WHEN LANDON DONOVAN announced that he was taking a brief sabbatical from all soccer-related activities back in January 2013, the news seemed to catch U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann by surprise. And no, Herr Klinsmann was not pleased.

Faced with some tough roster decisions ahead of the 2014 World Cup, Klinsmann decided not to include Donovan on his roster for Brazil—catching the U.S. veteran, and many in the soccer world, by surprise.

Was Klinsmann exacting revenge on Donovan for taking a break from international duty during World Cup qualifying? We'll never know for sure, but it's entirely possible.

Fully aware of this chain of events, Tim Howard opted to take a different route when seeking to take a break from U.S. national team duty. He engaged with Klinsmann and secured his approval, allowing U.S. Soccer to make the announcement. Howard, 35, will continue to play for Everton in the English Premier League but will not participate in U.S. international matches until September 2015. You can read the official press release here.

POLL: WHO SHOULD REPLACE HOWARD AS TOP KEEPER?

“We had a very good and productive conversation,” said Klinsmann. “I totally understand Tim’s situation. He was very straightforward and honest in his approach, and I admire him for that. He has a wish to take a step back to take care of his family, and we came to the conclusion that it’s absolutely fine that he takes time off from international soccer until after next summer’s Gold Cup, and then we reevaluate.

"I told him as long as he is the same Tim Howard that we always see performing well, he will be welcomed back with open arms and right back competing for a spot. He knows that he has to prove that he deserves to be back.”

Is there a double standard at work here? Is Klinsmann playing favorites? Perhaps, but as the coach of the United States national team, that's certainly his prerogative.

Also, it must be noted, Donovan took his sabbatical right before a series of crucial World Cup qualifiers. Howard timed his break to occur after the World Cup and long before the next meaningful international contest.

“Having played overseas for the last 12 years and missing out on spending time with my family, making this commitment to my family is very important at this time,” said Howard. “I am grateful for the willingness of both Jurgen Klinsmann and Everton manager Roberto Martinez to afford me the opportunity to spend time with my kids. It’s the right decision at the right time. Jurgen has always been up front with all the players in saying you have to earn your place, which is something I agree with, so I look forward to coming back next fall and competing for a spot.”

While there's no reason to doubt that Howard wants to spend more time with his family, the official U.S. Soccer press release makes no mention of the goalkeeper's deal to provide color commentary on 10 Premier League matches for NBC Sports Network during the 2014-15 season. This new gig—perhaps a steppingstone to more broadcast work after he retires—might have been a factor in Howard's desire to play in fewer international matches.

This development also creates a knife fight for the No. 1 goalkeeping jersey, and Klinsmann dropped a few clues regarding that positional battle.

“This gives us a huge opportunity to see Brad Guzan and Nick Rimando going forward and fighting for the No. 1 spot,” said Klinsmann. “We have young talented goalkeepers with Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid, who have been brought along the last couple years, so this may give them a chance here and there to get some game time. Always when somebody steps aside for a moment, it gives an opportunity for the next ones in line.”

What do you think of this development? Is Klinsmann treating Howard better than he treated Donovan? And who would you like to see take over as the United States' No. 1 goalkeeper?

John Godfrey is the founder and editor in chief of American Soccer Now.