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It’s Q&A Time

It is that time again, time for you to submit your soccer-related (and pop culture-related) questions to me and for me to provide my answers and opinions.

There has been a lot to discuss since the last Q&A, from the Confederations Cup, the Gold Cup, transfer deals galore to the on-going MLS season.

Send your questions my way and I will do my best to answer them. Please note that not all questions will be answered. Try to keep your questions relatively brief and try not to ask questions that have already been covered lately. Promotion/relegation, Jermaine Jones and national team/MLS/European-based player salaries are just some of the topics you should probably stay away from.

If you're wondering about the last batch of questions from the previous Q&A from June, I will be posting those later today.

For now, send your answers my way and I will look to answer them as quickly as possible.

Fire away. (NO MORE QUESTIONS. Thanks to all of you who took part.)

Comments

  1. Hey Ives Love the site,
    My question is: What will it take to get an MLS entrant into the Copa Libertadores? and will we ever see it in our lifetime?

    thanks!

  2. After his strong Confederations Cup, have you heard anything from the Demerit camp about a possible transfer?

  3. OK, I’m very familiar with the EPL, La Lig and Bundesliga. But could you please rank the top 20 professional leagues in terms of quality of play? 1 being the best? I just have NO IDEA when the US Players are going to teams in Denmark and Sweden, etc., where these leagues rank VS. MLS as well as against other leagues.

    SBI is the best site ever. Thanks, Ives.

  4. It seems like in MLS the refs allow more physical play (read: defenders can assault offensive players frequently without play being stopped) than almost any other league in the world (or maybe MLS is the top of the list).

    But is there any league in the world that needs scoring more than MLS?

    1) A 0-0 score in the USA is far more unacceptable than in other countries that “understand” a score-less draw can ben an exciting game.

    2) Current MLS stars (and potentional MLS imports) shouldn’t feel as though they are unable to display their ability in MLS because they are allowed to be knocked around (just watch Chris Rolfe try to recieve a pass with his back to goal).

    3) MLS doesn’t have enough offensive stars to consistently defeat a defense that can grab, kick, and push with impunity. There are no Drogbas in the league who can score 20 goals even with defenders grabbing a fist full of jersey all the time.

    4) Every other professional sports league in the USA has consistently and frequently created an environment to help increase scoring/offense (NBA: hand checks, zone defense, 3 pt play, NFL: 5 yr WR contact rule, QB protection rules, MLB: designated hitter, limiting time between pitches, allowing steriods (until recently))

    So, do you agree with me that MLS allows far more physical play than most leagues?

    If so, don’t you think it would be in the interest of MLS to protect its stars and encourage scoring?

    Does MLS have input to their refs about how they manage the games, and how tight or loose they are going to be with calling fouls?

    Thanks for the great site, I check it daily.

  5. And who is the worst player you’ve ever seen get consistent playing time in any top division (MLS included)

  6. This is completely ridiculous, but…

    would you be willing to take a stab at 23 tickets to World Cup 2018? Or at the very least, a starting XI?

  7. What’s more annoying: Hearing that horrible Champions League anthem 30 times per game (thank you Heiniken), or hearing Zidane talk about how Messi’s feet taste 30 times per game(thank you Adidas)?

  8. Great site Ives!

    My 2nd question — what on earth happened to Bobby Convey? Three years ago he was an up-and-comer on the highest scoring team in the history of the Championship (Reading) and now is…what?

  9. Ives, Thank you for all your hard work to make this site such a great resource to learn about what is happening in USA soccer. On July 23rd, you posted “One European club’s plan to mine for talent in America”. I am confused how this is possible because I was under the impression that for a man born in the USA from parents born in the USA that the only way he could play for a professional European club was to obtain a certain number (or percentage) of call-ups to the national team in order to qualify for a European work permit. Is this not true? Maybe I am all wrong in my thinking. Please provide any insight to help me understand what leagues Americans with American born parents can or can not move to if a club is interested.

  10. Hey Ives,

    Any chance you might update the site any time soon with some more nerd forum features (e.g. profile pics next to user comments, reply-to buttons, etc…)? You got a great site and a critical mass of readers/contributors. I think a couple bells and whistles could do make things even cooler.

    Thanks for the site!

