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It is Q&A time

Good afternoon everybody. It is noon and it is time for the first Q&A of the new SBI.

Yes, I know, I didn’t get to all of the questions in the last Q&A on the old site (I will post those by tomorrow), but with everything going on lately I felt it was a good time to do another one.

The instructions are simple. Ask one or two soccer questions, preferably short to moderately sized, and I will look to answer them. Given the increasing site of the SBI Mafia I will put a cap on questions this time around. I will look to answer the first 50 questions posted (this way I won’t take forever to post answers). Feel free to ask questions after the 50th but keep in mind there is no guarantee they will be answered. I might answer them at a later date but am not committing to that.

Whether it is U.S. national team, Americans Abroad, MLS Draft, MLS in general or international soccer, ask your questions below and I will try my best to give you some answers and opinions.

Fire away.

NO MORE QUESTIONS. Thanks to those of you who took part. I will do my nbest to get these answered ASAP

Comments

  1. I also understand you’ve stopped taking questions, but is it possible if you can find it in your heart to talk about Eddie Johnson transfer or non-transfer fulham?

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  2. I know you’ve stopped taking questions, but if you ever open it up again, I’d really like to hear more about why Balc wasn’t picked in the draft. I suppose we’ll hear more on Thursday when (if?) he gets picked in the supplemental draft.

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  3. 1) Theoretically, could a U.S. city (say Portland after it is denied an MLS team) and the Mexican League agree to form a team in the Mexican league (since the MLS has a team in Canada)?

    2) If a European team agreed to loan a player to an MLS, how does it count against the Salary Cap? How do transfer fees count against the salary cap?

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  4. Ives – With Michael Bradley doing so well in Holland, and the rumors of him transferring out to a bigger club, I wanted to get confirmation that MLS/Metro have a sell-on clause on him. I remember Bradley being transferred on a ridiculously low number but it was always assumed there was a sell-on attached.

    If so, do you know big the sell-on percentage would be and if NYRB would recieve an allocation for it?

    Thanks.

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  5. Why does the MLS resist the international breaks which just about every other nations’ leagues use? Why not take a break every other month so your players can play for the national side? It just makes sense.

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  6. 1)With all the money flowing in from the transfers to Europe and the shirt sponsors deals, why such a small increase in the salary cap this year? With the transfers, and the talent dilution due to expansion, how does MLS expect us to believe that the talent level is improving? By the next World Cup when guys like Altidore, Guzan and Edu have left we might have the entire US team come from Europe players. Other than Landon of course.

    2)Any chance of a prolonged holdout, once the current CBA expires in 2009.

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  7. Just read on Yanks Abroad that Heath Pearce just got told he won’t play again for Hansa Rostock because of some issue regarding him returning late to training from vacation. If this is true then where does he go from there? Read that Derby are trying to sell Feilhaber to any willing team ready to meet their valuation. Where is he going? Also Has anybody found out anything about Nevin Subotic now at Mainz in Bundesliga 2 and if he is going to be recalled and accept that recall to the USMNT, or is going to be ignored by Bradley and push him to play with Serbia??

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  8. Hey Ives, thanks for doing another Q+A.

    In regards to the draft day trade of Chris Albright to New England…how do u think Albright will fit into Steve Nicol’s team? As much more of a winging defender than a centerback, do u see Nicol going away from the 3 back system to accomodate Albright? Maybe even playing him in the midfield?

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  9. What is the USMNT doing to branch out with the friendlies it plays? While I know we have Spain upcoming, the fact that we have played Mexico, Poland, and Sweden recently seems to dictate that we find new blood (also, we were considering a match w/ Scotland, who we also played in the lead-up to WC2006).

    Are there no nations from other regions than Europe (or other UEFA teams) that would be interested in playing us?

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  10. A prediction question: How long do you think it will be before the quality of MLS exceeds the quality of the Mexican league?
    Thanks, good luck with everything.

