Your Questions Answered (Half of them for now)

Good morning folks. It’s a rainy and ugly Wednesday morning in Jersey and I’m about to get started on another busy day of blogging and reporting. I know it’s been almost two weeks since questions were submitted for a Q&A session and I have finally found the time to answer them.

More than 70 questions were submitted so it took a while and I will only post half of my responses now. The rest will come later today (Hopefully). As I have stated before, I may not always have the right answers. I can just give you what I know to be true and my own take on things.

So here they are, (Some of) your questions answered:

LANDIS- A few weeks ago you did a piece on the Dempsey v Donovan positional dilemma. Right now Dempsey is our best option at striker, while I’ve always seen Donovan as a center forward tucked in behind the striker. I feel that our dilemma is a lack of options at right midfield. What viable options does Bradley have currently, and who our our prospects to fill the position for 2010?

IVES- Well, the dearth of right wing options is a reason why I see Donovan playing there. Sal Zizzo, Johann Smith Lee Nguyen are probably the best young prospects coming through the pipeline but they are still at least a year or two away from contributing to the national team at the very least. Could one of them be a viable option by 2010? Definitely. And if that is the case then Donovan would be freed up to play at forward or in an attacking midfield position.

FRANCIS- What about Rossi’s two goals this weekend?

IVES- Rossi is one of the best young forwards in Europe and people who don’t think he could ever crack the Italian national team are mistaken. Remember, he is just 20, so he has two more World Cup cycles. And that is assuming he doesn’t change his mind about playing for the United States.

BEN- How do you see the Red Bulls handeling NE or DC in the first round of the playoffs? Do you think if they keep up their form they have a good chance to make it to the eastern conference finals?

IVES- Hey Ben, as you know by now, the Red Bulls didn’t maintain that strong form and are now stumbling into the playoffs. I still say New England is a much better match-up. I just don’t see them beating DC in a series.

BRIAN.MLS– What is the deal with Mendes? I heard that he was injured but it appears that he has just completely fallen out of favor with Arena. He hasn’t even made the bench. Is this due to injury?

IVES- Mendes originally went to the bench because Bruce Arena thought Seth Stammler was playing better so the switch was made. Unfortunately for Mendes, he got hurt and fell out of the rotation. He is close to fully recovered from his ankle injury but I’m not sure whether Arena will tinker with his back-line at this point in the season. He will have to consider it. I will go on record right now saying that a Parke-Mendes central defense tandem is just a better match-up against New England than a Parke-Stammler tandem.

GREG- What ever happend to Freddy Adu at Benifica?

IVES- Adu is there, working hard toward seeing more action. He is starting to dress regularly and his two penalty kicks in Benfica’s Cup win a week ago surely earned Adu some consideration in the eyes of Benfica’s new coach.

KILMIER- 1) Any further news on Red Bull Park or the Website?

2) What’s with the Red Bulls jerseys on Saturday? Was it another one of those "special nights" where they had to wear the road jerseys for the cancer raffle?

IVES– I put a call in to speak to Red Bulls officials about the stadium. Still waiting to hear back. Getting info from the front office is like trying to get a straight answer from your insurance company.

ERIK– When are you and the rest of the local soccer press going to start hardballing RBNY on the stadium issue? Yes, I know were getting it, but everything is very weird about it. The site has had nothing happening for a long time now. Additonally, did you buy what I thought to be a cover story, that of environmental and structural foundation delays? Why is this story just sitting there like the white elephant in the room and no one with a press credential is saying anything?

IVES– Hardballing. Interesting term. Well, there is so much soccer news to cover that it is sometimes easier to shift the focus away from the Red Bulls stadium issue. You may be dying to know what’s going on, as are some others, but there isn’t exactly a strong public clamor for it. That said, I try to speak to these folks and don’t get straight answers. Could I press them more? Probably, but if a team doesn’t want coverage, and the public isn’t clamoring for the stuff, then the team doesn’t get covered.

What I have heard is that there were delays caused by the need for more site clean-up (some old foundations underground that needed to be dug out for one). The added clean-up isn’t stopping the project, just delaying it. The thing is that once Red Bull said 2008 wasn’t happening they bought themselves a full year to deal with that issue, which means it would no longer have the 2008 opening hanging over them and we could stop pressing them about a summer 2008 opening. As it stands the stadium should be ready for the start of the 2009 season.

