Comments

1. Ives,

   Thanks for the site and conrats on winning Top American Blog. Few quick questions.

   1. What do you rate more highly–Charlie Davies’ season at Hammarby or Kenny Cooper’s season at Dallas? They’re about the same for me. Anyway, this leads me to question two…

   2. Is Scandinavia really a gateway to bigger European leagues? I’ve heard this line for quite some time, and I’m wondering which (if any) American players have been able to use a Scandinavian team as a springboard to, say, England, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, or even Holland or Portugal? I’m not necessarily knocking those leagues–the paycheck is certainly better, so I fault no one for plying their trade their–but it seems like if you perform well in MLS, European clubs are starting to notice. Just wondering if you think the springboard theory is, at the very least, overstated. And on to completely unrelated number 3…

   3. I’ve never been a big fan of Hejduk. He’s bad on the ball, he’s reckless in the tackle, and his one great skill–running fast/getting forward–is largely negated by his inability to throw in a good cross.
   a. Do you think he’ll make the 2010 roster?
   b. Do you think he deserves it?
   I think someone needs to tell him “you had a…run, it’s over, ‘No Woman No Cry,’ stay in Columbus–you’ve got a good thing going.”

2. Ives – should Sarah Walker and Chuck Bartowski get together this season? I say yes; I don’t want one of those dragged-out plot lines. What do you think?

3. How is Johnny Exantus doing with the Belgian club? What is his update?

4. Ives,

   Even if Kansas City paid half of VDB’s salary last year, shouldn’t the Red Bulls shell out in 2009 at least the full amount of what VDB earned last year if not a little bit more? The Red Bulls need a center attacking midfielder, center back and forward; shouldn’t they keep a proven player like VDB rather than have to replace him as well?

5. Ives,

   Best wishes for the coming year. Knowing that NYRB is in desperate need for more depth, what players in your opinion, should they be looking at for the midfield and defense? I’m interested to see what lineup would you put together for our first game in ’09 using existing players? And, who do you think might make the most sense to play with Angel up front?

6. Hey Ives: Thanks so much for taking my question. Would you ever consider an article providing us with information about charities which have an affiliation with soccer? I know that some of the MLS teams have their own charitable groups that they support and some might have their own foundations and such. I know about the local GrassRoots soccer group from that Survivor winner, but I’m sure that there are other worthy charities out there that could use the publicity in these trying times. What do you think? Happy New Year!

7. Ives,

   It seems that Jossimar Sanchez has left the Red Bulls Academy for PDA. Do you know why? And who remains as the top RBNY prospects?

   Thanks

8. 1)I thought the ussf should have hired a tandem of Steve Nicol and Mo Johnston. Or even Peter Nowak as head coach. Would this have been a good idea.

   2)Do you think Toronto FC will be a 20 game winning team next season if they pickup Osei Telesford, a DP forward and 3 1st round picks.

9. Happy New Year Ives.

   With only 24 roster spots available on MLS teams, there will be fewer spots available to those leaving college. What are the best options for college soccer players attempting to play soccer professionally? USL? Overseas?

10. Ives,

    If you were to make a USMNT soccer player from spare parts of either former or current USMNT players, whose parts would you use? i.e. whose head would you use, best for headers, whose eyes, has best vision of the game, whose hands, goalie, whose legs for speed, whose feet for touch, and brain for overall abilities?

11. Hey Ives,

    One thing that really bothers me is the hole we (USMNT) has at Left Back. What do you think our best options are? I personally would like to see Boc move to lb as he has distinguished himself as one of the top lb’s in the French ligue. Spector is also another intriguing prospect. I have never been a fan of Bornstien or Pearce…Wade Barret and Harrington are even farther below. Thoughts?

12. What do you think about the future of the USL? Teams are trying to leave to MLS, Atlanta folded, and there are rumors of some teams breaking away to form their own league. Will the league continue to survive and will it be able to expand?

