Good afternoon everybody. Since I know many of you are gearing up for the Memorial Day weekend I decided to have a Q&A session today. The answers will be posted on Monday, Memorial Day, for those of you looking for something to read while you’re enjoying your day off (or at work wishing you had the day off).
You know the routine. Please send your soccer-related questions my way and I will give you my answers. If you’re new to SBI I really suggest that you go through previous Q&A sessions to see if your potential question was already asked.
Topics that are off limits include: John O’Brien, promotion/relegation in MLS, roster questions for the U.S. Olympic team as well as 2010, 2014 or 2018 World Cup teams, Red Bulls practice facility, where will any Fulham’s Ameicans wind up next season and why the New York market should/shouldn’t get a second MLS franchise.
Fire away and be warned, I will be looking to close this at around the 50 question mark.
Can the fact that both Stammler and Angel have back problems be attributed to anything, or is it just coincidence?
With their win over Houston at home, has San Jose turned a corner?
how do you calculate your record on your espnsoccernet predictions? last i checked, your record is 17-11-7. does this mean you predicted the score of 17 games correctly so far out of 35 games?
Hey Ives,
Thanks for these Q&A sessions. I’ve got two:
1. I often read that players that go to Europe will benefit from the “professional training” they will receive there (implying it can’t be found here). Beside the level of competition one will be surrounded by in Europe or S. America I can’t really figure out what could be different. Do they have some ultra secret drills they run that we can’t replicate here or do they just emphasize different things? What exactly does this “professional training” entail and why can’t it be replicated here?
2. I notice that in your Answer sessions you often post two questions from a reader but only answer 1 question. Do you do this on purpose or is it that after answering the first question you forget to go back and read the second?
Thanks again!
What sort of compensation do players recieve for playing on international teams? Do U.S. players recieve checks or expense accounts if they play in international friendlies or tournaments?
And can FIFA ever force a club team to release a player for international duty?
1. How much of a liability was de Grandpre to the Red Bulls both on and off the field? Was he really as bad as advertised by oh so many people?
2. You wrote: “He (Blanco) is a star and a designated player but you would be hard-pressed to find a teammate say anything about him having an oversized ego. The same can’t be said for all the designated players in MLS.”
Are you implying that guys like Lopez, Schelotto, and Gallardo (not Angel and Beckham, I know) are
conceited and have big egos?
This question may be a little to short sighted for a Q&A given what will prob. amount to a busy weekend for SBI but…
How personally(or emotionally) affected is JCO by the fact that he won’t be on the field Sunday? Your piece earlier today pointed to the fact that deep down this would be a win that does have some special meaning with both teams’ players and coaches. I know that the suspension does not take away too much from his influence on the game and that he will be in contact from the locker room. But should RBNY pull off a win, or better yet a thrilling tight win, do you think JCO will be gritting his teeth over not being on the field to experience it? Is this idea just a little too superficial, i.e. the W is what matters, not the circumstance.
Turf is here to stay, but everyone agrees that it sucks. You’d think that turf manufacturers could come up with something that approximates the skips, bounces, and roll of a soccer ball on natural grass. Have you ever heard of anything being done to develop a more soccer-friendly type of turf? Have US Soccer, UEFA, FIFA, or any other body ever done anything to encourage the development of this type of product?
Ives you’ve previously stated that the USL in 10 years will serve a “niche market” that fans might support. However, with the MLS reserve system gaining strength and the resulting training academies just now getting off the ground, do you really feel that the educated American soccer fan will actually want to support the resulting 3rd or 4th Division play?
Hey Ives,
Do you think it would be possible to index your Q&A so that we could search that first to see if our questions have already been thoroughly answered (ala Yahoo answers scaled down)
1) Has your opinion changed at all of the Galaxy this far through the season?
1. At which club do you think the Black Mouth will land?
2. What happened to John O’Brien?
3. Why do you include Giuseppe Rossi in your Americans Abroad section?
😉
PS – Chivas USA should come to San Diego; it’s where they were originally supposed to land. Unfortunately there’s no SSS for them down here….