  11. Hello Ives,

    It appears that Freddy Adu did not go back to Benfica after leaving the Gold Cup. Apparently, he didn’t go back until July 30. It seems odd that Freddy would miss out on his chance to start for the US team to just hang out or take time off. Any idea what is going on?

  12. Since the gung-ho US soccer fans wear read to the USA matches, why doesn’t Team USA design a red jersey that matches the fans color? Am I the only one who thinks its weird that the fans wear red while the team jerseys are this nondescript light bluish grey color?

  13. Which players from the Gold Cup roster do you see (if any) making an impact in the qualifiers? the World Cup?

  14. Just curious, what percentage of your income comes from revenue generated from SBI.com? (You don’t have to go into income numbers.)Could a successful soccer blogger make a living on blogging alone?

  15. Ives, thanks for pimping my Spain vs. US video.

    Donovan and Holden possess great speed with the ball at the feet, but aren’t the best crossers. Dempsey isn’t as fast, but floats and hustles the same way. Ibrahim, Renken, and Gyau are also coming up through the ranks and could become wingers of the same mold as Donovan and Dempsey.

    So are we seeing the future of American wingers? And is that the position that Adu should be trying to learn to get back into the national picture sooner?

  16. Ives, How much further would United States soccer be (all things considered) if we would have received the 1986 FIFA World Cup, which perhaps could haved saved NASL, rather than the 1994 World Cup?

  17. Hiya Ives,

    How much impact does Stuart Holden have upon the USMNT in this World Cup (hopefully including South Africa) and where does he fit in the American team long term? Does he have a place?

  18. hey love your site
    do you think it would be smart to install a soft cap so if teams want to pay they can and if they dont they dont have to the regular salary cap is 2,500,000 and the owners out of their own pockets can pay an additional 2,500,000 on salaries do you think this would make a top 3 or 4 i know the red bulls like this rule they need the money

  19. You are President of the USA for one week – enough time to invade and annex a small country and add it’s top player to the US Men’s National team. Which country do you invade and for what player?

    PS- Before the 2006 WC I would have invaded Grenda for Joseph and maybe Canada for DeRosario. Not so sure now…

  20. Ives,

    With the depth at CM/CDM being by far the strongest part of the USMNT, do you think Bradley would ever think of fielding a 3-5-2?
    Would a backline of Cherundolo, Onyewu, and Bocanegra, be able to succeed with a tandem the likes of Bradley and Jones holding things down in front of them?

  21. Biggest fall from grace:

    Bobby Convey or Eddie Johnson?

    Does either of these players have any sort of chance to earn any more caps? If so, who stands a better chance?

  22. Ives,

    1. With 16 teams and a 30 game schedule, will it be a straight home and home next year in MLS?

    2. Once the league expands to 18 teams, do you anticipate an expanded schedule (34 games) or will some teams only play each other once?

    Thanks.

  23. Ives, in 2011, when MLS will have 18 teams, and presumably a 34 game schedule, do think that MLS would consider a split season type schedule where the season starts in August, has a winter break from mid December until March, and then finishes the season in June? This would make it easier to break for international breaks, and give the advantage of not having the marquee game, the MLS cup, competing with football for TV time.

  24. Ives,

    What do you think of the people who write “first” in the comment sections. Also what do you think of those people who do write “first” but yet they are the second or third person to post?

    Thanks for all your hard work!!!! U DA MAN

  25. Hi Ives,

    Great site. It’s a daily read for me when I wake up in the morning.

    I was wondering what you are hearing about the CBA negotiatians between MLS and the players. In your mind what could be some potential hiccups and do you honestly think we will see a signifigant change in the cap with a new agreement.

  26. Hi Ives,

    I’m trying to understand the game better and wanted to learn more about formations (pros/cons of 442 vs 352 vs 451 etc). Any book or website that would help me understand the tactical side of the game?

    2nd question: Did BB screw up by taking Torres and Wynne to Confederations Cup (and not giving them any playing time) instead of saving them for the Gold Cup? When I look back over the summer, he should have saved Torres & Wynne for the Gold Cup (where they would have actually played) and taken 2 other players to Confed Cup (‘Dolo & ?). That’s the only complaint I have with his roster selections. What do you think?

    Thanks

  27. On the MLS front, you’ve done some nice coverage of the rookies – thanks. Can you give us your takes on some other categories of personnel moves. such as: Best/Worst New MLS Player Signings (Non-Draft), Best/Worst Returning MLS Signings, Best/Worst Trades, Player Who Left MLS And Is Most/Least Missed By Former MLS Team.

