IVES– No updates, but the club has stated that updates are coming. Don’t hold your breath. As for O’Brien, I’ve heard repeatedly that he has retired and is working in real estate.

MIKEMIKE– Just to be irritating, any word on RB Park?

IVES- See above about Red Bull Park. As for the second question, if it has to be an either/or scenario then I think more cap room is better for the league as a whole (since there are teams not in a rush to use the DP they have, let alone two). Ideally the league would add both, a DP slot worth $350 against the cap and $550 in cap space. That would create an extra $200K for teams that used both DPs and $550K extra for teams that weren’t using the new DP. I’m sure that’s wishful thinking for a league that has held firm on the cap for years.

SUPER METRO– Ives, What’s your best 11 CONCACAF players who play in the region? A and B teams.

IVES- This has "Fan Inspired Post" written all over it. I’ll post this during the week.

BRET- What is next for DC United? With rumors of Gomez and Moreno headed for the Middle East, will we see Veron signed as DC’s first DP?

IVES– I wrote a while back that Veron was heading to DC. I’ll stand by that one. As for Boswell, as bad as he was this year he is a free agent so you can expect him to get looks of he hits someplace like Sweden and has a good tryout.

BJR– In the last Q&A you stated that

IVES– I didn’t see enough of Weah to rank him whereas I did see enough old games of Maradona to appreciate him.

CT– Which players do you think are nearly certain to be gone from the Red Bulls next year? (Schopp, etc?)

IVES- Waterreus and Schopp are the only locks not to be back in my opinion. Players who are doubtful include Chris Leitch, Blake Camp, Sal Caccavale 

YANKS AT OXFORD– The G-14 is expanding. Should we care? In your opinion how much influence does such a group of Super Clubs have?

IVES- This question reads like an essay question on an exam. I get that you’re a teacher Yank but jeez (kidding).

Do I see an expanded G-14 causing problems for UEFA? Not really. I do think it will help keep folks like Platini from tinkering too much with things like foreign player limits and Champions League slot distribution.

DOUG- Any expansion news? Is an announcement definitely coming this month?

IVES- Well, as first reported by SBI last month, Seattle will be the next expansion city after San Jose. No word on who will come after Seattle, though Philly and St. Louis have the most buzz.

RYAN– What is your starting XI if you had to pick one today? You can pick any players from any league.

IVES- Talk about a tricky question. Here’s my lineup if I had to pick one today based on current form (injured players are out):

——–Ibrahimovic———Robinho—————

Messi—————Fabregas————–C. Ronaldo

——————–DeRossi————————–

Abidal——–Vidic———S. Ramos———Maicon

———————-Cech—————————-

STEVE– What is the MLS expansion criteria? Is there any?

IVES– There are plenty of criteria but one of the key criteria is an ownership group that is ready to spend big money on a franchise fee and committment to build a stadium in the future. As great a soccer city as St. Louis is I can’t recall too many conversations about the millionaires/billionaires lining up to fund a team there. I think Seattle had this in place and jumped the line ahead of St. Louis and Philly. I see Philly being either team 16 or team 17. St. Louis I’m not as certain of.

KPUGS- This is somewhat related to Steve’s question.

IVES- Again, it’s about having a rich owner ready to foot the bill for a team. That doesn’t just mean having an expansion fee. It means having the financial strength to deal with things like a stadium and increasing costs of of paying salaries in MLS, which will hopefully increase considerably in years to come. It isn’t good enough to just say, "Hey, we have tons of soccer fans and tradition, give us a team." You also need the owner who with the financial stability in place in case a team struggles to establish itself in a market.

DANNYC58– Was anyone able to confirm the truth (and who it was) regarding the MLS team contacting Fabio Capello?

IVES– I haven’t seen anything confirmed on Cappelo being pursued by an MLS team. I do think Van Den Bergh has a very good chance of coming back. He likes it here, showed he can still play and I have a feeling he would take a paycut to stay in the league. Now, whether the new Red Bulls coach will like him is another question.

BEN– Ives,What do you see RBNY looking like next year? Who do you think will stay/go? and why.

IVES- There is no way to answer this without knowing who the new coach will be. I do believe Jozy Altidore will be back.

