The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup doesn't start until June 5, but 23-man rosters have slowly started to be released. Even before the United States' roster is announced on Monday, there are already plenty of MLS players that will be participating. There has also been at least one notable name omitted: Andy Najar.
MLS Players Start Popping Up On Gold Cup Rosters, Andy Najar A Notable Omission
The DC United youngster announced his intentions to play for Honduras in April, and many expected that his being named to their Gold Cup roster was a mere formality. But after what appears to be a miscommunication between their federation and the United front office, Najar was not included on the preliminary roster.
Honduras reportedly asked that Najar be released from United on May 26 so that he could play in a Gold Cup warmup match against El Salvador. But United have league matches on May 29 and June 3, and requested that Najar still around until then. Honduras, which opens play on June 6, reportedly declined he June 3 request, but never responded to the May 29 one. One other MLS player, Sporting Kansas City Roger Espinoza, was named to Honduras' roster.
Other MLS players already named to Gold Cup rosters include Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Shalrie Joseph (Grenada) and Stephane Auvray (Guadeloupe). Among the players expected to get the call for the United States are Tim Ream, Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury, Landon Donovan, Jay DeMerit, Heath Pearce,
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