Good afternoon folks. It is that time again. Time for you to send your soccer-related questions to me. I will do my best to answer and give you my opinions on the questions you send to me, hopefully by Monday.
As always, try to limit your questions to one or two (though I can’t promise I’ll remember to answer your second question). If you are new to SBI, and have a lot of questions, you might want to click on the Q&A category on the right to check out recent Q&A sessions. The answer to your question just might be there (and if you ask a question that I’ve answered repeatedly, I won’t answer it again, so try to make sure not to ask questions that have been asked over and over).
Now, on to the Q&A. Send your questions my way.
In one of your past Q&A sessions you mentioned a question that you asked Ronaldo at the 2002 world cup and his surprising answer. What was the question? and… What was the surprising answer?
1. When will MLS stop scheduling games on FIFA dates? I know that Toronto & LA must want this changed, but what about the rest of the league?
2. What is the salary range for MLS head coaches? Ruud is obviously at the top, but I’m curious how the rest stack up.
What is the status of the SSS plans/possibilities in the cities that don’t have one (Seattle excluded)? New England, Kansas City, Houston, DC?
What do you will happen with the US/England bidding war for the 2018 World Cup? How will Jack Warner’s comments affect anything?
hey ives,
so did you play soccer growing up? if so, what level did you play up to – or were you always just a fan and then decided to write? just curious how you got going into this…]
thanks for the blog – really enjoy it
Kenny Cooper is tearing up MLS, showing great skill for a guy his size. Do you think he’ll be a good international player for the Nats? What are the odds he goes back to Europe in the next couple years?
Why does Bob Bradley keep playing Brad Guzan for the second half? For one im just not a fan of EL Guzano Crapo and 2 Tim Howard is my favorite national team player. For these big friendlies dont you think he should be playing tim howard for the whole game? Peace
Where do you see the semifinals of WCQ’s going? Can we pencil Salt Lake’s new stadium in as a host? Where else?
do you think there may be a coaching change for usmnt soon? bradley just aint going to get us anywhere.
What do you think will happen with Tottenham this transfer period? They got Modric and have been linked with a number of players, but nothing has come of it.
hey ives,
which young player in the mls do you see moving oversees next?
and could you see freddy adu making a move to get more playing time?
Any update on the possibility of ESPN Classic possibly becoming an ESPN3 with soccer as the base for the network? It seems as if they’re already moving that way with Euro games on the network, Euro classic games and Euro today, every day during the tournament.
Is Heath Pearce staying with Rostock next year or moving out?
With the influx of foreign talent into the MLS and the expansion of MLS youth academies, I was wondering your opinion on the future of college soccer in the US? While the NFL, NBA, and MLB rely heavily on the NCAA to develop talent, will the NCAA continue to be a feeder league for MLS, or will clubs look to get players into their own systems earlier and earlier and develop them themselves?
Ives,
Love the site. I check it every day. Keep up the good work. Do you ever want to rip your hair out with the moronic comments by some of the cretins that post here and on bigsoccer? I know I do.
Always wondered how the transfer fees, like the $8M for Jozy are dispersed. Besides Jozy agreeing to personal terms, do players also get a percentage of the transfer fee?
Thanks for the clarification.
Ives, it’s been asked a couple of times, but I want to elaborate. Where will Freddy end up this summer transfer window? Any thoughts? How about Bradley? Or the other promising youngs contingent of U.S. players for that matter?
Ives, you dropped a tasty little morsel of info when you said that ESPN could very well turn ESPN Classic into ESPN3 with the EPL (and maybe soccer in general?) as its big draw. Was this just you daydreaming or do you know something we don’t? Can you elaborate on this?
I really enjoy the comments during the running commentary games. Anyway you could add an Auto-refresh feature?
Here is a link to a similar running commentary with such a feature for the Chicago Cubs.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cubicle/cs-080530-chicago-cubs-colorado-rockies-cubicle,1,4408814.column
Ives,
If Mark de Grandpre left before the beginning of the 2007 season, do you think Bruce Arena is still the coach? After seeing all the posts about how he wasn’t a soccer person it seems as though it was a waste of a hire (1 year from a guy who put the U.S. in the ’02 quarterfinals and was unlucky to get to the semis).
Thanks!
Any chance of a future Champions League final being played in the states? For most teams and fans the flight to NYC can’t be much longer than a flight to Moscow. I can imagine selling out a 70,000 person football stadium in the New York area. Of course, the European futbol purists would collectively have a giant stroke but it would be worth it just for that.
Any word on where Eliseo Giusfredi, the Seton Hall star, has ended up in Europe? Last time there was a posting, he had left for the winter training sessions in Spain. Thanks for the great features on the site!
I see that the FIFA Congress just approved the 6+5 rule last week in Sydney by a vote of 155 to 5, with 40 abstentions. When asked how the U.S. voted, Sunil Gulati replied “It was a secret ballot.” Any guesses on how the US voted? And what’s with the secrecy? Other countries have come out in favor of it (for example the England FA). What is Gulati hiding?
I’m pretty sure that portions of this rule would violate U.S. law, and the E.U. has already said that it would violate European law. Legality aside, do you think such a rule would be good for MLS or US Soccer?
Now that Orozco is starting to get some looks from the NT, when do you think Torres will get a chance? Do these players spell the future in more scouting of US players in Mexico?
Ives, I thought you were cutting these off at 50?
Addicted to the site Ives!
1) What current international MLS players have a chance to be naturalized as Americans and contribute to the USMNT? For example Emilio, the two Gambians, Andre Rocha etc.
2) Do you know where the Under-23 Cuban players that defected are? Since they haven’t played at the senior level can’t they be naturalized and added to our player pool eventually?