GRAIG– Ives, Have you heard any early rumblings about potential MLSer’s going abroad in the January transfer window? Thanks.

IVES– Nothing yet but I believe there is something to the possibility of Maurice Edu and/or Marvell Wynne being loaned out.

RUSS– What is your opinion of the rumor that the EPL wants to stage Reg season Prem games in the USA in 2009/2010…

IVES– I can’t see how the EPL would convince its fans to allow regular season games here, much less a high-profile match-up that could actually create some real buzz here. You could argue that EPL clubs could pitch it as an opportunity for the fanbase to travel to the United States. If it happens it will be two mid-table clubs, or a bigger club’s road date against a smaller. Then again, if you were an Arsenal or Man U would you want to fly six hours for a game during an already over-congested schedule? I doubt it.

KEVIN– Any truth to the rumor Kraft wants to get involved in the EPL? Shouldn’t he spend some money on the Revs first?

IVES- The Kraft-EPL link has been around for years. I can understand Revs fans being upset at the idea of Kraft spending on an EPL team when he doesn’t really break the bank on the Revs but he is a businessman first and he, like so many other rich American businessmen, sees the EPL as a great investment opportunity.

OLOB– Did you see the comments in the media this week from Moreno and Burch, critical of the Fire style of play(Moreno) and Adu in general(Burch)? If so did you get the same impression I did, DC was not a focused and serious team, ripe for an upset?

IVES– That’s a bit of a stretch. Moreno’s comments were out of frustration over being neutralized by a defense-first team. That happens. Burch’s comment about Adu being an egomaniac was his opinion. I think you can express an opinion and still be focused. DC lost because it ran into a team playing extremely well and well-suited to stopping them. I don’t think lack of focus had a thing to do with that loss.

LAKAIX15– Do you think that mls will ever do what the UEFA does with thier ueropean player rule, For expample, why should a player be a SI spot if he is from the concacaf. Or with the the DP rule, why should americans or concacaf players be DPs, for those players there sould be a rule max salery cap is 400-500k but the player can get paid more like JPA money, then all american players would stay in america and also so would the concacaf players and our league would be twice as good as it is now, if we would of had this rule, Dempsey, Mcbride, Szetela, and Jozy would never think of going to europe or go to europe becase the money would be here and the compatition would be here also

IVES- What happened to short questions? Jeez. Regarding your first question, where is all the money for these large salary slots coming from?  I like the idea of having an extra senior international slot for a CONCACAF player but the rest of your suggestions are a bit out of control. Here’s the thing. UEFA leagues must abide by European Union labor laws so it isn’t by choice that foreign players have freedom to play in any league in the EU. By allowing unlimited CONCACAF players in MLS you will wind up having fewer American players. I know your counter will be that if high-paying slots were available for Americans then they would stay. I disagree. I think most of the Americans to leave MLS for Europe left for the chance to compete in bigger leagues as much as the big payday.

As for the second question (which was more a thesis on player development). I believe MLS teams will have a system similar to what you described. It’s just not going to happen overnight. MLS teams have a ways to go before being able to implement those types of systems. I know Brad Friedel just opened an academy with similar characteristics but MLS teams are a few years away from that.

ROBINX– How would you compare the level of play in MLS to some of the other leagues around the world? How would the Red Bulls do in the Championship league in England? Are we better then Japans league?

IVES– Most MLS teams can compete with Championship teams from a one game standpoint but depth is what would keep most, if not all, MLS teams from being serious contenders over the course of a season. I definitely think Houston and DC United could do well in the Championship.

BOB– Who do you see heading off to Europe after the playoffs?

IVES– Eddie Johnson for sure and I really feel like it’s time for Parkhurst to get a serious look. it also wouldn’t shock me if Ricardo Clark went to Europe. I wonder if Carlos Ruiz doesn’t go to Europe since it looks like his days in Dallas are numbered.

RUSCIEN– What top prospects from college, bradenton & other do you see going high in the draft next year and where do you see them going?

IVES– Asking for a draft preview is a bit more than the average question so I’ll have to pass on this one. Check back in next month.

TONY– Why does chicago turtle it with a lead? They seem to be dangerous and still defend well with thier opening set up. I don’t get the bunkering down seems to me it hurts more then it helps.

