US opens camp with replacement players
The US national team has started preparations with replacement players for the final round of World Cup qualifying. A group of more than 20 players joined coach Bruce Arena at the
"We are going to announce the roster in the next day or two," USSF spokesman Jim Moorhouse said last night. "We want to get all the players into camp and have Bruce address them before we announce it."
The top players have refused to suit up since the USSF and the US National Team Players Association, which represents any player who has been at a training camp or performed for the national team, failed to reach a contract agreement last month. The federation invited 20 Major League Soccer players to the current camp, but all declined, Moorhouse said. The federation then turned to players from the United Soccer Leagues and Major Indoor Soccer League in preparation for a Feb. 9 visit to Trinidad & Tobago.
"We put two proposals on the table to get this done last week, both of which would have put the team on the field the next day," Moorhouse said. "We agreed to [the players'] conditions but they came back with [a request for] a $200,000 signing bonus. We have parameters in the deal for a signing bonus but that is something you get when the deal is done. If you give these incentives up front, there is no incentive to sign a deal. That is why you go to mediation."
The federation has offered a 38 percent increase in pay for 2003-06, and Moorhouse said it is requesting a no-strike agreement through the end of 2005. The players have requested that a mediator be present at the next meeting, and union attorney Mark Levinstein yesterday was attempting to enlist one; the mediator would be present but not to officially mediate.
"Our key for mediation was a no-strike pledge, and that is just to end of qualifying," Moorhouse said. "[The players' stance] has created a level of uncertainty. You can't have any level of uncertainty in the environment of a camp or game situation. You have to know the players you have are going to take the field."
The players have been working under the terms of a contract that expired in December 2002. They declined to report to a scheduled training camp last month, leading the federation to cancel plans for warmup matches.
Arena met with USL officials during the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention in Baltimore last week, compiling a list of about 40 prospective candidates. Jim Froslid, general manager of the USL's Minnesota Thunder, said he provided Arena with the names of several players, including Marco Ferruzzi, Amos Magee, and Jeff Matteo, formerly of MLS.
"I want to let the players relax in this setting," Arena told the Associated Press. "These are all outdoor players. Some may be playing indoors right now but they're all outdoor players. They're a good bunch. We'll move forward and try to field a competitive team for Feb. 9."
Prior to the 1998 World Cup, the US competed with replacement players in a 4-1 loss to Peru Oct. 16, 1996, during contract negotiations. A settlement was reached before the semifinal round of qualifying.
Crossing over
The strange saga of Carlos Tevez's move from Argentina to Corinthians continues. Last month, Corinthians paid $19.5 million for him to Boca Juniors, the highest transfer fee for a player ever paid by a Brazilian team. Tevez is gradually acclimating to Sao Paulo, and the club is prohibiting Tevez from granting interviews until his Portuguese improves. And Corinthians is providing bodyguard protection and an armor-plated car for him.
Tevez is considered shy anyway, and apparently he is comfortable with the media blackout. But when he signed with Corinthians, he said, "I can take care of myself," when asked about bodyguards. The club overruled him, possibly influenced by the recent kidnapping of the mother of Santos's Robinho, who was recently released after two months in captivity. Tevez is from a low-income barrio of Buenos Aires, and Corinthians plays many of its home games in the high-rent district of Pacaembu.
Argentine players seldom cross over to Brazil. Cesar Luis Menotti went to Santos at Pele's request in the 1960s, but Menotti was an adventurous extrovert who also played for the New York Generals and went on to coach Argentina to the 1978 World Cup championship.
High-profile Argentines generate much more money in Europe than they would anywhere in Latin America.
Corinthians has also signed Argentine defender Sebastian Dominguez of Newell's Old Boys and is attempting to add Javier Mascherano of River Plate.
Though Tevez received a positive welcome from Corinthians fans and players, some doubt he will be successful.
"I do not think Tevez is going to work out," said Brazil president Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, a Corinthians supporter, during a press conference in Brasilia.
Corinthians is the most popular club in Sao Paulo state and is followed by an estimated 30 million fans nationwide.
Kiddie pool
Spanish clubs have been accused of attempting to rob the cradle recently. Barcelona reportedly offered 120,000 euros monthly to the family of Erik Lamela, 12, last year. Barcelona would have paid for the schooling of Lamela's brothers and provided employment for his parents. Lamela remained in Argentina, playing with River Plate's junior team. Previously, Real Madrid was thought to be interested in Niall Mason, a 7-year-old from England. Now Valencia is involved with Bea Patou, a 9-year-old Cameroonian who has been living in Spain for five years. Patou actually has an agent who has been negotiating with Valencia and other clubs . . . Revolution coach Steve Nicol is scouting players in Rio de Janeiro through the end of the week. "This was set up through some contacts we have," said Revolution technical director Joe Cummings. "It is a chance to watch a couple of games, but [Nicol] is not looking at any specific players. We told them we are looking for central defenders and a wide player on the left and they said there are a couple we could watch." The Revolution will conduct a tryout for local players next Tuesday at the indoor facility at Gillette Stadium. The full team is expected to report to Gillette Jan. 31.