13. Re: Steve and Chris

    Here’s a link to an article on Sky a while back on the theory of player development according to Arsene Wenger. Some pretty interesting stuff. It’s also a bit depressing because it shows that we tend to go about manufacturing players in the completely opposite manner than do the Gunners. I’d rather do it their way.

    happy new year! http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_3965309,00.html

14. A year ago, the San Jose Earthquakes resumed play in MLS with part-owner Billy Beane, the man behind Moneyball and the GM of the Oakland A’s. He wanted to bring to his Moneyball tactics from baseball to help him run the Earthquakes alongside John Doyle. My question is have you heard or seen any evidence of Billy Beane’s Moneyball tactics being applied to the MLS franchise this past season? If so, please list some examples.

15. Great site Ives I appreciate all your hard work. Why haven’t youth clubs made moves to grow into professional rank adult teams also? Start with youth teams and build them up to one day having a professional team say at the MLS/USL level. A real soccer club with full training facilities etc. Thanks.

16. Ives-
    1) Any news about the fringe players on the Red Bull? Will players like Ubi and Sassano get a raise?

    2) Cat, dog, or other?

17. Damn- I blink and there are 75 questions already!

    Mine: I think the international tv rights for MLS is an interesting story. I think that once MLS is attracting younger international players closer to the prime of the careers (or on the early upside), they will be able to start selling rights more broadly. After all, a noon Saturday game in New York is a five o’clock game in London. There would be an audience for a quality product. Do you think MLS is thinking along these lines? Is it a viable idea?

18. Ives,

    Why do you have no love for Portland? Enjoy your site BTW..

19. Two “essay” questions for you, Ives:

    (1) Can you review or summarize which leagues around the world determine champions by regular-season records (e.g., Europe) and which leagues have playoffs (e.g., Mexico)?

    (2) Can you explain the transfer-window rules? To which leagues, players, teams, and “movements” (player leaving vs. player arriving) do they apply?

20. btw

    absolutely love the site keep up the good work.

21. Happy, happy, Ives.

    Here goes: in your estimation, who has the best hair in the world game right now?

    Hint, hint: you can’t go wrong by picking any random Italian or Argy player. Having said that, there are some African players who have made tremendous strides in le coiffure.

22. How good do you think Michael Bradley is? After he had such a good goal scoring season at Heerenveen, I thought that success might continue to the Bundesliga. But although hes started a bunch of games, he isn’t scoring a lot and has struggled lately.
    Is there an adjustment period when starting in Germany? Is his play a result of playing on a bad team? is it that he is playing a different position or can his lack of production be attributed to something else?

23. Ives,

    1. Now that it looks like Sacha Kljestan is going to Europe he has been rumored to a bunch of clubs including Zenit St. Petersburg, Shalke, Manoco, and FC Twente. What league and/or team to you think would be best for him? If he goes to the Eredivisie could that hurt his progress defensively? His defensive is getting better but it is less than desired.

    2. Why is Dempsey playing so well recently? Did Roy Hodgson get the best out of him by benching him in the beginning of the year and forcing him to play his best and earn his spot in the starting XI? Is it his USMNT form carrying over to the EPL? Or is it just him playing good and I’m just overthinking?

24. Ives –
    Thanks for the site and all the work you do to keep us informed and entertained!

    Here’s a “question from hell”*:
    Where do see yourself and the site in five years? Ten years? (Acknowledging that there are known knowns, unknown knowns, etc, like technology, the news biz, soccer decisions)

    * (“a question I hate to ask and you may hate to answer” (courtesy Chuck Mertz, host of “This is Hell” on WNUR 89.3 Evanston, IL).

25. Hey Ives,

    We’ve all seen the effects of the DP rule in MLS and I’ve seen commercials trying to compare the MLS to american football, but it seems the general American public is still very unaware that soccer exists. Personally, it seems like a lot of people have some sort of vendetta against soccer (aka Jim Rome), and are completely close-minded toward the game. What do you think can be done or what will it take to really push soccer into the mainstream, and do you think soccer will ever be as highly regarded in this country as the NFL or MLB? I think MLS and US Soccer could be a little more aggressive in their marketing efforts.