IVES– I assume you were referring to game two of the DC series. That game would never have been in doubt of Clyde Simms doesn’t bury a dream of a shot. Did Juan Osorio go too defensive in that game? I’m not sure if he did. DC was throwing forwards at the Fire and Osorio responded with defenders.

ANDREW– have you heard any word on the future of Andy Dorman and Michael Parkhurst? Dorman’s rumored to be leaving to try and make it in England…any truth to this? Is anyone from Europe looking at Parky?
Also, we’ve all heard about Arsenal scouting Brad Guzan, how long do u think until he hops the pond?

IVES– I’m still trying to figure out what happened to Dorman, who went from one of the league’s best midfielders to being so bad he can’t get off the Revs bench. My people in New England insist that he isn’t going anywhere. I wonder how many options he really has left. As for Parkhurst, Steve Nicol’s constant praising is sure to have some European clubs overlooking his lack of size and considering an approach.

SEAK– Who do you see getting called in for the match vs. South Africa? Any chance Adu gets a start with the way he’s been playing for Benfica?

IVES– You know who was called in now and I can’t say that I see Adu starting just yet. He will certainly get playing time.

As for Feilhaber, there are no qualifiers coming up so I don’t see the point of discussing starting spots and who might lose theirs. I still see Feilhaber starting against South Africa. I guess you couldn’t really argue if Bradley inserts Adu in place of Feilhaber.

ANDREW MURRAY– What did you think of the UK’s version of "David Beckham’s Soccer USA"? Do you think it would receive good press if it was aired in N america? If you havn’t seen it already, you can catch all the episode on youtube

IVES-Haven’t seen that Beckham show and have no plans to.

IVES- As a right wing option I think only Landon Donovan is a better one (assuming Dempsey’s days there are over). Lee Nguyen needs to stay healthy before being seriously considered. It should also be noted that for as good as Rolfe has looked he was not 100 percent in the playoffs. As a forward, I’m not sure Rolfe has moved ahead of the likes of Brian Ching, Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson. Well, maybe Johnson.

PETEK– In the MLS playoffs, if the score is tied on aggregate after the two games, is the extra time treated as a continuation of the 2nd game (i.e. Fire would have been without Blanco & DC a man down for the extra time)?

IVES– Yes.

DAVE– Which college or GenAD players from the upcoming MLS Draft do you see having an impact on the field next year? Also, do you see any of them being able to produce at the senior national team level like Maurice Edu did this past month?

IVES- I don’t see any current college players being ready to contribute to the national team a year from now.

FIREBALL– Best XI football managers in the world?

IVES– We’ll stick with coaches who are currently employed and I’ll give you five that I like. In no particular order: Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Guus Hiddink, Rafa Benitez, Luciano Spaletti, Claudio Raineri, Bernd Schuster, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Raymond Domenech, Roberto Mancini, Harry Redknapp.  I spent about five minutes on this list so don’t kill me for forgetting anybody.

TOUCAN- Assuming RBNY finds a way to free up one of their 2 DP slots at the end of the year. (Guess which one?) Who do you think they will try and pick up? We all have opinions on who we would like to see (Ronaldinho, Kaka…), but I would like to know your opinion about any realistic options.

IVES- I don’t have any ideas but it is clear that the team needs an attacking midfielder. I had suggested Alessandro Del Piero but he has signed a new deal with Juventus. Juan Riquelme would be a dream acquisition but I have a feeling one of the world’s big clubs will buy him from Villarreal this January. Who the team hires as head coach will play a key role in determining just what DP the team acquires, assuming a DP slot is added or freed up. 

ELMER– How is it that ManU – Arsenal is not on TV in America tomorrow? Absolutely stupid. Instead we get Newcastle – Portsmouth and Liverpool – Blackburn!

IVES– As far as I know pay per view companies get first pick of games on certain weeks (if not all weeks) and Arsenal-Man U was clearly a moneymaker for the PPV people.

RAUL– Quiero saber quien va venir aqui el ano que viene(Red Bulls). Tambien, escuche que Valderrama y el diablo Echeverry quieren jugar aca. Es posible?

