Is Garber's gripe legitimate? Don Garber had some interesting things to say this week in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl. Among the topics touched on by the MLS commissioner was the makeup of the national team squad. Though he stopped short of saying Bob Bradley is biased in favor of foreign-based players, his feelings on the subject were, nevertheless, pretty clear: "But today clearly there is an emphasis for (Bob Bradley) to pick players from Europe, and that's something that he believes will give him the best team on the field. I think many of our coaches and certainly we would feel there are many players in our league that can perform at the same level as some of the players he is selecting." After the U.S. squad for the 1998 World Cup featured 16 MLS players, the 2002 and 2006 rosters featured 11 each. A previously gradual move away from domestic talent has accelerated under Bradley, who picked just five MLS players for last year's Confederations Cup roster. Thus, the numbers indicate that Garber is right to say European players are favored. However, the conclusion should not be that Bradley is making the wrong selections. For example, upon reading Garber's comments, the first question that sprang to my mind was: Who are these players being overlooked? When everyone is fit and available, Bradley's first-choice side would likely contain just one MLS player. Landon Donovan aside, the only other name that comes into the frame is Jonathan Bornstein, and he may well have slipped down the pecking order after his nightmarish display in Amsterdam last month. Even among the alternates, MLS men would be few and far between. In addition to Bornstein, Conor Casey and Chad Marshall deserve consideration but both have been inconsistent to date on international duty. Heath Pearce and Brian Ching are options, as is Sacha Kljestan, although his stock has fallen as well. On the one hand, I understand where Garber is coming from. From his point of view, as he continues to build MLS, it must be disheartening to know that top American players see Europe as the ultimate environment in which to fulfill their international ambitions. To them, MLS is little more than a stepping stone. Where the national team is concerned, however, it is hard to argue with where Bradley places his emphasis. The majority of his preferred starters play in the top European leagues where the level of play is higher than in MLS and, therefore, closer to World Cup standards. Thus, these players are likely to assimilate more quickly to the demands of the international game. This debate has parallels with a similar one that has been going on recently in Australia, where Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has been outspoken in his belief that players who play in Europe will have more chance of representing their country. As with MLS, this is not what the A-League wants to hear. However, national team coaches are not paid to consider the ramifications for domestic leagues of their selections. Their job is to select the best players available to them and, from the point of view of Bradley (and Verbeek), the fact is that the overwhelming majority of them play outside their homeland. Well played, in-form man One MLS player who is doing his chances of a spot in South Africa no harm is Edson Buddle, who has notched all five of the Galaxy's goals as Los Angeles opened with three straight wins. The variety in Buddle's goals has been impressive. A header in a crowded penalty area beat New England and he won the Super Clasico with another header, having beaten his marker to the near post, as well as a composed close-range finish. Against Houston, Buddle showed he is not just a penalty-box player with a fine solo run and left-footed strike to put L.A. ahead before sealing his side's win with a volley. It has been seven years since Buddle earned his one and only international cap. Now the challenge for him is to maintain his form -- no American striker other than Herculez Gomez is currently more prolific -- as well as the understanding he has struck up with Landon Donovan. If he stays consistent and injury-free, it is not inconceivable that he is included in the World Cup squad.