was extremely disappointed with this news, but he is looking to get back as soon as possible.