Hey Ives,
What is your opinion on some teams refusing to allow their players to play in international games representing their country such as the Olympics? AC Milan said that Kaka isn’t allowed to play as one of Brazil’s over23 players, and I thought I heard that Barcelona really didn’t want Messi playing for Argentina.
Any word of Pablo Mastroeni moving? Rumors were circulating during the offseason of a trade but how does it look to you now? What teams do you think he would make a good fit in beside Colorado?
1. Ives, I’m currently at around 700th place in the whole league of MLS Fantasy, and I was wondering if you could give me the password to your SBI league. The reason Imissed it back in March was because my computer had crashed and I was without one for all of March.
2. What’s the difference between the CONCACAF Champions League and CONCACAF Champions Cup?
3. I HAVE to do this Ives, I HAVE to…
This is from an earlier Q&A from quite a few weeks ago:
“KJ- Is there that any chance Fulham wont be relegated? I figure they need to win all the remaining games even though the likelihood of beating Liverpool is dismal. But can they do it?
Ives- Fulham is toast.”
OHH BABY, as Messing would say. In yo face!!!
😉
Hey ives! love the site.
i was wondering, where do you think bruce arena will end up? i guess scotland is out of the question. maybe F.C. dallas??
Ives-
Who do you see as the next country to win the World Cup for the first time, and what are the chances it happens in 2010?
What will happen first?
We have a forward who stars for his team in the premiership?
We have a coach in at least the colaship?
Kasey Keller (my all time favorite player) retires?
Do you think the concept of Chivas USA is dying a slow death? Will the owner stay interested?
Ives, you’re JCO, what do you do now and in the summer transfer window to improve our team, so that we can take the MLS Cup?
After watching MLS, its obvious the teams still need work on technical ability. Most of the coaches don’t focus enough on technical aspects of the game. But which MLS coaches do you think stress attacking offense the most?
Which Americans do you see coming to MLS within the next year? Fulham signed Mark Schwarzer so do you think Keller will come back to the US to play for his home town Seattle team next year? What about aging guys like McBride, Lewis and Berhalter?
What’s your take on the SuperLiga this year? It was really entertaining and I’d like to see it survive. Are the Mexican Clubs taking it seriously or are they using it as a warm up to the apertura, putting reserve players in to get them some playing time? If you could how would you change the tournament?
Ives:
Keep up the great work. Your blog is a daily must read for me.
What’s the latest with Dominic Cervi and his professional future? I know Celtic kicked the tires a bit on him and I know he’s trying to get a EU passport. Any rumors as to his next stop? I don’t see him returning to MLS. Also, what are your thoughts on Santino Quaranta’s resurgence this year?
Do u think my boy Sean Franklin (since he is from Palmdale) will continue to grow consistently and be in the national team.
1. What should Chelsea do in the transfer market? Let’s assume Drogba and Lampard are gone. I doubt they could wrestle Messi away from Barca. Is there any chance they can acquire David Villa from Valencia?
2. Chelsea did so amazing this year but didn’t win any trophies. How many do you see them winning next year?
Bonus. When will the results from the latest “You Write The Caption” be put up?
Ives,
With Drogba ready to depart Chelsea and Anelka looking to stay, why haven’t we heard/ do you think there’s a possibility about Henry coming to Chelsea? Seems like they could get him on the cheap since Henry wants to be back in London, and, to my understanding, the Anelka-Henry tandem was enough of a force to replace Trezeguet for France. I don’t know how this would fit with Chelsea’s tactics and the “on the cheap” part certainly doesn’t.
Hey Ives,
Great site if you are Bocanegra and your goal is to be in the starting line up for the national team in South Africa what club do you target as a destination?
OK, 2 more…
1) If you were Landon Donovan trying to choose your soccer-playing future…where would you go? what would you do?
2) If you were president of FIFA, what would you change?
