Just to pipe back in about DiPietro and Esche. Did anyone answer my question - has DiPietro played since the Fall tournaments? If Esche is out of shape that would be a reason to not name him to the team, but all of his comments imply that he was not even spoken to or asked about his fitness. All I am saying is that he deserved that courtesy before a decision was made. I think inviting both of them to a training camp may have been difficult, but perhaps some private work-outs could have been arranged.
It does not appear to me Conklin played much this year, but at least he did play. And I agree he did play in last season's World Championships, though he did not fare so well in the little play he got during the World Cup warm-ups. Thomas has played and played well this year and deserves an invite as a back-up. I am not a fan of DiPietro although he seems to be maturing a little bit. I support his being named to the team if Esche is out of shape, but I still think they should have spoken with Esche before making the decision. As others have mentioned here, he is only 27 or 28. I do not agree with those who think DiPietro is the de-facto USA goalie of the future. He will have some comptetition in the coming years.