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SBI Live Q&A (Jan. 20th Edition)

Good afternoon everybody. It's Q&A Time.

Time for us to talk all things soccer (and pop culture) for a few hours.

Want to talk MLS Draft? U.S. national team? European Soccer? Send your questions my way.

Let's get started (Q&A is after the jump):

Comments

  1. I’m commenting less on the Cosmos than on US population growth and economic growth. As it stands, the top league in every other major team sport is based primarily in the US, even ice hockey.

    In the next 40 years US GDP growth will be double that of continental western Europe, which will have an aging population that will decline in size. Even though the UK economy will grow at a similar rate to the US, the difference in GDP will go from 14 – 2 (trillion) to 38 – 5.5 (PWC est.). Even if the US is not producing superior soccer players to England by then (and they almost certainly will be), they will just buy them up. Unless soccer *really* fails to catch on.

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  2. I forgot Hall and Wallace are reunited in Portland. They were a lot of fun to watch in College Park. Their speed and chemistry will give opposing players lots of problems.

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  3. Re: Cosmos never becoming “world class competitors”… never say never, Ives.

    MLS is finally a stable league, and even though it is currently far from world class, it has nowhere to go but up. US/CA demographics and economics are on the side (especially considering the current top leagues are all in Western Europe which has nowhere to go but down relative to other parts of the world) of it eventually becoming world class, even if it takes decades. You should read Soccernomics.

    (SBI-The Cosmos, assuming they ever actually exist, could do well and could wind up with a strong team. I just doubt the club will ever be truly a World Class team. I’ll stand by that all day. Not a knock on the Cosmos, just being realistic.)

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  4. The Gold Cup is 6 months away and Ives is acting like the USMNT is the Oakland A’s, only talking about 18 and 19 year old prospects. Ives, the Nats are our Yankees, the best of the best. Who cares about these scrubs. Let their clubs develop them some more before worrying so much about them.

    (SBI-“Only talking about 18+19 year old prospects”? Get a grip. People are interested in the Under-20 team. If you’re not then move on.)

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  5. Now that Tim Chandler is playing for Nurnberg I at the age of 20, what are the odds on which country he will play for the US or Germany?

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  6. Hi Ives. Talking National Team, it seems to me that Holden needs to be in the center of the field. If the USMNT played a 4-5-1 with him in the hole, dempsey and donovan on the wings, then you think enough goals would be scored? Does the national team, post “project 2010,” have the attacking quality to grow out of a static 4-4-2? After all, it seems to be the trend these days.

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  7. You do not have to have a Green Card to work in the US. You need a work visa, but not a Green Card. There shouldn’t be a hold up for Portland and Nagbe.

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  8. And is to what you are referring (pulled from a Vietnamese news site): “According to FIFA regulation, a player who joins the national team of a country from the starting line-up and plays no more than three games is still permitted to play for other national team.”?

    When have you ever heard that rule? 3 games? Show me the FIFA rule that says that

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  9. He played for the US in the 2007 Copa America.

    And at the time of his first youth cap with the US, he wasn’t yet a citizen of Vietnam.

    So this is kinda like Arteta’s situation

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  10. Off topic but glad to see someone else from el paso on here. Could’ve sworn I was one of about ten usa fans in el paso lol…

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  11. If you actually read the article that is being refered to, you would know that the door is very much open.

    Learn the rules before you spout off, so people like me won’t have to knock u down a peg or two.

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  12. I didn’t realize Germany had MLS alums in their squad. Could you name them? Cuz’ last time I checked, they were the only team that “beat his starting 11”.

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  13. “Xenophobe- A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples”

    In footballing terms, you could correctly call Capello an condescending elitist snob because, for example, he told Beckham that he had to prove himself good enough for the England team by playing in a league of “better quality” or whatever than MLS. Clearly he doesn’t know or care much about MLS.

    However, he is an Italian who has managed many foreign players from many different countries while working in Italy, working in Spain and now working in England so to call him a xenophobe, to say he is unduly contemptuous of foreigners, does not really make sense.

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  14. Ive’s Going out on a limb..but the 2013 U-20 team may have talent comparable to this one: Just a few names

    Nicholas Gaitlan, Renken, Gil, Mario Rodriguez, Kellen Gulley, Pffeifer sp?

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  15. Not that we wouldn’t ‘release’ him if we could, but he made his bed.

    I do remember being impressed by one play of his in that tourney, where he hustled back and saved a shot, knocking it over the bar…but overall he was “OK” nothing that signaled he was ready for the big time.

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  16. Well, considering that he represented South Africa in a game against the US, I’d say Ives won’t be talking about him at all.

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  17. When Capello is ready for some good ol’ American “Humble-Pie”.

    After all, he disrespects our league, quality and the game being played here. Meanwhile, a majority of the players that beat his starting-11 were MLS alums.

    That guy is a xenophobe of immense proportions.

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  18. When are you gonna start talking about Davide Somma at Leeds. Once San Jose earthquake with 8 goals in 14 games for Leeds and an appearance against Arsenal.

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