Landon Donovan feels he has earned the right to make the decision of putting club in front of country.
The LA Galaxy captain decided to sit out the USA's two friendlies against France (played on Friday) and Slovenia (to come on Tuesday) to get himself right for the MLS Cup final against Houston Dynamo on November 20.
Donovan has been a star and mainstay of the national team for years now and he felt he was in the right to make the judgment based on what his club and body needs.
"It was very hard to make," Donovan said. "I had to weigh a lot of different things.
"Fortunately, when I kind of sat and thought, I've been a guy who, since I started, has always been fully committed to that team and probably gone into a lot of games that I wasn't physically right, I wasn't healthy.
"So I think I've earned the right to make that decision."
He added: "It was the right decision and, fortunately, I have a coach who has played at the highest level, who has played for championships and knows that you only get so many chances to play for a championship.
"He said to me that he wanted me to come, but he fully respected and will respect my decision. At the end of the day, he understands what this means to me, he knows how much I've put into this year for this opportunity."
