Well, teams are definitely required by FIFA to release players at least 14 days prior to the first match of a finals of an international tournament (June 12). But I bet there might be other requirements I didn't find in my 5 sec google search. I assume that some players and/or teams will want their players earlier and that some players may have written different availability into their contracts. At least, I would have thought about doing that.
Also, will WPS lower the amount of games developmental players need to play in (was 12 of 24) before it is required that a team give them a full contract? Maybe 9 of 18??
Hopefully this Kelly Smith situation is resolved very soon if not sooner! If Kelly and the team have to part ways it would be nice to be able to sign someone to try add fill her very large boots...before they sign with somebody else.... Maybe Lindsey Tarpley....
In an interview with a Swedish football website, Sundhage stated that national team players will be in camp together during the weeks for the entire season, but released for club matches at weekends. In other words, national team players will not be training with their clubs. No idea how the logistics are going to work there if that's how things turn out.
Sonia Bompastor comfirmed this when asked about the USA recent dip in form. She said her friends from the US team would be preparing in camp and would be a lot better than during the qualifiers. And it looks bad for WPS teams to train a whole week without their main players and only see them for week-ends...how can they expect to create affinites on the pitch
With the new pro league in England beginning its first next season, she may want to or is under pressure to join that new league and to give it mor credence. Karen carney has already signed in the new league along with chapman. Maybe other English players like Smith will follow suit.
What would you suggest as a better alternative? The only other option is to refuse to sign U.S. National Team players. Some clubs are certainly trying to reduce their USWNT load. But as a fan, would you want to see your local club dismantle their core group of veteran starters - who you will still get see play on most weekends - in order to have a group of new and unfamiliar players that get to practice together during the week (which you won't see anyway)?
The best way for Kelly to prepare for WWC is to play in the most competitive league in the world....with and against the best players in the world. WPS is still that league... With just 6 teams this year it's going to be more competitive (& repetitive) than ever... agreed. I'm glad Pia is keeping them in residency....I wonder just where that residency will be now?? Certainly wouldn't make sense to have it at HDC with (practically) every team in the Northeast... I was slightly more concerned when Pia will want the team to travel to Germany....Two weeks prior is a given but a week or two more might be in order.... Again for the record, I wouldn't have a problem forfeiting (or bringing in the Aztecs) for as many games as needed in 2010.... Keep signing those US Internationals Andy....It's a marathon not a sprint! If the league isn't around in 2011 I couldn't care less about a 2010 trophy. If, as I believe it will be, I sure want the best US (& ENGLISH) players under contract!
Don't let them go into NT camp. If it is not in the FIFA regulated period. I mean do the foreign international players get released for long period like the US ones ? probably not. It is the good old club vs country debate. I certainly think, there will be a loss in football quality for the pre-world cup games but it will come back to normal after the WC.
Impossible. Anyway...if I don't allow Leslie Osborne or Lauren Cheney to go into NT camp in a World Cup year, the Boston Breakers will never again be able to sign a National Team player in free agency...or a player who thinks they have a shot to play on the national team someday.
Perhaps one response might be to move residency temporarily to the East Coast (now that WPS is primarily an East coast enterprise)?
What we really need is to find Pia a great deal on cheap hotel rooms and some awesome practice fields and convenient workout facilities right here in Boston, preferably close to Harvard.
scott signs. http://equalizersoccer.com/WebPages/...c-25b2c10f4355 is this an end around so as to convince smith to sign? i thought these two players were going to stay in england, it being a wc year, and their starting of their own pro league.
FromLauletta’s League Lowdown on remaining free agents - Hope Solo, Nicole Barnhart, Karina LeBlanc, Jillian Loyden, GK: It is clear there are more goalkeepers than there are goalkeeping jobs. Philadelphia, Western New York, Sky Blue, and Boston are all content at the position. That being said, any of the four here is likely an upgrade over Alyssa Naeher in Boston. I'm not a Breakers fan but still need to take exception to that last line. Hope Solo, if healthy, I agree with and Barnhart maybe. From what I saw last year, I'd take Naeher over LeBlanc and don't get me started on Naeher versus Loyden. Not even close.
like i said. there's gonna be good players who don't make a team this year. no way. del piero, your assessment is exactly my thinking. no coach in his or her right mind would exchange naeher for any other gk in that list except a healed hope.
The choise of goalkeepers is complicated by the possibility of significant missed time due to callups. As mentioned earlier in this thread, there is likely to be a USWNT residency camp from as early as March and extending through May, during which the players will not be available to their WPS team during the week. WPS teams might be better off selecting additional goalkeepers who will be available full-time for the entire season, even if there is some dropoff in skill level.
I really don't know why the GM and managers are letting the national team do this. What would the league be like if all the WC countries followed suit. The league would be full of unprepared jet lagged players every game day. The teams have FIFA rules on their side don't they?
US WC preparations: the entire pre-WC season. German preparations: roughly a month solid prior to the tournament. Swedish preparations: a week. My money's on Sweden for the gold. In all fairness, I haven't seen details re. the USWNT/WPS arrangment, only the bare bones. It might be more sensible than it seems at the moment. (Modified boarding school for football players, who get a weekend pass to go "home"?!) On the other hand, maybe there's agreement on this in the hope that a successful WC would boost the league's chances of success?
I definitely agree with this. I also think that if Andy tried to sign Solo, a lynch mob wearing blue scarves would quickly form in Westwood. Naeher made quite a few bad plays, especially at the beginning of her run as starting keeper, but improved steadily throughout the season. I hope she's worked on her goal kicks in the offseason, as she could almost never clear the midfield line. She could dropkick it quite far, so it would not seem to be her leg that's the problem.
did you not read andy's reason in post #63 above? mexico's mnt calls up players outside of the fifa play dates all the time. and several wnts will be doing this in preparation for the wwc this year. it's difficult. but clubs have to prepare for it.