When are clubs required and when aren't they?

Obviously, these will be delicate negotiations with the clubs. Its clear from his visit that he hopes to use Euro based players for both tourneys.

My opinion is that the priority for Euro player commitments still has to be the Gold Cup and that Copa America gets the less experienced & majority MLS players. Although from a fan's point of view I would prefer to see our best players/team face the south americans - its not bad either for these players to cut their teeth with this quality of competition. Many of these same players will make up the WC qualification pool so the more CAPs the better.

Hope he takes notes to pass on to the new coach.

Just an excuse to go bar-hoppin' with his son.

Obviously, the Copa America is the tougher tournament of the two and you'd rather have the "A" team made up of the Euro-based players sprinkled with a few MLS guys in it. However, the Copa is a later tournament and probably starts to run into the preseason prep time for the European clubs and I think you'd rather not tick them off (of course, if Fulham goes down, who cares) on a tournament this year when you may need some help or coopration from them during the WC qualifying years. I wouldn't waste any goodwill on a regional tournament like the Copa right now. Means nothing 3 years out from 2010. What I wonder is if Bradley will have guys (primarily MLS guys) play in both tournaments. That's not going to go over to well with the MLS clubs (I wonder if any of them will not release the players?) who could conceivably lose guys for 6 weeks straight.

Pretty ambitious trip for an interim coach. But what I like about Bradley is that he plans as if he's the full-time coach. He won't let this successor, if there is going to be one soon, say that the team was left unprepared. Dammit, this is why Bradley should have the job.

"Clubs are not required to release U.S. players for Copa because, unlike Gold Cup, it is not the U.S. team's confederation championship."

I know Gulati and Bradley have said this but it is contrary to the FIFA regs,and I suspect is an excuse to quiet those who want a stronger team for Copa than Gold Cup.

Have you ever asked either the basis for their position???

OK, here are the rules from the FIFA website:
ANNEX 1
RELEASE OF PLAYERS FOR ASSOCIATION TEAMS
Article 1 Principles
1. Clubs are obliged to release their registered players for representative
teams of the country for which the player is eligible to play on the
basis of his nationality, if he is called up by the Association concerned.
Any divergent agreement between a player and a club is prohibited.
2. The release of players under the terms of par. 1 of this article is mandatory
for matches on dates listed in the Coordinated International
Match Calendar and for all matches for which a duty to release players
exists on the basis of a special decision of the FIFA Executive Committee.
3. It is not compulsory to release players for matches scheduled on dates
not listed in the Coordinated International Match Calendar.
4. Players must also be released for the period of preparation before the
match, which is laid down as follows:
a) for friendly matches: 48 hours
b) for qualifying matches for an international tournament: four
days (including the day of the match). The release period shall be
extended to fi ve days if the match concerned is held in a different
confederation to the one in which the player's club is registered.
c) for qualifying matches for an international tournament that are
staged on a date earmarked for friendly matches: 48 hours
d) for the fi nal competition of an international tournament: 14 days
before the fi rst match in the competition.
Players shall join the Association team no later than 48 hours before
kick-off.
ANNEX 1
5. The players of Associations that have automatically qualifi ed for the
fi nal competition of the FIFA World Cupâ„¢ or for continental championships
for 'A' national teams shall be released for friendly matches
on dates earmarked for offi cial qualifying matches in accordance with
the directives that would apply for Offi cial Matches staged on these
dates.
6. The clubs and Associations concerned may agree a longer period of
release.
7. Players complying with a call-up from their Association under the
terms of this article shall resume duty with their clubs no later than
24 hours after the end of the match for which they were called up.
This period shall be extended to 48 hours if the match concerned took
place in a different confederation to the one in which the player's club
is registered. Clubs shall be informed in writing of a player's outward
and return schedule ten days before the match. Associations shall
ensure that players are able to return to their clubs on time after the
match.

And here is a link to the "Coordinated International
Match Calendar", for which release is MANDATORY under Rule 2 above.The COPA 2007 is listed.

I see no exception for guest teams......http://fifa.com/documents/fifa/publi...06_2008_en.pdf

.....

when South Africa played in the Gold Cup a few years back they played with an almost exclusively domestic based squad because club teams wouldn't release their players. I can't find any links but it was in quite a few articles that it was because the clubs weren't obligated because it wasn't South Africa's confederation tournament.

We don't need the euros... we've got Justin Mapp and Kenny cooper.

Here's to hoping Boz, Namoff, Gros, and Carrol don't get the calls. As nice as it is for them to get the Caps, we can't afford to lose Boz, Namoff, or Gros. If Olsen or Simms go down, or have suspensions, then Carrol is irreplaceable as well.

In other words: Club > Country

Cant wait to see this roster. Could be a doozy.