JASEN– Ives, what do you think the odds of Amado being an RBNY next year are?

IVES– I would say the odds aren’t great at all, probably the same odds of ever finding you sober at a pre-game tailgate. Kidding.

DANNYC58– Two Questions for me.

1) You said Johnson looks smart for not signing with Derby. I get the gist since they are likely to go down. But what league or team in the world, thats in the top division and NOT a relegation threat could you ever see signing him?

2) Who’s your favorite NFL team? (You said you played/loved American football!)

IVES– I’m not sure where Johnson winds up. I’ve never been sold on the guy and I can’t imagine teams are sold either, otherwise a worthy bid would have come through by now. The thing is, you can sign for lower table teams but Derby looked to have no shot of staying up. A Fulham or Reading would be a better spot.

As for my favorite NFL team, it is the Washington Redskins. Why? Well, I was like six or seven years old and got hooked on the Riggins Redskins. Never stopped being a fan. At this point, with soccer overtaking my life, the Redskins are the only non-soccer sports team I still follow religiously. The NBA, college hoops, college football and baseball have died slow deaths in my world because of soccer (though I still follow baseball for fantasy purposes).

STEVE W– Why are there no top class US players in top leagues around the world? Essien, Suazo, and earlier George Weah and…well you get it. These players are from countries with paltry resources and antiquated sports science methodologies. In other words, why hasn’t the US produced more class players given the resource base, unsurpassed medical practices, and large financial investment? Is it cultural? Is it structural? Is it media related?

IVES– If I had the answer to that Steve I would be a very rich man. The thing is your examples prove the point that there is no exact science, no formula, no sure-fire way to throw money at that situation. It goes beyond money. I don’t think people realize how tough it is for a country where soccer isn’t the top sport to produce top-flight stars. I don’t see Venezuela cranking out guys (though Juan Arango is a beast), or Lithuania (where hoops is king) and Cuba isn’t shipping guys to Serie A (yes, I get the political constraints but you get the idea.) Having the resources the United States has will help cultivate the talent we do have, but finding that extra special superstar isn’t going to be easy.

So yes, culture plays a big part. You can argue that the structure of US Soccer doesn’t help but I get the feeling the USSF has taken some really important steps toward fixing a system that needed fixing.

ROEHL– Ives, Please say a few good things about Chris Leitch so I won’t be screaming for Arena’s head every time the guy gets a start. Thanks!

IVES– I think Leitch has gotten way more criticism than he deserves. I know that may sound crazy to Red Bulls fans but that’s my take. He certainly had a horrible game against Real Salt Lake, there is no disputing that, but the games before and after that, games he is being killed for, I don’t think he was THAT terrible in.

Against New England there is a lot of talk about his bad clearance but it was still a great play by Twellman to collect it and he still had to beat Seth Stammler and Ronald Waterreus on that play so I’m not killing Leitch for that play. The own goal in Toronto was the worst play that could happen to him because fans were already way down on him for the RSL game. Folks, you can argue that he didn’t have to boot the ball into his own net but Leitch tried to make a play to save the goal. It was once again Stammler and Waterreus who let the ball roll by them in front of goal and Leitch knew Jeff Cunningham was racing in. Leitch was running full speed and had to try and make a play. Unfortunately for him and the Red Bulls he put it into his own net. Was he really being that horrendous otherwise against Toronto? I don’t think so.

Is Leitch reminding anybody of Gianluca Zambrotta? Of course not. His crossing is still bad and he has probably lost a step from his days being the fastest MetroStar, but Leitch is still servicable and has enough experience to be useful come playoff time. Does that mean Hunter Freeman shouldn’t get a chance? No, but the vibe I get is that Leitch will keep the job. That could definitely change though.

JUAN– What one skill do you believe (pace, technique, etc) is the most useful in helping a player adjust to the EPL? Furthermore, what league would resembles the EPL the most (French, German, etc)? I pose these questions because I find the fact that some players can adjust to the EPL and others struggle interesting.

IVES– You need them all my friend. The EPL’s speed of play and physical nature make strength, pace and technical skill all key. I think the physical nature of the league makes it a tough adjustment for some players from Latin American and certain European countries where defending is a little less physical and more tactical.