Ives-
Does your ear to the ground hear anything about where Doyle and Hunt go if they’re on their way out of Reading? I’d hope they’d stay in the top flight, for the sake of Ireland.
USA and Mexico should still qualify for the next World Cup, but the thought of them automatically getting the first and second spots in CONCACAF doesn’t look so easy as in years past. The USA is still transitioning from a generation of players retiring from international duty, and Mexico is also transitioning due to its young squad being thrashed at the hands of Argentina. After stating that, what other CONCACAF teams do you see putting in a strong showing during qualifying? Honduras looks pretty up-and-coming and Canada gave Brazil fits recently.
Love the site Ives. 2 questions-
Why is it that some top players from Spain, Italy and Germany will find work in foriegn leagues, but you rarely (never as far as I can think of, less David Beckham) see an English player anywhere but the EPL?
Also, how likely do you see Kasey Keller playing in Seattle next year? Would they make him a DP/would he take a big enough pay cut not to accept a DP position? Thanks!
Why does the US have a hard time developing quality center attacking midfielders and forwards? Is it a matter of training or something else? If it’s the training, what training should be done that is not currently done?
As the Bradley bashing is a common theme today, here’s my question. What are the benchmarks for Bradley to continue as USMNT coach? What are the unforgivable offenses (a la Hugo Sanchez not making the Olympics)?
Is there anything short of failure to qualify for South Africa that you reasonably see getting Bradley out of his job?
One more –
We all know better than to ask about the American *leaving* Fulham this year… Are there any others headed that way? Parkhurst to replace Bocanegra? Michael Bradley? Holden? Cooper? Isn’t there a minimum quota of Americans required at Fulham?
Ives–
As shown v. Spain yesterday (and continually in MLS) U.S.-bred players are not adept at holding possession and passing the way it is done in Europe and S. America. All too often we see a “JUST KICK IT” mentality. Is there a new generation of U.S. player on the horizon where this skill will be more evident, or do you see the U.S. “style” continuing with little change for years to come?
If Conde’s not playing for the Fire because of personal problems, and Marmol’s not playing because he’s injured, did the Fire and Hauptman really win their little tiff with JCO and RBNY?
Does a player get to keep a share of his transfer fee? I heard somewhere that they keep 10 percent.
Any word on expansion into Canada? Is MLS going to look north, or is Toronto going to be the one odd team in the league? Seems weird that only 1 MLS side isn’t eligible for teh US Open Cup but instead would just beat the tar out of the lower Canadian sides to win the Canadian trophy.
1. What should we expect from Altidore at Recreativo? Will he struggle to get playing time like Adu at Benfica or will he be on the pitch often and doing well?
2. What are your thoughts on the Canadian national team? They had a good run in Gold Cup 2007 and just performed well against Brazil and Panama. What would you say there chances are of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
***Thanks again as always for answering all these questions.***
Bocanegra and Onyewu are the best possible centerback duo for the National Team for now. They are very good against CONCACAF opposition, but they were exposed to quick, one-touch teams in Europe. Can you see a possible tandem of Onyewu and Orozco (Or another quicker centerback) used by Bob Bradley, so that he has Onyewu for the physical presence alongside a quick centerback against those fast teams?
What are the rules on cap tying players. It never is very clear when people talk about it?
I think your name is way cool but how in the hell do you pronounce it?
Do you think that RBNY’s acquisition of the Venezuelan left footed midfielder (I forget his name) is likely to occur given Jozy’s transfer? Or will RBNY set their sights on another (perhaps more expensive) player? Thx and keep up the good work.
Who’s playing in USL right now that should be in MLS? Any real ‘stars’ at that level that could/should/would make the jump?
We see USL teams beat MLS squads in US Open all the time, so it seems that some players would be good enough to at least make the MLS rosters, if not play regularly.
Ives,
I’ve read in a couple of spots that RBNY was already close to landing Rojas way before Altidore’s deal. What is your take on that? I can’t say that I can believe that Rojas went from being too expensive to attainable over night. Some of the allocation has to be going his way, no?
Also, if you were JCO how would you fill the vacancy at forward left by Altidore? Do you think Echeverry is the answer?
1. Will freddy adu move to a new club in the summer, or stick around and languish on the bench?
2. What is your opinion on the signing of Sven for Mexico, personaly i’m scared to see him on the bench for Mexico but what is your opinion of the signing
What kind of effort goes into getting dual nationality players (like Subotic and Rossi) to play for the US National Team? Do you have any insight into that process?
Hey Ives,
I live in philly and can’t wait until the new team begins play, have you heard any new rumors about who seattle or even the new philadelphia team may be looking to sign? Is henry to seattle a real possibility and are players like sheva and ronaldo looking to make the move to mls soon?
I think that there is a general concensus that Taylor Twellman will eventually be the all- time leading goal scorer in MLS. Do you think that the record he sets will ever be broken? It seems that any player good enough to do so would be snatched up by a European team.
How is MLS regarded by the casual fan in Europe? Do they watch MLS games to get a ‘fix’ during the off-season? Are they aware of any of the teams or players beyond the big int’l stars? Do the fans follow their teams pre-season tours over here very intently? I know they look down on the caliber of play, but do they still watch because it’s there when there’s not much other footie on the tube? Is MLS even broadcast in Europe?
If Alexi Lalas didn’t fire Bob Bradley, who would be the coach of the National Team?
Do you think the Red Bulls made the right move in picking up Boyens (and lowering Brunner’s contract amount)?
If the Brunner loss could not have been avoided, should they have just traded this pick or his rights away?