Roster Release For Upcoming Friendlies?

[BuzzAndSting]

Don't want to speculate on possible rosters... Just wondering if anyone knows when they will be released. I assume it will be about 10-12 days before the first game.

[BearcatSA]

Here's what Dobson has to say, fwiw:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2010/08/08/dobson_hart/

[TFCRegina]

Can you imagine TFC without Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann for those two critical games?

It's almost as if we didn't go without 3 of the four players in a game earlier this season due to callups and injury.

Now don't get me wrong, I want the best TFC team out on the pitch but we were able to win time without 3 of the 4.

[jonovision]

Can you imagine TFC without Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann for those two critical games?

It's almost as if we didn't go without 3 of the four players in a game earlier this season due to callups and injury.

Now don't get me wrong, I want the best TFC team out on the pitch but we were able to win time without 3 of the 4.

TFC could manage, I'm sure, but there's no way Hart calls all 4 at one time. However, if other MLS sides let players like Hainault, Jakovic, or Johnson play in these matches, Preki had better release at least one or two (I'd prefer JDG and Attakora of those 4).

[jpg75]

De Guzman is getting the callup for sure, DeRo and Nana are about 50/50 and i doubt Cann gets called. I'm gonna say 2 out of 4 get the call.

[paul-collins]

Interesting read; so were JDG2 to play in these friendlies it wouldn't even lock him out of playing for the Dutch at a future date?

[tovan1]

Interesting read; so were JDG2 to play in these friendlies it wouldn't even lock him out of playing for the Dutch at a future date?

He can't be cap tied until he plays for Canada in an official Fifa competition. The earliest this will be possible is in the Gold Cup next year.

[yomurphy1]

^No, he will be tied to Canada the second he signs the paperwork to change Federations.

[TFCRegina]

^No, he will be tied to Canada the second he signs the paperwork to change Federations.

Truth. After you sign the paperwork to switch once, you're screwed, even if you aren't cap tied. There's some fine lines.

[Toronto MB]

Here's what Dobson has to say, fwiw:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2010/08/08/dobson_hart/

How frustrating is this suggestion that Canada will not have access to De Guzman, De Rosario, Jakovic, Hainault, Bunbury, etc... because Minor League Soccer refuses to acknowledge FIFA international dates?

How much longer can this go on?

Can FIFA not step in and state that the MLS, as the premier division for the US/Canada, cannot continue scheduling matches in the days adjacent to international dates? Surely if the world's major leagues have to respect the dates, and at a much larger cost, the MLS must be willing to adhere to the same rules.

Either ensure that the MLS respects the international dates like the rest of the world - or take action to repeal the league's license via the CSA/USSF.

Ok yes, technically, Stephen Hart has every right to demand that the players be made available - but we know full well that that kind of move puts the player in a mightily awkward position, and jeopardizes the future relationship between club, country and the player.

The MLS yearns to be respected by the international football community, but refuses to play by the rules that create an equal playing field around the world. The league's unwillingness to adopt proper football etiquette and culture is one of the main reasons that I have yet to buy into its credentials as a serious competition.

Poor Stephen Hart is right. Poor fu*cking Voyageurs as well, it seems like we will need a virtual miracle if we are every going to assemble our best players again.

[Sam]

In MLS signing internationals means that sometimes you're going to need to give them up it's too bad... but if Hart calls up Attakora, DeRo, JDG and Cann then Preki will have to suck it up

[RS]

I agree that MLS should respect international dates more often, but this year is a near impossibility given that the World Cup already accounted for a three week break in the schedule.

I'm not sure where MLS would make up those lost dates, given the wonderful weather patterns of North America. I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't relish MLS games in February or December, and that's what would need to happen under current circumstances.

Fortunately, as more teams get control of their own stadium, mid-week matches won't be the attendance albatross that it has been in years past.

[CanadianSoccerFan]

Amazingly enough, MLS owners want to increase the game count from 30 to 34 without lengthening the season......... Yeah, Idiots!!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/steve_davis/07/30/mls.schedule/index.html

It's so annoying and typically american how inward looking the league and its executives are. From international dates to a lack of focus on the CCL it's all just ridiculous.

As for Teal Bunbury, Dobson's comments aren't encouraging.

And O'brian White??? Who cares! he stinks.

[SthMelbRed]

These matches are on official FIFA dates. Hart should call every player that he wants for these games. The clubs can shove it up their asses and if the players don't want to come, they should announce their international retirement. We need to start preparing for the next cycle of WCQ and the players need to start making the necessary sacrifices if they want to play in the World Cup.

[jonovision]

Speaking of international retirements, Dwayne De Rosario is 32 now, and will be 34 by the time we next start playing important matches, and would be 36 in 2014. There is a chance that he could pull a Radzinski, who at 35 was our best player during the last round of qualifying, but do we need to start thinking of a graceful exit for DDR? After all, we seem to be doing the same for Stalteri, who is less than a year older. Or do we wait until his club play falls off?

[Champs]

I think its a perfect time to exspand the player pool with giving some new players a look. This is my team.