CPTKevin– (1) how bad was the offisides call at the end of the first half vs. NE on Saturday? was it close or was it a blown call?!

(2) when will Carlos M be back in the starting line-up?

IVES– The one on Angel was legit, not sure if we’re talking about the same play since it was two weeks ago.

As for Mendes, I can’t see why he doesn’t get the call. If Arena isn’t happy with Leitch and not convinced about Freeman I wonder if he would consider Stammler at right back. I don’t think he wants to experiment that much at this point in the year though. For me, if New England is the Red Bulls’ first-round opponent I use Mendes and Parke in central defense.

ROMAN– Che Ives..que pasa hermano? Yo creo que Ronaldinho se va a Canada para jugar el ano que viene. Chau

IVES– Sigue sonando. Ronaldinho viene a Nueva York en 2010 despues del Mundial.

SUPER METRO– Do you happen to know what Arena’s plans were (if there were any) when he let go Graham and Regan? Was there an original major defender in the works and when that fell through we ended up with consolation prize Goldthwaite?

IVES– The sense I get is that the Red Bulls thought they had Tony Sanneh in the bag. That was before Chicago changed its mind and shipped him off to Colorado. What I find funny is that one of the explanations for not dealing him to the Red Bulls was apparently the fact that the Red Bulls are a conference opponent and Colorado isn’t. Given the playoff structure in the league I find that argument pretty ridiculous. As it stands, Chicago is now trying to fend off Colorado, among other teams, for a playoff spot.

Back to the question. I think Arena was just not convinced that Graham or Regan could be relied on. Both looked pretty bad in the limited action they saw and neither was lighting it up in training. To be honest I don’t think either of those players would have made a difference the rest of the way. Arena would have still switched Stammler to central defense.

JIG– Any idea how Johann Smith is coming along with his rehab? Once he does recover, you think he might feature in any Bolton fixtures outside the Carling Cup? They’re pretty bad.

IVES– Smith is back playing with Bolton’s reserves and doing well. Why he hasn’t at least earned a place on the bench is beyond me. Then again, Bolton’s manager is on thin ice so he’s probably not too worried about getting the young kids experience.

CENTREJACK– Could you give us a little insight on one of the biggest problems in the league – officiating.

Specifically I am wondering about post game tape reviews for training purposes or for disciplining the officials or players. A good example was the TFC at RBNY incident when Lombardo punched Freeman in the peaches and there were no suspensions or anything even though it was caught on tape. So my question what is the review procedure for bad calls and what is the review procedure for no calls? Part two – have any refs been censured for bad officiating?

IVES– I would absolutely love to get an inside look into the process the league goes through to analyze situations like that one (and the Rico Clark-Carlos Ruiz incident). It still boggles my mind how Lombardo didn’t even get a fine for that play since it was so obvious.

NUTMEGGER– Red Bull Park update please. Is it going to happen? NM

IVES– Is Red Bull Park going to happen? I don’t think that has been an issue for a while. The question has been when. Start of 2009 is the target date and it looks good at this point.

ALEX– Any indication what the MLS going to do with the salary cap in the offseason? There have been some articles suggesting it would increase 500k-1M, any truth to this?

IVES– Nobody knows for sure what the league will do next year. I haven’t heard anything new but I think MLS realizes the reality of the situation. You have a league set to expand for the second straight season. You need an infusion of talent and you need money to pay for that new talent, otherwise you’re going to settle for below average players and the product suffers. If MLS gives teams a second DP slot then I can see the cap jumping by 500K to 1 million. Without the second DP slot? I wonder if the league bumps it up that much.

KPUGS– Sausage: hot or sweet? Mustard? Onions?

IVES– Sweet with mustard. I’m still recovering from all the bratwurst at the World Cup last year so thanks for making me sick.

BRAD– Which MLS players do you see as possibly going overseas in the January transfer window? Any chance MLS players start getting loaned from January to May/June to teams overseas to train?

IVES– I think Eddie Johnson is a goner. I think Andy Dorman leaves and I see Bobby Boswell leaving. Contract status is a big factor in who goes. As far as players being loaned, I can’t imagine too many MLS teams lining up to let key players go abroad for six months. I know Toronto FC has been rumored to be considering loaning out Edu and Wynne. I can understand that one a little more because Mo Johnston is concerned about how much time Edu and Wynne will be losing by being with the U.S. Olympic team.