IVES– No se sabe quien va a ser el tecnico so no se puede saber que jugadores van a venir toda via. Valderrama y Echeverry  estan retirado. Echeverry is un asistente para Seton Hall. (The question was who will join the Red Bulls next year. i wrote that we won’t know until the coach is named. Raul claimed to have heard that Valderrama and Echeverry want to play for the Red Bulls (which I assume is a joke). He also asked about Gerson Etcheverry, who played briefly in MLS but is now an assistant coach at Seton Hall.

BRENTMCD– What’s happening with Houston’s SSS? I read some discussion about it this summer, but nothing of late….

IVES– I haven’t heard anything new on a Houston stadium. Winning a second title couldn’t hurt matters. I know the Dynamo have one more year on their Robertson Stadium lease. Robertson has a great atmosphere but Houston needs the revenue from a new stadium.

DOMINGHOSA– 1. Best possible Euro move and most probable Euro move for Jozy Altidore? And the probable timetable?
2. There is a lot of talk of Rico Clark moving on to Euro. Is that really going to happen? When? And to where do you think?
Thanks man, the blog rules.

IVES– Ideally Altidore would go to a team like Arsenal that plays a free-flying style. I know English clubs are eyeing him because his physical attributes are well-suited for the rough play in the EPL but I could definitely see him in Spain with a team like Sevilla.

HAN SOLO– Any names floating around as possible DPs next season?

IVES– No new DP names yet. As for a Revs stadium, I haven’t heard a peep about that. I guess the real question is whether anyone can really expect Robert Kraft to spend the money it would take to build a soccer stadium. He has the money, I just don’t see him spending it.

JASON– any updates on seba veron?

IVES– None yet other than word from sources that DC is having instense discussions with Veron’s people. I put the likelihood of Veron signing with DC at about 70 percent.

ANDY B– Have any opinion about John Doyle as the GM for the expansion Quakes? Second, amongst realistic options, who would your choice for coach of a new expansion team be? Thanks, dude.

IVES– Doyle has no experience in managing a professional soccer team so that part is a little disappointing but at the very least he is a soccer guy who played and understands the game. He isn’t a marketing guy who doesn’t know the first thing about the league or the sport (and there have been and are a few GMs who fit that description).

THE NICK– 1. John O’Brien – what’s going on with him?

IVES– O’Brien is done playing, at least that’s what I have heard. Schopp was finished, a shell of his former self. Why he was kept around remains a mystery. Mendes going from solid starter to benched is really a mystery. I guess Bruce Arena just liked Seth Stammler better.

CRAIG– What would be more beneficial to the league with regards to financial, exposure, and level of play? a) Add more DP slots, b) Add more Salary Cap, or c) Increase Quality of Officiating (more money to development, more full time refs, so on). Thanks

IVES– U.S. Soccer handles referee development and assigning. The onus is on the USSF to develop better referees. Yes, I’m sure MLS plays a part, but U.S. Soccer shoulders the blame for the poor officiating as much, if not more, than MLS.

GEORGE– 1.) What do you think about Arsenal’s Theo Walcott, is he a superstar in the making or a better than average player?

IVES– Walcott’s got some tools to be a standout but he still has a way to go. I haven’t seen the flash I expected to see when I first heard about him. 

DOUGLAS– 1)What is the future of the Superliga? i loved the tournament and would like to see it evolve into a major regional tournament. Just wondering if you heard of any new developments.

IVES– Superliga was clearly a hit but people need to relax on suggestions that it should evolve into a replacement for the Champions Cup. It is what it is, a match-up of Mexican clubs and American clubs. That is what it should stay as. Wanting to bastardize it after just one successful run is getting a little ahead of ourselves.

As for Cabrera’s impact, one coach isn’t going to change the entire style of American Youth soccer. What he can do is have a positive impact on nurturing the abilities of the players who wind up in the U-17 program. People talk about styles all the time as if it is a dance you can simply teach players the steps to. Could Cabrera perhaps allow for more freedom of expression in the play of his players, which could therefore lead to more creativity than we have seen from top American youth in recent years? Possibly. Asking for more is another case of wishful thinking.

CHRIS– It seems that pretty much everyone from league and the press has forgotten about (ignored) the Southeastern U.S. as a possible MLS expansion destination.

