Camp America could be on cards

SOCCER:GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI has hinted he is about to take the search for fresh talent across the Atlantic next year, with the Italian suggesting an end-of-season training camp in the United States could provide the opportunity to weigh up the potential of players born there but with an interest in declaring for Ireland.

As he unveiled his squad for Wednesday week’s game against Norway at the Aviva Stadium, Trapattoni mentioned the possibility of travelling to the US more than once, and he is to be given a list of players there who are eligible to play for Ireland.

“America could be very important for us and the organisation,” he said. “To get 10 days with the group would be good, not the senior players but a young team. It would be better for training and maybe we could have some friendly games.”

Trapattoni’s men are due to play Northern Ireland and Scotland on May 23rd and 27th respectively in the Nations Cup, but the manager believes there would be a window of about 10 days before the first game when a short tour could be fitted in.

Asked about European destinations, Trapattoni said the location wasn’t all that important, but he subsequently returned to the idea of bringing a squad to the US, mentioning New York as a possible venue for the camp.

Ireland’s last venture across the Atlantic was in the summer of 2007 when Steve Staunton brought a group stripped of almost all senior players. A couple of the current squad’s regulars, Stephen Hunt and Andy Keogh, were among the 13 to make their senior debuts on that two-match tour, while Shane Long got his first international goal.

But the majority have failed to make anything like the progress in their careers that would have been hoped for, and the one locally-born player capped – Joe Lapira – ending up in the Norwegian lower leagues.

Candidates for next year’s trip, if it comes to pass, might include Aston Villa’s Ciarán Clark and Barry Maguire of Utrecht, born in England and the Netherlands respectively. Both have declared their desire to represent Ireland, and Trapattoni suggested the pair would have been in his latest squad had their cases been processed by Fifa in time.