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Your Questions Answered

Good afternoon folks. It took a bit longer than I had hoped for but I finally finished off the last round of questions. I was supposed to do these last week but as you know, things got a little crazy around here.

Now, without any further ado, here are the answers to ALL most of your questions:

KAHLVA– It’s the old question: What’s up with Red Bull Park? We’ve had perfect weather for them to do any sort of construction…and nothing. Just a big flat field of dirt, week after week.

JIM– Has there been an update on the construction of Red Bull Park? Last we heard there was an issue with clean up of the site and that was delaying overall construction.

Anything new on the whereabouts of John O’Brien, has he retired or is he attempting a comeback?

Do you think it makes more sense to add one DP slot + 400k in cap room or just adding 400k in cap room for next year? If you don’t add another DP, then you can spend 400k on 2-3 good players, but if you add a DP, then that 400k is going to one great player. Basically, what is better for MLS as a whole?

Also, Bobby Boswell? He can’t have a future in Europe right now after such a horrendous season? What do you see happening with him?

"The Five Best players I’ve seen play are (in no particular order):

Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry."

Where would George Weah fall on your list? I didn’t get to see him play much, but I remember being amazed by his touch on the ball. He seemed to be one of those rare players where the ball just seemed to stick to his feet.

And seriously, can you get some answers from someone about Red Bull Park? Is hoping for a 2009 opening starting to become too optimistic?

Does the inclusion of additional organizations as full or associate members diminish their overall weight? (G-14 expansion was just announced)

Should UEFA be concerned about G-14 leverage in your view? Why or why not?

Thoughts appreciated.

There seem to be cities with stadium plans ready to go (St. Louis, Philly, etc…) and yet we go back to San Jose and play at a 12K capacity college stadium or Seattle to put another team on NFL lines and turf? This makes no sense to me. Is the league just rsuhing to capitalize on the Beckham buzz?

Have you heard ANY legitimate excuse for why St. Louis doesn’t have a team yet? In my mind they should have been an inaugural MLS city. I don’t have my finger on the pulse like you do, but I’ve never heard a legit excuse for St. Louis still not having a team.

Also, do you think DVB increased his chances of coming back since he’s moved to Left Back?

Thanks,
Dan

ps You need a "print" option on your blog!

Thanks!!

Do you think this will eventually happen, if not in 2009/10?

Karma is a kicker.

Question 2

This is a acadamy question

With the new training facility opening up, wouldnt it be best if RBNY open a school also. For example RBNY would open a soccer specific school just like IMG acadamy in FL, RBNY would get a k-12 school and play soccer, Like how i see it in europe (poland), they have these schools for each grade their are 3 levels a grade, 3rd level you have to pay full tuition, 2nd level you pay half, 1st you get a full ride, based on your skill level, While getting a education the kid is playing soccer, then your scouting staff comes in to get those 1st level kids who will eventually to be the next jozy or JPA, I see now teams like PDA, matchfit, jerseyknights,and NJSA beating up on the RBNY acadamy teams, shouldnt the acadamy teams be the best around, i know a kid who plays on match fit they beat the RBNY team (u16) and then demolished the DC united team, that should never happen when your a acadamy team, we would be more like MANU getting the best talent around, taking them to school and training with RBNY and eventualy playing with the first team

Who do you see winning a World Cup sooner out of the mens and women U.S national teams?

What is going on with Fielhaber over at Derby? Does the fact that he’s not currently getting any time mean he’s in any danger of losing his tarting spot with the national team?

CHATNOIR– Where would you place Rolfe on the US depth chart now that he’s emerged from injury with some quality finishing?

Que esta haciendo Gerson Echeverry estos dias? Porque no jugo bien el MLS.

Gracias

Any movement on stadium plans for the Revs? Last I heard they were putting out calls for interested municipalities.

2. Mendes and Schopp – why have they been snubbed so badly? Mendes was playing brilliantly earlier in the season and Schopp was pretty good at the end of last year despite not being fit.

3. How do you think a USL 1 team in Newark would do even with the Red Bulls in Harrison in ten years (if they get the stadium built by then, of course)

2.) Clint Dempsey hasn’t scored in the last 5 EPL games for Fulham, do you think he has fallen out of top form or did some American Fans over hype his early season 3 goal start?

(for non-soccer fans fittness and form are two different things),

2) With Cabrera heading the U17’s, do you think we’ll see a shift in the playing style of our youth national teams? He comes from an era where colombia was playing some amazing soccer and i’d like to see a more modernized variation of that style implamented in our youth system.

I realize that it may not have the soccer tradition of say Portland or St. Louis. But, at the risk of sounding naive, does it really make sense to exclude/alienate a 9 or 10 state region of the country?

Is it something we said???

TIM– 1. Seeking clarity: Assuming Reyna agreed, would MLS rules permit the Red Bulls to retain Reyna for less than the salary of a DP-designated player and sign another player to fill Reyna’s old DP slot (at least for as long as the time left on Reyna’s current contract)?

2. Which player do you think the New York Red Bulls will leave exposed in the Earthquake’s expansion draft that stands the greatest odds of being selected?

The second post on some random blog had a picture of it
http://fansattic.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html

2) World Cup starts today, who do you pick for the squad (23 players).

3) Who you think should get a look from Bob Bradley (who hasn’t already)?

4) Chances of Peru making the 2010 World Cup.

5) Alianza, U, or Cristal?

What has Mathis done to fall out of favor with Arena? To me he’s been the catalyst for attack.

Also, how do you rank these 4 leagues?
Bundesliga
La Liga
Serie A
French League 1

A.S.– Weren’t you going to do a Top 5 Defenders in the world list a week or so ago, to go along with your list of the Top 5 Attackers? Or did I just miss it?

If I remember correctly, they made a last-minute change to their seeding formula which kept the US from being one of the 8 top teams (I believe they were 7th based on the previously-used system, in which they included results from the 3 previous WCs, as opposed to the new system in which they only include the past 2). I’m not suggesting FIFA has it out for the USA–it just seems like they go out of their way to establish systems when, in the end, they just give whatever they want to whomever they want. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I’m surprised there isn’t more visible outrage.

The proof that this takes place is from USSoccer’s day with Baldomero Toledo:
"7:01 p.m. – Team officials from both Chicago and D.C. come in with their uniforms for the match. The Fire will be in all red, United in all black. Both teams present similar grey goalkeeper jerseys, which is not allowed according to the letter of the law, so the Fire are asked to change (home team has to make the change)."

http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_3604480.html

Could you look into this? I don’t know any other league where this happens (soccer that is, I know many American teams use whites on the road or at home, avoiding confusion)

IVES- Well, the practical answer is that if an away team brings the wrong uniforms then it doesn’t have access to the right ones, whereas the home team will have access to all its uniforms. This happened to the Wizards when they came here to play the Red Bulls. Kansas City was fined so the mix-up doesn’t go completely unpunished. MLS teams should just bring both uniforms anyway. Not sure what stops them from bringing both.

JIG– Do you have any fear that MLS will become similar to the brazilian top flight in which young promising players develop and are subsequently bought by the biggest euro clubs? thus leaving the domestic league without interest and bonafide quality?

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.

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