IVES- I think the biggest strike aginst the Southeast is the shaky history of success in terms of drawing fans to events. When you consider Atlanta and Miami, the two big cities down there, there are too many cases of teams not drawing well. The Falcons drew well with Vick but aside from that the numbers aren’t great for the Braves or Hawks. Miami has a history of struggling to draw fans to pro sporting events.

I know Orlando has a nice soccer following, as do other cities in the south, but I’m not sure if there is a candidate in the Southeast that has a combination of large media market, large soccer following AND history of drawing well in pro sports. That doesn’t mean these markets will never get MLS teams, but that’s the reason they’re behind some other cities from regions already represented by MLS.

SQUARD– If RBNY doesn’t advance in the playoffs, is Bruce Arena’s job REALLY on the line? Do the Red Bulls execs have such a high expectations in less than 2 seasons?

IVES– I guess we know the answer to this one. I stated repeatedly throughout the year that it shouldn’t come as a surprise of Red Bull fires Arena if the team didn’t do well in the playoffs.

IVES– 1. I have been told by the league that Reyna can drop out of the DP slot but since his contract is guaranteed in 2008 he would have to agree to drop out. The problem there is that Red Bull can’t just slide him a suitcase of cash and have him play for less (that would be circumventing the current rules). That would be circumventing the cap.

Now, the Red Bulls could buy out his contract in exchange for Reyna retiring. Why is this different than the first scenario? Because the player in question would no longer be playing so it wouldn’t be a case of a team fielding an expensive player by circumventing the cap.

Personally, I think Reyna will come back to the Red Bulls. I don’t see him retiring.

MARK– Are there players who have American ties but were born overseas a la David Regis, Tom Dooley, David Wagner, that might be an asset to the US team? With MLS our reliance on foreign-born players has been minimized, but a good player is a good player.

IVES– One popular name out there is Jermaine Jones, the Schalke 04 midfielder who has an American father. Bob Bradley told me that playing for the U.S. isn’t an option for Jones. He didn’t give me specifics as to why but when I asked about Jones Bradley said that Jones wasn’t an option. That tells me that the USSF at least looked into it.

Bradley’s statement to me was that there are no players out there who can play for the U.S. that aren’t currently playing or haven’t been considered. This was after Edgar Castillo already appeared for Mexico.

ROEHL– How accessible has Arena been compared to the team’s past coaches? I remember watching Bradley’s post-game conferences when he was in charge…nowadays I’m surprised when I come across the rare quote from Bruce. My feeling has always been that he hates having to deal with the media, do you think that’s the case?

IVES– I’m not sure where the myth of Arena’s lack of accessibility began but I can say that he made himself available whenever we needed him. He spoke after practice and spoke after games. I didn’t call him on his cell phone regularly as I did with some previous coaches but it wasn’t because he didn’t allow it. I don’t think Arena hated dealing with the media.

AVERY RAIMONDO– Ives, what was your last great soccer moment and what was the last one that completely broke your heart?

IVES– I’m not really sure if I have anything that qualifies as having broken my heart. As for the last great moment, I’m not sure if any qualify this year. Seeing Italy beat Germany in the 2006 World Cup was a pretty thrilling moment. I was three rows from the field and the atmosphere was incredible.

MIKE– Marcos Senna Bloody Shorts! A year ago, March 2006, Inter Milan played Villareal in the Champions League. Marcos Senna’s shorts were completely in blood. Yet he remained on the pitch the entire game. He was caught using steroids once. Did this incident have anything to do with using STEROIDS? Why were his shorts bloody? Certain drugs, steroids including can cause anal bleeding! Ives, this may be a hot lead!

IVES- Mike, I haven’t heard a peep about this and considering it happened more than a year ago I’m not sure we ever will. As for that blog pic, it’s a doctored photo.

JOE G– 1) List of possible U.S. players currently in MLS that could be in Europe next year.

IVES– 1- Eddie Johnson, Michael Parkhurst, Ricardo Clark and Jonathan Bornstein. 2- That’s a post for another time. 3. Bradley has looked at everyone (or will now after calling in Altidore. Johann Smith perhaps? 4. Slim unfortunately. 5. Alianza.