Just want to get those nuts and bolts cranking…
Why isn’t Paul Mariner a head coaching candidate in MLS? Seems that he deserves a decent amount of credit for helping to build the Revs…
Love the site
Do you see any sort of competition developing between the FIFA federations other than the “club world cup”? Some kind of “superliga”-like event between CONCACAF and either CONMEBOL or UEFA? Or UEFA and Africa?
1. What’s your World Starting XI as of present day?
2. What’s your World Starting XI since the beginning of soccer history?
With all of the deals being signed between US and European clubs, and MLS and european federations, what tagible outcome is the average MLS fan likely to see from these deals? Player-sharing? Exhibition events? Traveling tours? Better refereeing (one can hope!)?
Yo,
1) No team. No players to choose from. But your personal preference. What formation do you think is most effective? Or which do you lean toward the most? Explain.
2) Messi? or C. Ronaldo? Why? Why not?
Thanks meng.
Why doesnt MLS move KC to St. Louis? You have a great soccer town without a team and then right across the state a team sits that draws flies and finishes last in attendance every year. I don’t get it. Any idea why the league has given KC so much slack? I always thought they should have been the first team folded in the contraction of 2001.
Any news on when Bob Bradley plans to officially name a full time captain?
Hey Ives,
I know JCO has stated in pre season that the CAM position was one he didn’t think he needed to fill. He was confident in Reyna and Magee. Do you think he’s changed his mind after the start of the season realizing he can’t depend on Reyna to stay healthy and Magee’s inability to do anything creative? Will he go after a real CAM this summer?
Thanks
1) For the USA National Team, what formation do you think best suits them to get the best group of players on the field?
2) What starting XI do you think SHOULD be on the field for the best possible result in your preferred formation for the National Team?
This is for Ives and whoever can answer:
I’m going to the Algarve region of Portugal tomorrow and all next week. What soccer related anything should I check out there?
Who do you see starting for the US national team in 2022?
Ives,
I just wanted to know your thoughts on college soccer being able to prepare players for the pros? Myself being a division I soccer player this coming fall. Thanks.
Ives,
Why won’t the MLS play in Copa Libertadores?
Ives,
Who do you see starting against West ham United?
Heres mine:
Donovan,altidore,blanco,guille,becks,edu,joesph,conrad,davino,parkhurst,busch
1) With his recent knack for picking the wrong players, not letting players play to their strengths while attempting to force to play into his “system,” why is Nowak the Olympic coach? He has no pension for letting players improvise and show technical ability on the field to match the international game.
2) With Donovan probably not playing all the upcoming friendlies (England, Argentina, Spain), who will probably be selected to replace his position?
Hey Ives,
Thanks, as usual. When do you see RBNY using their full starting line-up? What formation do you see them using against Huston next week?
When can we expect a SBI presidential endorsement? Think about the question like this, who would you rather see at this weekend’s Red Bull/Fire match-up; Clinton or Obama?
Hey Ives,
What do you make of the possibilty of Henry actually coming to Los Angeles?
Also what do you make of the rumors of Feilhaber coming to the mls? Thanks
Ives,
Two questions:
a) Is there any new information on the Revolution getting there own specific Stadium? It doesn’t look good when 75% of the Stadium is empty and its not like Bob Craft can’t afford to build one. The Red Bulls have the same issue until next season hopefully.
b) Would it be smart to move Chivas USA to San Diego since they don’t seem to draw too well at the HDC? I understand its hard to compete in the same market as the Galaxy with Becks and co and plus San Diego is closer to Mexico so maybe more of a fanbase?
1) With Bocanegra’s release, do you maybe see Gooch as a viable replacement considering Fulham’s pension for buying American players?
2) From the huge Hispanic contingent that attended the USA-Mexico match a little over a year ago, has MLS considered a team in the desert such as Phoenix or Las Vegas?
Hey Ives – as the Red Bulls get set to open their stadium next year (fingers crossed), shouldn’t they already be thinking about a heavy hitting DP replacement for Reyna, considering how far ahead LA began negotiating with Becks? To that end, who do YOU think are the 3 or 4 players they should be zeroing in on?
Has there been any progress with Cory Gibbs finding a new club after his release from Charlton?