Camp opens

US national team camp opened on Monday. Unfortunately I wasn't able to peel away to make it out there, although I hope to go once or twice in the next week or two. Even though the top players aren't there, it's always good to get out to see the US team and talk to some of their players.

Nick Green of the Daily Breeze was out there and caught up with Bob Bradley and Danny Califf. For Bradley, this is the third such camp he's running, the third January he's been in charge of the national team. This time around, though, is probably the most important one. While he was just learning how to be national team coach in 2007 for his first camp, now he's got two years under his belt and needs to prepare the team well in what will be a crucial year for the national team.

And the fact that the top players aren't out there really doesn't take away from this camp's significance. In fact, it adds to it. This is where Bradley will find depth, find the players who will spell others when injuries strike, players who will force Bradley's hand during critical games and others who will be taken into account for the summer tournaments, particularly the Gold Cup.

Califf might be one of the guys who isn't highly though of but could be important nonetheless. We'll have plenty more on where Califf stands in terms of defenders later in the week but for now check out his interview with Nick Green.