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Your Questions Answered (Part 2 of 4)

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Good afternoon all. It is time for another section of answers to your most recent questions. There were some popular subjects that kept popping up in this group, including potential young players who could and should get national team looks in upcoming qualifiers (like the four players pictured above), the looming end to the MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement as well as two different mentions of John O’Brien (seriously people, let it go).

Now, here they are, the second of four sections of answers to your most recent Q&A. Enjoy:

WENDEL– what is matt pickens doing these days? chivas or la could surely use his help.

IVES– Pickens is out of contract but I have heard that he is working on an opportunity in Europe. You’re right about Chivas and LA being able to use his help but a team would have to have the money, and more importantly, MLS would have to be willing to sign him for a reasonable contract. MLS has a reputation for making things difficult for players who have left MLS for Europe and then returned (unless your name is Clint Mathis, Tony Sanneh and Landon Donovan that is).

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MITCH– Why has Justin Mapp not been called up to the nats for 1 1/2 years? Even with injuries to Beasley and Convey? Is the US continuing to neglect wingers with technical ability but aren’t two-way flank defenders?

IVES– Mitch, last time I checked Justin Mapp isn’t even a lock starter for Chicago. Actually, I’m sure he’s a starter but he’s not a national team player. Sure, he can make a nice move on the wing and cross a good ball once in a while but I’m not sure he has the motor or the desire to be a U.S. national team player.

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KATATONIA– When is LA going to sign John O’Brien?

IVES– When they need real estate agent to help Bruce Arena find a house.

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FURBALL– With Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring next year, and most of us agree the players are going to demand a much larger salary cap. What are the chances of a long player strike.
On top of that, do you think the USL with teams like Portland, Montreal, Atlanta, PR, doing well, will go out and sign a lot of the MLS players who are out of contract.
And lastly, when is Garber going to get his head out and just award Portland the expansion team for 2011!!!

IVES– I’ve heard rumblings about a strike being possible, but I just don’t see it. Can the union really rally the players to sign off on a strike? I know MLS players would be sacrificing much less on average than their NBA and MLS counterparts have in other such labor situations, but I haven’t seen the union show enough strength to have confidence in it organizing a movement like that.

As for USL teams signing MLS players during a strike, I am looking into it, although I believe (based in my miniscule understanding of labor law) that if the union were to strike then that would prevent players from breaking their contracts by playing elsewhere. If MLS locked the players out, that would be another story. That’s my opinion. I will try to get some hard answers this week.

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JEFF– 4 vs 4

Altidore, Adu, Cooper, Szetela
vs
Ching, Clark, Johnson, Lewis

who wins?

i say the kids win every time!

what gives?

IVES– Well, if international soccer were played 4 v 4 you would have a much bigger argument.

I get your point though and agree that the above four need to be getting looks ASAP.

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TOM– INJURIES – Which one is worse, Spector’s shoulder or his hip? Does he have a Bo Jackson? Also, Cory Gibbs and Frankie Simek injury updates. How bad, how long?

And could you get in your time machine and tell us what REALLY happened to John O’Brien?

IVES– I have been told that the hip injury is what he is dealing with right now. As for Gibs and Simek, Gibbs is back playing. Haven’t heard anything new on Simek.

And about JOB. From everything I have heard, O’Brien basically got burned out by all the injuries that plagued his career and decided to give it up and live his life away from the game.

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ART– Do the New York (Mets) and Montreal become the 17th and 18th clubs of MLS in 2011?

IVES– If I had to put money on two cities those would be the two I’d bet on happening.

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TOM– One more – Renken’s ACL. Is this a long term limiter on his career? Opine please…

IVES– Tom, Renken is 15. He’s already back from the ACL injury so it’s safe to say it won’t impact his career much at all.

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DANNYc58– What current Red Bulls (maybe only the Sr Roster if you rather) do you see definitely back/definitely leaving after this season?

Thanks,
Dan

IVES– Guys I see definitely back are: Conway, Cichero, Parke, Stammler and Angel. Those are the only locks in my mind. Players who should be back? Rojas, Pietravallo and Richards. Everyone else is a toss-up in my book.

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BETINHO– Heard a rumor Barca met with Traffic Sports (Miami FC) about and MLS franchise in Miami. Any truth to this?

IVES– This has been widely reported and it’s no secret that Barcelona has interest in planting roots in the United States. Having a Miami Barcelona team would be amazing (and not just because it would mean an excuse to go to Miami). If New York 2 and Montreal aren’t careful, Miami could slide in as a favorite if Barcelona makes a big enough commitment.

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TOM– Who are the next five kids (teenagers, non MLS players) to be signed by European Teams?

