Edson BUDDLE deserves a serious look at the U.S. national team training camp before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Buddle has scored all seven goals for the league-leading (4 - 0) L.A. Galaxy thus far in the 2010 MLS season. His goals have been varied: leaping headers (usually from Donovan crosses or corner kicks), quick trap and shots, scrambling pounces, etc. Buddle teams very well with U.S. captain Landon Donovan. Two seasons ago (I think it was), Buddle and Donovan scored many goals for the Galaxy, which were the top-scoring team in the league. Unfortunately, that year the Galaxy were also the league's worst-defending team, and missed the playoffs. Based on his performance thus far in the MLS season, Buddle deserves to be in the U.S. national team training camp, and if he continues to score, Buddle should team with Donovan up front at the World Cup. Dr. Colombes Stadium 1 Node 1 "In matters football, almost infallible."

This announcement got me to check back to see the altitude levels for the three games the U.S. plays in the first round in So. Africa: two are apparently in stadiums over 4,500 feet. Would training at a comparable altitude be better or not for the national team. It would seem it certainly hurt their chances. Does anyone have any information on this?

...sorry...it would seem it certainly could not hurt their chances (to train at comparable altitudes to the game experiences they'll be facing)!!

It's unfortunate that all the practices are closed to the public. I would have enjoyed watching the team prepare for the World Cup, especially since the camp is just 20 minutes from where I live.

Edward Purcell, I am wary of any player from MLS being part of the US National team. I was a big supporter of Jeff Cunningham making the team and he was a big let-down when he played the friendlies in Europe.

@ Paul Bryant, well just which European based players do we actually have left in any healthy state as another option? Dempsey is on and off the DL right now and even if he does manage to stay reasonably ready, that doesn't mean that our genius ex Princeton coach will actually play him AT striker...he seems to love watching one of our best finishers play too far away to be able to get off a good shot playing wide on the right in midfield... then there is Jozy, who looks likely to be in flux now that Hull seems doomed to drop, yes he got a fair amount of playing time and does seem to have improved... but beyond that, who else is there? Marcus Tracy has seen his season ended by his injuries and now Sochaux just announced that Charlie Davies, after suffering abdominal pain is no longer going to play this season for them... that pretty much cinches that he won't be ready to play for us either... and if you were underwhelmed by Cunningham's showing in the matches he played in Europe last fall...even when he did manage to score in that poorly played match in Denmark... then how do you feel about, say Eddie Johnson's play...was it any better? Were you impressed with HIS play against the Dutch? Besides not being a Bradley favorite, Kenny Cooper just hasn't been seeing much playing time even at a lower level in England, and Bradley made it quite obvious that he didn't want Jeremiah White when he wasn't even on the squad when we were playing on his home field at the time in Denmark against the very players he routinely played against, so he was cut and now is playing for the money in Qatar...so face facts... we ARE going to include SOMEONE from MLS, it's really a matter of just WHOM it is... Ching is again showing signs of being a bit long in the tooth, his hamstring was the reason last year at this time and it's got the better of him again, Conor Casey had exactly ONE strong match, but several less than stellar ones and again is getting several goals but mainly from the PK spot... Robbie Findley simply didn't play well in the few chances he was given, and Cunningham while not a total bust, was far from convincing ... so that logically leaves Edson Buddle, who as Mr.Purcell has rightfully pointed out HAS been scoring from the run of play and often in a lone striker formation, i.e. without a great deal of close support and DOES play with the one guy who drives our attack...when there IS an attack, Landon Donovan, so it simply make good sense for him to be invited into this camp... the other player that really must be considered is Hercules Gomez who's season is now through in Mexico, but managed to lead the league in scoring even though he rarely was a starter...and he also is known to Donovan. And not that I wish to get into conspiracy theories but there clearly IS a group of people in the USSF that are pushing for some MLS players on the national team, because it helps them market "Their" league.

Oh and while it might be nice for YOU or I to be able to watch the Nats go through their drills... I certainly WANT the team to be somewhat under the radar because WE aren't the ONLY ones interested in observing this team. This is precisely why I really question the wisdom of our playing a match just a week before we play the English...in front of a crowd, and on television... what sort of organization does this sort of thing THAT LATE... we will have already selected our team by then and doing it so in the open just makes any last minute set plays or the exact injury status of our players all the more obvious for our opponents to monitor ...this really should have been a "Scrimmage" against a local club side like Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs or Mamelodi Sundowns... and certainly not against a team that very well could be our opponent in the knock out round that...if we're lucky, we'll be playing in just over two weeks after this match takes place. Sometimes I really think that we are still run by a bunch of amateurs... I very strongly doubt that any of the top teams would play a match this publicly this close to the tournament... we increase the risk of injury by playing an out and out game rather than a scrimmage and we also have the problem of any sort of potential Red Card problem... that I suppose is the only reason I can think of playing this match...so that any Red card against us picked up in the Czech or Turkey matches might be served, but there then might be ANOTHER one given so we likely won't be playing our starters... so why televise any of this? What are we getting from this nonsense?

Robert K.,I have no problem with them playing matches so close to the World Cup. Hopefully they will build some chemistry, especially since many of the European based players are are injured or not getting much playing time. Hercules Gomez would be a nice addition. I don't think he would be star-struck playing in a WC match. Can't say the same about Buddle. Scoring in MLS is not the same as scoring against the likes of Carragher, Ferdinan, Ashley Cole, and Terry.