    Possible suggestions-

    best new signing: Keller, Ricketts, Huratdo, Jakovic, Alonso, Montero
    worst: Purdy, Bucknor, Garcia, Espindola, Campos

    best returning: Pickens
    worst: Convey

    best trade pickup: Pickens, Marshall, Dunivant, Van den Bergh, DeRosario, Esky
    worst: Cristman

    most missed:Parkhurst
    least missed: McManus

  28. everytime my friends and I watch Forgetting Sarah Marshall, we always argue over the same question which I will now pose to you: who is hotter, kristen bell or mila kunis?

  29. Do you think the US has a chance for one of the top eight seeds in the 2010 world cup? Was the confederations cup performance enough to get them seeded? Will the seeding committee look past the loss in the gold cup final since it was a b or c side? Do they need to qualify first out of concacaf to have a chance at a seed?

  30. Do you think Bob Bradley is wrong for ignoring a player like Arturo Alvarez. Because Alvarez already said countless times publicly that he would love to play for the USMNT. We all know the kid has skills and seems to be more talented than the older players that play his position(Rolfe, Arnaud) that have been called up to the USMNT. He could of at least cup-tied him so he could have him as a option down the line. But it seems Bob Bradley is ignoring him on purpose, why?

  31. Hey Ives

    2 random questions

    1. Who is the cutest WPS player?

    2. Which active MLS player would make a great coach?

  32. Leonarda said in a press conference today, “Thiago Silva can be an added bonus for us going forward, particularly from set-pieces. The two goals he has scored in pre-season confirm that he is attack-minded. He really wants to learn and is improving all the time. I think he is going to do well for us.” Given Gooch likely has to beat out Silva for playing time, does this mean Gooch is going to be relegated to the Bench for the majority of the season?

  33. Hey Ives,

    Two Random Questions!

    1. Who is the cutest WPS Player?

    2. Which active MLS play would make a great coach?

  34. People may clamor for a foreign coach but did you know that only managers leading their native country have won the world cup?

  35. 1)Any new rumors about the Fire adding any new players? With the playoffs coming up I wouldn’t mind alittle bit more depth to our team. I’d think if Justin Mapp doesn’t do anything good in the next couple games, trade’em for some allocation money and get someone new.

    2) Not really a question but check out my new website for the Fire when you get the chance! http://thefireatthebridge.hostzi.com/

  36. If you took the USA’s likely 23 man roster for next summer and Mexico’s, which would you consider stronger? Assume everyone is healthy and you’re just looking at which roster is better on paper, not which side would play better together, chemistry, etc.

  37. With Americans plying their craft in Europe and we always here how poor the MLS league is, can you rank all the major leagues and tell us where you think MLS stands? Does Cooper and other going to 2nd division European leagues provide them better competition than laying here?

  38. Jamie Trecker over at Fox Soccer Channel has been critical of Bob Bradley’s tactics in both the Confed Cup and the Gold Cup, specifically the lack of a consistent gameplan. Do you think he lacks the tactical ability to coach at the national team level or is he just adapting to whatever group of players he has and the opponent he is facing? Love the site, keep up the good work.

  39. Yo what up Ives, What is your take on some “American sports fans” being I guess in a way defensive when the topic of soccer comes up. On other sports websites some people seem to make it their duty to try and bash it for no particular reason. I honestly dont let it bother me at all but now I see it more and more simply because the interest of soccer seems to be rising. Why are some people so bias of soccer in America? We all know that soccer is not close or even going to be close to the top 3 sports in America. Yet it kind of seems like they feel threatned. I know some people will disagree but Im just pointing out what I encounter with people I know or what I see online.

  40. Hi Ives,

    Who exactly received the revenue from these summer exhibitions in the US (World Football challenge, etc.)? MLS? European teams? ESPN? FSC?

  41. looking around at club soccer, high school soccer, and other youth leagues in america, and hispanic players such as torres and orozco already in USMNT squads, how much time before the full mens side boasts a majority latino squad? are there racist attitudes towards that happening or could it be simply a matter of playing styles (hispanics play a more individual game where as the current U.S. style is more touch and go.)

Comments are closed.