THE GENERAL– There has been some talk about Reyna possibly not returning next year. What is the latest on that?

IVES– Nothing new on Reyna. Sources close to him tell me that he’s laying low for a while so don’t expect any news until December. Arena stated that Mathis wasn’t well-suited to face New England. He considered Mathis best as a second striker and didn’t rate him ahead of Angel, Altidore or Doe.

JON G– If Peter Nowak had not taken the USMNT assistant coach job, would he be the coach of DC United today?

IVES– Good question. I think his time was up. As for the leagues, I would go: La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1.

AMIT– Do you know of any international #10 playmakers the Red Bulls could lure over here for next season without using a DP slot? How about Gomez from D.C.?

IVES- Gomez isn’t coming to the Red Bulls. You can forget that one. As for other potential attacking midfielders, that will depend entirely on who the team hires as its new coach.

CHAD– Do you have any updates on Danny Szetela? He’s the one U-20 that no one can seem to get info on.

IVES- He finally made the bench for Racing a week ago but wasn’t on the bench this past weekend. I’ll be catching up with Szetela this week so keep an eye out for that.

IVES– You are right, I was supposed to do the list but never got around to it. Here’s a quick Top Five, in no particular order- Carles Puyol, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Sergio Ramos, Nemanja Vidic.

MICHAEL– How do you feel about FIFA ditching the rotation system?

IVES– Ditching the system was a very shady move. There’s no other way to say it. It is no secret that Europe has most of the pull within FIFA and this latest incident proves once again that the world’s game is run by one continent.

NEUMANNATOR– Say the unthinkable happens and the Red Bulls lose tomorrow night in NE. Is Arena’s job in jeopardy?! If not, what will he need to do next year to stay in business? Thanks!

IVES– Yes, his job was in jeopardy, grave danger actually (and no, there isn’t any other kind).

PAUL– who are the members of the MLS League of Governors — or whatever they call the secret council that makes the big decisions?

IVES– The Board of Governors is not a secret, at least that’s what I was just told by a league official. I’m working on getting the list, since it can’t seem to be found anywhere. I know it is made up, at least in part, of current team owners and high-ranking MLS officials. I’ll see if I can post the list ASAP.

KILMIER– Any information or idea about why the HOME team in MLS is forced to change their jerseys in response to whichever the away team shows up with? This has happened several times this season (LA vs RSL is the infamous one, plus several New England away games).

IVES– What leagues in the world aren’t a victim of this? England and Italy are basically the only ones, and even they lose top players. Are you telling me that the Dutch league or French league or even the Bundesliga is in trouble because their top players keep being sold to big clubs in bigger leagues? Selling quality talent will actually help MLS because it establishes the league as a place young talent wants to be in order to make a big move. If there was no chance to move abroad what appeal would there be for young foreign talent to come here. I think you will start seeing more and more quality young players coming to MLS because of that opportunity.

NICK– Any comment on the bad luck or dismal planning that is causing one disappointment or snub after another regarding US Soccer and to a lesser extent MLS? It looks like we will lose our chance at hosting any World Cup within a generation as FIFA is ending it’s continental rotation policy (Why isn’t anyone raising hell over this?!?); our women’s team is falling behind other countries in achievement and development, really unforgiveable considering the resources and brainpower available here; our youth teams continue to lag behind the other top countries, a situation where in the knockout stages it appears to be boys against men; we seem to recycle the same coaches and personalities who don’t achieve what is hinted at is possible; and our soccer media is still relatively immature, not asking the pointed questions needed to help develop a soccer nation. I think if the media and fans start to expect more and express disappointment if unhappy it will pressure the players, coaches and executives to improve, kind of like the crucible that is the daily routine in Europe or Latin America. Can’t you turn up the heat some??? Cheers!

IVES- Was there a question? The ending of the World Cup rotation by FIFA is a joke but I’m not sure how you or anyone is going to blame that on U.S. Soccer. As for the women’s team, did you expect the American team to dominate the game forever? Other nations were going to catch up. As for the coaches being recycled, I do agree that some new blood must be infused into the American coaching ranks. As for the media’s role, until larger media outlets start taking soccer more seriously the American media’s impact on the sport will continue to be less than that of the likes of Europe and Latin America.