I can’t help but wonder if Ricardo Clark would go on loan. I’m not sure how his suspension would work if he were on loan. Would he get credit for games missed while on loan? Probably not. That said, it really wouldn’t surprise me if Clark is ready to pack his bags.

LAKAI– Whats the deal with RBP, the construction is very slow. Is it the same construction company working on the training ground also? Are they putting more effort to finishing the training ground for the proposed date of 2008, and also how is the construction at the training ground site.

Whats you with the RBP website its been out dated for a while now. I wounldnt mind for the FO to finish up the training ground for 2008 and then make the construction crew work like RSL’s construction crew and put the stadium up in a year.

Also you were right about Reyna i was so pleased about his play and i was sad that he didnt score that game, if he does keeps it up and plays like this throught out his time with the bulls then he is worth the money, or could it be his newly died hair i didnt see any gray spots on his head at the end of the game.

Thanks ives

IVES– I addressed the stadium situation earlier. As for the training ground, I’ve got no info on that. I do believe the stadium is ready for the start of 2009.

As for Reyna, it is very simple. When he’s healthy he can still control a match. That is why he is still key to what the Red Bulls can do in the playoffs against a New England or DC.

MATT L– 1. Will BMO field have synthetic turf next year? They have had injury problems this year and several Canadian nationals (Thomas Radzinski) as well as Aston Villa players (Melberg, among others) commented how they would consider playing in MLS and at Toronto specifically, but hated the turf. When, if ever, will they go grass?

2. Who are the next best bets to go to Europe? A penny for your thoughts on Rico Clark, M. Edu, Altiore, Kljestan, Guzan, E. Johnson?

3. Is Dane Richards the Aaron Lennon of the MLS (great pace but limited end-product)?

4. Where does ESPN get its soccer producers and "camera-guys"? The producers often allow the broadcast to come off of live play for replays, interviews, and other non-sense and the mid-field camera is always too tight, they need to show the field sideline to sideline. Can you lead a petition to send them to "Soccer on TV school"? Are they looking to correct this? Surely they must get complaints.

5. If the MLS goes single table it could reduce the number of league games played by the teams. Could this safe the US Open Cup by giving these games better time/day slots? Is there any chatter about GolTV or FSN buying the US Open Cup TV rights and publicizing games?

6. I think the MLS and US Soccer in general would benefit from being more "technical" and less "physical". One way to do this is to change the way the games are called, rewarding technical play and punishing brutish play. Have you heard any talk about the quality / performance of MLS referees and their influence on the style of the league?

IVES- 1. I don’t know. 2. I answered that before. 3. Yes, nice comparison. 4. I would never claim to know a thing about TV production so I’ll leave that one alone. 5. MLS isn’t changing its structure to help save the Open Cup. 6. You can’t change the DNA of a league by simply changing the way games are called. Yes, the referees are terrible, but MLS would still be a physical league even if the refs were better or calling games tighter.

PAUL M– i drove by the RB Park about 1 week ago and saw zero progress or activity — clearly this will not be ready before 2009. what’s the deal? what is the update on personnel in RB FO? what will the suffering be like in Giants stadium next year?

IVES– You’re right. It is very unlikely to be done before 2009. Nothing new on the Red Bulls front office, just the same guys with the same jobs. As for the stadium suffering, I’m not sure how it can get worse for Red Bulls fans.

PATRICK– Which American has suprised you the most in Europe this year?
Thanks

IVES– I have to say Clint Dempsey. I wasn’t a real believer until seeing him flourish this past few months.

EDWARD– Whatever happened to all the ‘You Write the Caption’ winners? I don’t think you’ve posted the winners for the past several pictures.

MLS related, who do you see as some of the top prospects coming out of college and into the draft (the ones who presumably want to play here)?

IVES– I did skip a few YWTC winners and will have to go back and find them so the winners get their due.

As for top college prospects, here are some: O’Brian White, Mike Videira, Mike Grella, Andre Akpan, Joseph Lapira, Eliseo Giusfredi, Corben Bone and Jonathan Villanueva.

