We want to give some promising players some opportunities and start to formulate some strategies for 2006. There is no easy way to establish a player at the international level. The easiest way is to get them on the field.

He enjoyed what we did. He liked our methods, and he felt the things we do are what players like. And when he reinforces that to me, that helps me. Soccer aside, he's a friend. . . . I did my best to get him involved back in the game again. He was in kind of limbo a bit.

We have probably an additional three, four, five players that we that could have chosen. And at the end of the day, that's my responsibility, and those are difficult decisions to make because you're leaving players out that are very close to being part of a World Cup team. I feel for those players.

We eagerly look forward to seeing our domestic players. We want to do the best job we can of making the roster as competitive as possible over the next six months so we can position our team to be successful in the World Cup. We view this camp and the games in January and February as critical towards our preparation for Germany.

He has been involved in all of the key issues, met with all of the important players and helped formulate the most important policies.

I like the fact that we're not playing at altitude (as in Mexico City), and Columbus is as good a venue as we can select. We have no excuses. We need to step on the field and win.