Donovan chooses to skip Bafana match

Landon Donovan, one of the outstanding players in South Africa during the World Cup this year, has been allowed to put club before country.

The LA Galaxy captain will miss the US friendly against Bafana for the Nelson Mandela Challenge at Cape Town stadium on Wednesday because his club is involved in a Major Soccer League play-off against FC Dallas on Sunday. If Galaxy win, they will play the final in Toronto against either San Jose or Colorado.

Donovan, the all-time leading goalscorer for the US, is just one of several senior players who have not been selected by coach Bob Bradley because of the MLS play-offs.

Bradley told The Times he was bringing a younger team to play in the Challenge, but that the squad had players "we hope will play important roles over the next four years".

The US have played three games since the World Cup. They lost 2-0 against Brazil in August, drew 2-2 with Poland in October and had a goalless draw against Colombia last month.

Bradley said while these games were all-important, his team was focusing on the next big competition, which is next year's Concacaf Gold Cup, the continental championship, which would qualify the winner for the 2013 Confederations Cup. The US won 2007's Gold Cup.

He said he was proud of his team's performance at the World Cup. The US made it to the second round where they lost 2-1 in extra time to Ghana.

Bradley, who was given a new contract after the World Cup, said South Africa had made "positive" decisions since Pitso Mosimane had succeeded Carlos Alberto Parreira as coach of Bafana.

Today Bradley and his team will help to dedicate a football field at Irene Middle School in Tshwane as part of the US Soccer Federation's $20000 donation to renovate the soccer pitch. The US team were based in Irene during the World Cup.

On Sunday they will host a soccer clinic at the Fifa Football for Hope Centre in Khayelitsha.