ANDY– Random question, what ever happened to former #1 draft pick Nic Besgano? Why was he picked so highly and does he have the skill or potential (2-3 years later) to justify being picked first?

IVES– He looks to have joined the long line of former MLS No. 1 picks to be complete flops. Well, to be fair, he’s still only 18 but it’s safe to say that was still one of the worst picks in MLS history.

JOE K– You may have addressed this earlier in the season, but I wasn’t always a reader and watching the Red Bulls play keeps bringing the question back:

Why did the Red Bulls trade Wynne? Why trade Dunivant; did Bruce Arena really believe in Goldwaithe?

#2: Americans seem to excel in Europe as defenders more often than as strikers. Why does it seem like there’s a dearth of good defenders in the MLS (I’m looking at the red bulls here)?

IVES– The Red Bulls thought they could cover the right back position at a cheaper price so they unloaded Wynne, whose contract was big and set to get bigger in 2008. As for the Dunivant trade, Arena just wasn’t a big Dunivant fan and he felt Goldthwaite was a good prospect. That trade still boggles my mind because dealing them straight up is bad enough, but to have the Red Bulls paying a portion of Dunivant’s salary in the deal is insane.

JON G– If a goalkeeper, being the last man, takes down an oncoming attacker in his penalty area, and they are rewarded a PK, but the GK is sent off, for denying a goalscoring opportunity, is the defending team allowed to make a sub (2nd GK for a field player) before the PK is taken? Because I know that there is a rule where you can’t perform a substitution during a penalty kick, but it sounds crazy to think that the PK shooter would be permitted to shoot on an empty net.

IVES– Are you really serious? Teams can replace their goalkeepers who are sent off.

H4– Where do you think Emilio would be on the U.S. depth chart? Are there other MLS internationals that have not played for another country that would be starters, or close to it, on the MNT (Mendoza, Dorman, Fred, Toja are possibile candidates)?

IVES– That’s such a tough one. I think Emilio is better than any other American forward in MLS so I guess that means he would start for the US if he could play for the US. Actually, I take that back. If you consider DOnovan a forward then he gets the edge over Emilio, but Emilio would be on the team. That said, Emilio would also be 31 by the next World Cup so I’m not sure he’d be in a position to beat out a mature Jozy Altidore or Clint Dempsey for a starting role.

DOMINGHOSA– Your predictions for the playoffs?
And postseason awards?
Thanks homey…

IVES– Those are coming, I’m not giving those away just yet.

TOMMYMCB– I have heard commentators refer to stats like time of possesion and number of passes before a team gives up the ball, but I have never seen them listed on any game reports. Is there a way of finding detailed stats on a game? and is it worth the average fans time to look at them?

IVES– I’m pretty sure MLS isn’t keeping those stats so you aren’t going to find them. Individual teams may keep their own stats for scouting and strategic purposes but you’re not getting that info either.

BOB– Ives what can you tell us about league rule changes and owners meetings? It seems in the larger American sports drastic changes are rare and highly controversial but the MLS is willing to make numerous changes as a fledgling league.

Will this change quickly now that we’ve got a few more ownership groups or do you see the league consistently reworking its formula until the magic number of teams are in place?

IVES- I don’t think new ownership will hinder change in MLS. If anything, I think the new blood in the ownership group helps spark more change with a larger variety of ideas.

ANDREW DICE WAY– Did kasey keller go to fulham just to sit on the bench? the impression i got (from reading articles) was that we was content to retire unless he found a situation that was both good for his family and offered him the chance to compete for the first team. do you get the impression that niemi is better than keller and/or that keller’s not fit?

IVES– Well, as you know by now, Keller has taken the No. 1 job and is doing well for Fulham.

LAWRENCE– In the last 2 games, Bradley’s called in a U-20 player (Zizzo, Sietz). Outside of those 2 and Michael B, who do you think is the next to get a call up. McCarty is leading Dallas in assists (7). Adu maybe?

What did you think of Adu’s Q&A article in SI?

IVES– As you know by now, Bradley has called in a bunch of Under-20 players and McCarty wasn’t one of them. I’m not a big McCarty fan to be honest.

As for the ADU Q&A, I could have done without it. I’m not sure we need to hear the musings of a 20-year old to that degree. Hopefully getting that stuff off his chest will help Adu move on.

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