IVES– Not sure if you also included college, but if not, here are five from the U.S. Under-17 national team that could be on the move next summer: Joseph Gyau, Stefon Jerome, Earl Edwards, Shaquille Phillips and Carlos Martinez.

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ERIK ABARCA– First world cup game is tomorrow, who will YOU start for the USMNT?

IVES– Are we talking literally tomorrow, as in taking injuries into account and what not? Who is our opponent? Is the World Cup still in South Africa, or has it moved to Europe? Your question seems simple, but really isn’t. That said, I’ll play along.

If I’ve had a month to train my own hand-selected team, here is the starting lineup I’d use if the World Cup began a month from now:

————-Altidore———–Ching—————–

———————-Donovan————————–

Beasley————————————-Dempsey

———————–Bradley————————–

Pearce—-Bocanegra—–Onyewu——–Cherundolo

——————–Howard—————————

I’m sure folks will complain about Ching but as much as I like Kenny Cooper I’m not throwing him in the World Cup when he has exactly one cap to his name (and that came against a Denmark C team).

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MATT– I have a friend who works in marketing for one of the MLS teams. She told me that upcoming expansion has already been decided and that St. Louis and Las Vegas are getting the teams. She said the MLS is just going through the motions of accepting applications from other cities so as to seem fair. Any truth to this?

IVES– I wouldn’t buy that one for a penny. That said, I wouldn’t have much problem with those picks, especially Vegas (even if it might leave me broke).

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PETEY– Hey Ives, what’s up? Do you think Ajax will ever recover the dominance they held over the Erdivisie and Europe before Bosman caused all their good players (Van Der Saar, Davids, the brothers De Boer, etc..) to head for greener pastures?

IVES– Nope, don’t see it. Europe’s top powers have just too much money to always pry way their best players so I don’t think you’ll see that good a young group in a league like the Netherlands ever again.

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BECKSTER– Ives, if Michael Bradley was not the coaches son would he have the most minutes logged of any MNT player this year?

IVES– Yes.

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BOB– When are you going to do another "you write the caption" I miss them. Plus will you still pick out the best 5?

IVES– I need to get YWTC back into the rotation and plan to. Part of the delay has been wanting to find a sponsor for it so I can give away prizes. I’ll probably start it this week even without a sponsor.

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SUSHANT RAO– With the US up 5 points on the 3rd place team in our qualifying group, a win versus Cuba ensures that we’re through (we’ll be up either 7 or 8 points with only 6 points remaining).

If we win versus Cuba, it presents BB with a unique opportunity to see who else in the player pool is capable of playing at this level.

1) For the away game vs T&T & the home game vs Guat (assuming we beat Cuba) – who would you take based on a focus of developing / checking out our up ‘n coming players (no current US starters or main subs) to see if they can play at this level?

2) To avoid the grief that comes with every post of American Abroad due to Rossi, Padilla, etc., would you consider having a section titled "Americans Playing for a Different Nation" or something like that so we can move on?

IVES– 1. I would take the following: Altidore, Adu, Cooper, Szetela, Marshall and Wynne. Kljestan got the start vs. Trinidad but he’s someone I want to see again.

2. Not a bad idea. I may consider that one.

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ANDREW KARL– What are your thoughts on the Revs new center back, Gabriel Badilla?
First, how do you rate him as a player?
Second, how does he fit in with this New England team? Do you see him as a complement to Parkhurst or more of a replacement for Parkies potential move abroad.

IVES– I haven’t seen enough of him to offer a strong opinion. I do know that he didn’t look good against Joe Public. I believe he was brought in to be a solid starter alongside Parkhurst in a 4-4-2 and a potential replacement if Parkhurst leaves this winter, which is possible considering he will be out of contract.

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KUNG FU SOCCER– Ives, love your site. This may be too big of an issue for your quick q & a, but anyway… Sometimes I am astounded by the ability of players to endlessly sprint up and down the field for 90 minutes. Especially in the Euros I thought some teams were superhuman.

I recall in a cycling scandal (operation puerto in Spain) numerous soccer players were implicated as well, however, I don’t believe the names were released. Before there was regular and constant testing in cycling blood doping was rampant. The stamina boost would be a huge advantage in soccer. Is blood doping a problem in Int’l football? Does anyone even know? Is there an international protocol for drug testing for substances such as EPO, or other methods of blood doping?

IVES– I recall some doping scandals in Italy a few years back but haven’t heard of anything recent. I know there’s a considerable amount of drug testing on the club and international level so it’s tough to say what level of doping is going on right now and if players have just chosen to stop trying to dope or if they’ve just found better ways to beat tests.

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RYAN– Now that we have a pretty good idea who will be in the hex with only Guatemala and T&T up for grabs, where do you think the US hosts each home qualifier?

