Expect to see more North American riders on T-Mobile next season.

That’s according to team manager Bob Stapleton, who told VeloNews the once-heavily-German team wants to bolster its profile in the United States and Canada by bringing on big-name domestic talent for next season.

“We’re expanding our North American presence because we want more riders from where T-Mobile has strong markets,” Stapleton said Friday. “There are a lot of talented North American riders. It’s a win-win for us. We can gain top cycling talent and increase our exposure in one of our key markets.”

Several top American names have been linked to T-Mobile, but Stapleton refused to fuel the rumor mill and won’t name names until the entire roster is filled out.

Canadian rider Michael Barry and American Aaron Olson were signed this season as part of Stapleton’s rebuilding effort of the once-mighty, yet scandal-tainted team.

Stapleton said T-Mobile will be looking to sign “five to 10 new riders” for the 2008 season

“We want to build the team up to another level for next year,” he said. “This was a team in turmoil. It had a bad reputation. Now the other riders see what we’re all about. They see the riders getting a chance to race. This is an attractive team.”

The American entrepreneur was tapped to fix T-Mobile following last year’s Tour de France debacle that saw team star Jan Ullrich, Spanish climber Oscar Sevilla and sport director Rudy Pevenage linked to controversial Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and the Operación Puerto doping scandal.

An internal house-cleaning included the departure of several riders and staff coupled with the arrival of 13 new riders. That effort will continue into 2008 as T-Mobile has confirmed its commitment to the team sponsorship through the 2010 season.

The team’s rebirth has been so successful that riders are clamoring to find a spot on the team’s 29-man roster.

“We’ve talked to about 80 riders who want to join the team. That’s a nice thing,” Stapleton said. “We want to create a safe haven for riders with clean and fair sport. They have good support and they have good chances to race. We think that’s a good formula.”