Greg Sutton

David Monsalve

Chris Pozniak

Luca Bellisimo

Andre Hainault

Dejan Jakovic

Nana Attakora

Ante Jazic

Rocco Placentino

Phillipe Davies

Julian De Guzman

Will Johnson

Pedro Pacheco

Tosaint Ricketts

Obrian White

Julian Uccello

Olivier Occean

Dwayne De Resario

David Hoillet

[Jeremy]

Please please David Edgar...

And Placentino? Hahaha, that's so funny It would be awesome to watch him play for Canada.

[closetboostie]

Speaking of international retirements, Dwayne De Rosario is 32 now, and will be 34 by the time we next start playing important matches, and would be 36 in 2014. There is a chance that he could pull a Radzinski, who at 35 was our best player during the last round of qualifying, but do we need to start thinking of a graceful exit for DDR? After all, we seem to be doing the same for Stalteri, who is less than a year older. Or do we wait until his club play falls off?

Could not disagree more. We don't have the luxury of turning quality players out to pasture because they're on the backside of 30. If De Rosario continues to play well for TFC and he's in our best 18, then we have to call him every time. For that matter, if Radzinski still wants to play and he's got the quality, we call him too. I don't care if you're 19 or 39 playing time must be doled out on merit. Of course, for some friendlies we will mix and match to find our best roster, but those who earn it must be called.

[jonovision]

^ I don't disagree and that's why I phrased it as a question.

That said, there are limits to the merit argument. Even if you think Radzinski is one of our best 18 players at the moment (I do, actually), there is little point taking him when the chances of him playing an important role two years down the road are virtually nil. But Stephen Hart is in a tough spot because, even though the FIFA rankings are flaky and have little statistical merit, they are used to determine CONCACAF WCQ seedings. Therefore, results are important in every match between now and the next World Cup. Even if it may make more developmental sense to play an experimental lineup, that could be detrimental to the campaign.

It will be very interesting to see what the lineups look like when they materialize.

[closetboostie]

^ I don't disagree and that's why I phrased it as a question.

That said, there are limits to the merit argument. Even if you think Radzinski is one of our best 18 players at the moment (I do, actually), there is little point taking him when the chances of him playing an important role two years down the road are virtually nil. But Stephen Hart is in a tough spot because, even though the FIFA rankings are flaky and have little statistical merit, they are used to determine CONCACAF WCQ seedings. Therefore, results are important in every match between now and the next World Cup. Even if it may make more developmental sense to play an experimental lineup, that could be detrimental to the campaign.

It will be very interesting to see what the lineups look like when they materialize.

I take your point about Radzinski, but I don't change my view. Especially in our situation, we need every result we can get, and we don't have the depth of proven, quality young players to plug into these holes. If the 36 and 23 year old are of equal quality, and you have two years until WCQ, of course you play the young player, but those situations within our player pool are rare in my opinion. I think if we ever get to the point where injuries, club issues, CSA issues, mercenary defection issues no longer pick the team for us, we can revisit this debate. Can't wait for the roster announcement either.

[Sam]

Would Radz even accept a call-up at this point? Wasn't he basically just called up for the Poland friendly cause it was his country of birth...

[closetboostie]

Would Radz even accept a call-up at this point? Wasn't he basically just called up for the Poland friendly cause it was his country of birth...

Who knows? If we were playing meaningful games again and he could make a difference I wouldn't be surprised if he showed. And if I was Stephen Hart I'd call him regardless of whether I thought he'd accept or not. Obviously this is all assuming his good form holds.

[jonovision]

Oh, Radzinski is surely done with the Nats. But if he was on the team he would still be one of our better players, I think.

On the other side of things, I wouldn't be unhappy if we'd seen the last of guys like Hastings, Onstad, Stalteri (after he gets his record), Imhof, Jazic, etc. All have been valuable contributors over the years, but their best years are in the past, and they would only block younger and better players.

[closetboostie]

Oh, Radzinski is surely done with the Nats. But if he was on the team he would still be one of our better players, I think.

On the other side of things, I wouldn't be unhappy if we'd seen the last of guys like Hastings, Onstad, Stalteri (after he gets his record), Imhof, Jazic, etc. All have been valuable contributors over the years, but their best years are in the past, and they would only block younger and better players.

Agreed on all of those, I think we have several better options than those players, especially with Stalteri still not playing for any club. I'm disappointed we couldn't seem to use Imhof in the last WCQ, I thought he would have been a better fit than Bernier to take the pressure off Julian in the DM role. Nevertheless, he has to be done internationally.

[Mazha]

We retired Radzinski two or three years ago, or he himself called it quits to international play.

All that production, all that hoopla. Time to move him on. If he's Canada's best player at the

age of 35, then we as a soccer nation are in dire straits. Lets move on! And we can only move

on productively with new and exciting blood. I say "Bring on the young bucks". Even if it takes

a year or two to really develop and season them, I still believe they are our future. Our outgoing

squads have not delivered. What are we waiting for.