IVES– I haven’t the slightest idea but here’s my guess for the five home games:

Crew Stadium-Mexico

Gillette Stadium or Rentchler Field- El Salvador

Home Depot Center- Costa Rica

Real Salt Lake’s new stadium- Honduras

RFK Stadium- Trinidad & Tobago OR Dick’s Sporting Goods Park- Guatemala

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MICHAEL– Do you have any info on what is going on with a new stadium for the dynamo? they have talked about it but i don’t know if there are any plans yet.

IVES– I haven’t heard anything new on Houston’s plans and the recent destruction caused by Hurricane Ike makes it less likely to be discussed in the immediate future.

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NOT ABBOTT– First, an easy one. Which Prison Break character does Chicago Tribune writer Luis Arroyave resemble most?

Second, can an American team (Nats or MLS) be successful offensively playing a 4-4-2 (or a 4-5-1, I guess) with two defensive midfielders? Would we done as well against Cuba with Edu or Clark instead of Sacha? That seems to be a common thread with American teams who have trouble finding the back of the net, in that you’ve got only four players truly committed to getting forward.

And is the current crop of guys (Bradley, Edu and Sacha) starting to break that mold of pure "destroyers" or more conservative holding mids in the central midfield?

IVES– Well, for those who haven’t seen him, Luis has shaved his head and probably looks like a mini-Lincoln Burrows.

Second, I would disagree with this statement "You’ve got only four players truly committed to getting forward." The misconception is that the two central midfielders stay home and never get forward and that’s their game plan. What happens is that against better teams it becomes tougher for the two central midfielders to get forward because they have more responsibilities (like against Spain and Argentina).

I know that doesn’t answer the question of why only one goal each was scored against Guatemala and Cuba but I would argue that Guatemala packed the midfield with numbers so having had a traditional "attack-minded" central midfielder wouldn’t have led to more chances because such a player would have faced two men at all times. Ultimately, the problem is there is no attacking midfielder ready to take the role. I know some folks think Adu is ready, and I actually thought he might be at one point but have since changed my view on that.

Back to my first paragraph. I don’t think Bradley, Edu or Kljestan are pure defensive midfielders so this whole notion of the "empty bucket" is a bit misguided. They are supposed to get into the attack when they can and I think you saw that against Trinidad (most people assume it was because Kljestan is more attack-minded than Edu or Clark while I say the opponent and circumstances allowed him to get forward). I don’t think having Kljestan (or Adu) in the lineup against Guatemala or Cuba gives the Americans more goals in those games.

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TONY in QUAKELAND– I asked this on a Nats thread but not sure if you answered:

If Donovan goes up top or stays in the middle (as he should) who are the up and coming options at right mid?

IVES– This is a real problem for the Americans that I don’t think gets enough attention. I think it’s more a problem than the "empty bucket" notion. Not having a natural right winger who can step in and play means either Donovan or Dempsey has to play out of position. Ideally you could play Dempsey as a second forward alongside Ching (eventually Altidore), Donovan behind him and Bradley behind Donovan in a diamond. Who plays the right in this scenario? That’s the big issue. What I won’t agree with is just plugging an inferior player in there so Donovan and Dempsey can play in more natural roles. That still leaves you very weak on the wing, which is a problem that can be exposed (as anyone who watched the Guatemala qualifier can attest.)

Who will step up to take that role over? If Bobby Convey could ever stay healthy I might argue for Beasley moving over to the right. Some folks will suggest Adu but I can’t imagine using Adu on the wing on the international level.

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A DIDDY– During the telecast of the USA vs. T&T game, it was mentioned that Bob Bradley had given Eddie Johnson a spot on the team because he really like what he saw from EJ in training. Is this an opinion that is widely shared by other U.S. coaches and players? Or do most people within the infrastructure think Eddie has been given too many chances?

(I’m wholly uninterested in the opinion of fans who have not seen the training sessions).

IVES– I couldn’t begin to tell you what other national team coaches and players feel about this since you aren’t going to hear them come out and criticize a player’s inclusion into the team. What I do know is that Johnson hasn’t shown me much at all in a long time.

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RASHID– One last question, do you think that Alexi Lalas was able to pull all of those crazy personnel moves because of his glorious red mane? Did the league feel bad because he was a ginger kid?

IVES– Doubt it, though that may be why he cut off the long hair in the first place.

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MATT– Yours is the best soccer site on the interweb, keep up the good work. Anyway, I was wondering why Suriname plays its WC qualifiers in CONCACAF instead of in CONEMBOL since it’s the group in which all the other South American teams play their qualifiers?