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  11. I don’t see Parkhurst making the transition to top class football at CB. Although his positional sense is incredible he seems to lack physical tools, namely his slight stature and recovery speed. The few positional mistakes he makes he gets burned on very badly. I’m just wondering what you see as the depth chart for the nats at CB and whether you see Parkhurst possibly fitting in at full back or holding mid?

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  12. Hello Ives,

    Have you gotten a sense of where the Red Bulls live, at least during the season? With weak salaries, I assume most don’t live in NYC.

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  13. If this was discussed before then I missed it. MLS now will allow teams to sign players from their youth academies (I think it was 5 team had players that have been in their academies long enough to qualify). I’m a little familiar with the notable players in the Red Bulls academy, or at least their names, but who are the notable players in other teams’ academies? Does it look like any of these players have enough ability to help their teams out (or even get some playing time at all on the senior team)?

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  14. Will the MLS really stick to a 30 game schedule this year? I think it would make sense to go to a 32 gamer (3 against conference, 2 out of conference). I was also wondering if the single table might be coming due to MLSnet no longer having the teams at the top of the page seperated by conference.

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  15. Whats the deal with the top prospect Matt Kassel? Heard he is attending the “mini camp” at the end of the month for the Red Bulls.. do you think they’ll sign him?

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  16. Do you think Mo’s past relationships with both Celtic and Rangers (believed to be interested in Lapeira) can keep the Notre Dame standout at TFC while hs game matures for at least a couple years? If so, is this the steal of the draft?

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  17. What do you think the next major technological advance will be in the MLS? Will it be game analysis, equiptment, stadiums, or medical treatments. Do you think the MLS will adopt the new smart soccer ball in the next couple years?

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  18. Dear Ives-

    Can you please explain the love fest for Onyewu and Bocanegra? Especially when it would seem that there are better options in the MNT talent pool, DeMerit, Parkhurst, Robinson, et all.

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  19. 1. Where will Bradley go?

    2. So many people talk about LD, MB, Clint, as playing “outside their ideal positions.” Bob Bradley gave an interview recently about how this annoys him, and that it’s not really how choosing positions and teams really works anywhere else in the world. How much do you think it really matters?

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  20. Ives,

    The site is great. Any chance you may start having a podcast or a video blog? Also, are you hearing anything about Martin Palmero coming to MLS?

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  21. Ives, any idea about the nationality of the 2 players that RBNY is reportedly on the verge of signing?

    also, an ESPN article before the draft about team needs had listed RBNY as having more than 3 draft picks, so were any trades made?

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  22. Edu, Adu, Wynne, Besagno did not help their teams qualify for playoffs. So I like San Jose’s trade of their unproven #1 for a proven vet. I disagree with your SJ rating. #1 picks are good for commentators and publicity. Chance Myers – impact player? Doubt it.

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  23. I think a lot of people agree that Shalrie Joseph is one of the better players in the MLS. However, he’s only registered 11 caps for his native Grenada. For a team that’s 176 in the FIFA rankings, I find it hard to believe they’ve got many better players than Joseph. Do they just not play many international matches? Could we see Joseph missing Revs games to play for Grenada for World Cup qualifiers?

    Also, do you know what jersey # Michael Bradley wears for the senior national team?

    Thanks very much!

    Reply
  24. Looks like I’ll be 49th or 50th, whew.
    Thanks again for the work on th blog….questions are as follows…
    1. Your choice or best choice to take deadball situations for the USMNT?
    2. About the MLS draft….sleeper pick? and who will make the biggest impact?

    Reply
  25. What position does Bradley play with Heerenveen? I’ve read he’s playing more at forward than traditional midfield spot.
    Also news from the Racing Santander’s 1-0 loss to Barcelona on Sunday – I think Szetela is going to have a hard time seeing the playing field. Racing had a M/F injury with 20 minutes remaining and Szetela was the only option at M/F and they went with a D instead when they were down 1-0. Hope he starts finding PT.

    Thanks – great site!

    Reply

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