    Thanks! Keep up the great work!

26. Ives -also, if you were Dave Kasper and could make 3 trades for DC – what would they be?

27. Hey Ives,

    Do you think Honduras has a shot to clinch one of the 3 spots for Automatic WC qualification ? also do you know where the US vs Honduras game will be played here in the States?

28. Happy New Year’s Ives. I’d like to know your oppion of the top 10 (most interesting or important) American moves in the January transfer window. Who and where – although by the time the answer gets posted, we may have the answers!

29. Who will be the surprise team of 2009? I like what KC is doing with all the experience their young players now have. Will they break out this year?

30. Re the 10,000 hours. I heard a player needs 1,000,000 touches to be at the professional level. When (relatively) older players like Johnson haven’t had that many touches, is there hope that they will gain the skill later? Or does it only work if you’re young?

31. Ives, Great site, I love the Q&A but I rarely see anything about RSL so I thought I would throw these questions out at you,

    1. Obviously RSL needs a more leathal finisher than they have if they want to go all the way, but other than that, what addition do you think they need to indeed go all the way?

    2. Why doesn’t Kyle Beckerman get called up for any MNT friendlies, he is obviously one of the better defensive midfielders in the MLS and lately with the US friendlies it has been very pro-mls, so why not give KB another chance?

    Thanks Ives

32. Ok 3 v 3 soccer tournament. Teams are Jimmy McNulty, Kima and Lt. Daniels, and Stringer Bell, Avon and Bodie. Who wins?
    I’d go with Baltimore PD and I think McNulty would carry them as a striker. He clearly would be a good player, and I think Kima would be nasty in the midfield and Daniels would D up. Stringer would be on D and he wouldn’t be able to contain McNulty’s speed.
    A better question might be is there a better TV show than The Wire?

33. Which clubs/national teams have the best jerseys, at least your favorites? I liked Holland’s for the 2008 Euros.

34. I am just curious as to why individual MLS teams are not able to negotiate independently with with companies that provide the jerseys and gear. Too many MLS teams jerseys are similiar. The only difference is the color pattern. I think each team should be able to have a jersey designed by Puma, Adidas, Nike, and etc. I feel like this would give teams even more of an identity. Your thoughts?

35. Thanks for the site Ives. This may have been covered already, but what cities do you see hosting the next round of WCQ games?

36. Happy New Year Ives,

    I was just reading Malcolm Gladwell’s new book “Outliers” (a must read) and he had a chapter which focused on how people become experts, or world class at something. The data he presented seemed to indicated that what separates the greatest people in a given field is the amount of time spent practicing. He said that once someone has done something for around 10,000 hours he/or she should be an “expert” in that field. Applying this to the soccer, I think the reason that the US has not produced a true world class player yet is that soccer is usually never a child’s main focus in the US, like in other countries. This lack of constant practice might be what is holding us back as a soccer nation. I also think the data would seem to indicate the need for an academy based system, and a reserve system. Thoughts?

37. Ives – Happy New Year. My question is how on earth did Max Bretos get a job? He is garbage. What can we do (SBI community)to get him replaced by you? Ever thought about commentating?

38. Ives,

    You may have covered this in another Q&A, so feel free to pass this Q over. But,….since Bradley gave Beasley a half at LB versus Cuba there’ve been many within the US soccer community who’ve believed he could be the answer there (not me). Assuming there’s a ready replacement for him at LMid, how does he compare to our other options?

    And since you may skip my 1st Q, I’ll ask a second. Who would make your MLS All Time – All Heart team? A team composed of players who didn’t whine, didn’t dive, but gutted out games whistle to whistle despite any pain or limitation.

    Happy New Year from a devoted SBI junkie.

39. This regards the recent decision of Neven Subotic. All feelings aside, I’m wondering if there are any lessons to be learned here. About 4 months ago, an article ran on Neven, centered around his experiences with our youth sides. In the article, it was stated that Neven was always separate from the other players and, in fact, commented on his lack of feeling “integrated.” If true (and I would like your impressions around this), do you feel that our program understands the importance of building camaraderie/friendship as much as skill? Your take?

40. Hey Ives, why do you think bob bradley never wears a suit, or even a nice dress shirt to the games? I think it would look classier than the team training gear, and maybe people might think he knew what he was doing if he were to dress up a little bit. You know dress for success.

    – Brandon

41. Do you think it would be a resonable to allow american national team regulars to come home as dp’s without it counting against your cap or taking up your dp slot? I guess I’m asking should teams be allowed to have a 2nd dp of american decent

42. Hey Ives, long time no post. Love the site. If this question is a repeat or whatever, my apologies please feel free to disregard. So looking at MLS and potential top foreign talent/DPs coming in…do you think MLS still gets enough bang for the buck with a big name as it did before, or would it be better in this phase of maturation for MLS teams only to bring in players based on contributions to the team completely regardless of name/stature/draw. That is, is it better to NOT have a DP and go with more “mid-level” players (ie RBNY may be doing in 09), or is it still really worth the hype of an aged star…?

43. I would like to let sponsers of MLS know that I make an effort to purchase their products simply because they sponser MLS. With sponsership money a little more scarce these days, I am hoping a few words will go a long way. Do you know of a site where I would easily be able to obtain emails to do this (or who to write to at MLS)?

    Have you checked out Mad Men on AMC? I think you said you were looking for something new to watch and it is pretty good. It took me a few episodes to get into to, but now I’m hooked.

    Thanks for your site and all your work!

44. here’s my 2 completely unlrelated questions :

    Is red bull, as a corporation, happy with the status of the redbull within the NY/NJ market? I can’t imagine a company that size would be content to virtually ignore a population the size of new york city. We’ve talked about the fact that their home market is the NJ suburbs and whatnot, but as a company attempting to make money it seems odd that they ignore it. I thought once they took over we’d see a revisit to the NYC fans. Do you think we could see another attempt with the new stadium coming, or have they completely given up on the market?

    2) Nelson Becerra from SJU… MLS talent or flash in the pan?

    Thanks

45. Will Jozy or Freddy ever end up on one of the BIG 4? If not any idea what american player might?

46. Dear Ives,

    Do you miss Eric Wynalda being in ESPN’s commentating booth just as much as I do? I know that the man is a walking time bomb of insensitivity just waiting to explode, but I think he was a great commentator. Without Wynalda JP Dellacamera, Rob Stone, Julie Foudy, and the like seem to lack the gumption to tell the game like it is. Wynalda would let you know when someone was struggling, and he could capture the intensity of a USA/Mexico rivalry like no one’s business. Do you think televised soccer lost something when it (justifiably) axed their “tough guy” personality?

47. hey ives, couple red bulls questions, thanks for taking your time to read all this nonsense:
    is it just me, or does kevin goldthwaite seem like one of the slowest players on the field every game?
    the way i see it, the red bulls never have enough depth in defense — is there a reason they focus on offensive positions?

48. Do you foresee any changes/tweaks to the MLS playoff format for 2009 or will things stay the same for a couple of years until more teams are added? What changes could you see them making to the current format? (And no, I’m not asking about going to a single table format…that horse has been beaten rather severely for the time being)

49. Do you like indoor soccer? I hate playing it, hate watching it, hate basically everything about it.

50. Hey Ives,

    Thanks again for all you do and best of wishes for the blog as we head into 2009.

    As for a question, a while back we had heard that Red Bull had lost almost all of their sponsors, and that is why during games the only real sponsor ever mentioned was the red bulls themselves. This was coupled with the massive amount of money that the red bulls lost in their first year. Can you shed any more recent news on these topics?

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