IVES– Suriname only became independent in the 1970s and I’ve been told that Suriname applied to join CONCACAF rather than CONMEBOL in order to avoid being trampled in the much tougher CONMEBOL region.

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UNITED FURY– Do you anticipate MLS adding more cap space and increasing the number of roster slots next year?(or the year after?)

IVES– I could see the cap and roster size going up some next year, but the big change will come after the 2009 season, when the new CBA is negotiated.

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JOEL– The USA / Mexico rivalry being what it is, which country has the better youth prospects to make a big impact in 2014?

Altidore v. Vela
Adu v. Dos Santos
Rogers v. Guardado

IVES– I’ll go Altidore, Dos Santos, Guardado. I almost pushed Adu-Dos Santos because both look to be in limbo right now. That said, I’d give the edge to Dos Santos.

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A.S.– What do you think of Rojas so far with the RB? I am having trouble figuring out if he is a poor man’s version of C. Blanco or something worse.

IVES– Rojas started out very well but has been struggling with his form recently, both with Venezuela and the Red Bulls. He’s not as dangerous as Blanco but he’s a very good passer and more mobile than Blanco. If he can regain the form he showed early on, Rojas can help the Red Bulls reach the playoffs and do something in the post-season.

Comments

  1. River Bank – clearly you go GK. Casillas and Buffon are 1-2 for GK’s, but Howard and possibly even Friedel are in the group a notch below. No US field player is close to being the best in the world at his position – Howard isn’t far off.

    Reply

  3. I think you are wrong about the Altidore being better than Vela. Vela is in his National team starting 11, Vela actually plays at Arsenal, and he is being tutored by in my opinion the best manager for a young player to be with as. Granted he has been playing in Europe for a few years now, but I think he is and will be better than Jozy.

    Reply

  4. Here’s a thought on right middie position. Since Dempsey does play over there and did so successfully at times with the Nats and Fulham, a very fast right back (like Wynne I suppose) who can overlap would solve the problem of Dempsey not being comfortable playing wide. If Dempsey is most comfortable in the Joe Cole slot as he plays it at Chelsea, the addition of a bombing-forward right back would surely deal with the problem.

    Thoughts?

    Reply

  7. Do you make enough money in such a difficult economy to continue to dedicate yourself to this site or are we going to lose the greatest news sources that US soccer fans have!?

    I don’t sleep at night…

    Reply

  9. LA did it with Myung Bo.. Korean that played Jleague and WC legend. I also welcome that idea of Asian players in the league they are quick, talented and hard workers. Imagine having Park from Man u? In a couple of years?

    Reply

  10. Ives,

    Did you ever check NBADraft.net? A bunch of nobodies who started scouting became big time, anyways my point is that I would love there to be a website ranking american soccer players by their positions in lets say a 4-4-2 for starters. You could even break it down to what kind of d-mid the player type is. Shoot it doesn’t have to be an expert or maybe let fans vote. Okay well start small but do you think its possible? The reason I ask is that I would like to know by comparing how good those cats in Div-2 leagues are compared to say MLS players. Oh and vacationing in P-town(Portugal)for a day or so and the big argument with my people is who is the best american player? Help me, do I go GK, the guy who failed in germany twice, the guy that failed in P-town once, who?

    Reply

  11. I’m still confused as to the Seattle Sounders MLS/USL situations. will there be both teams in both leagues or will the USL side be phased out? how does this work legally?

    Reply

  12. Last I heard on the Houston stadium was that the city and the team were less than $5 million apart and are targeting an area that is close to Minute Maid Park.

    Reply

  13. For Mitch to actually ask why Justin Mapp hasn’t been selected by the Nats the last two years, confirms to me that he has not watched him play in that amount of time. He doesn’t even start for the Fire anymore.

    Reply

  14. Ives: Thanks for the answer – and I agree with you that it is the heart of the problem. If we had a winger on the right, a lot of stuff would fall into place. In addition to Beasley/Convey, what do you think of someone line Holden or Rogers developing into the role? (Some how I wish I could do to my lab and blend the two together into a single player…)

    Reply

  16. “KATATONIA- When is LA going to sign John O’Brien?

    IVES- When they need real estate agent to help Bruce Arena find a house.”

    hahahaha made my day

    Reply

  17. Hi ives, i love your work.

    We’ve seen many MLS teams get foreign players from South America, Africa, and a sprinkle of Europe. Why not Asia? They have solid leagues and some talented if not good quality players so i dont know why there arent that many MLS clubs scouting that area. I think Asia is the new untapped player market. Just imagine if MLS got shunsuke nakamura as a DP.

    Reply

  18. Further to Matt’s question about Suriname – actually, there are three countries that are located in South America but play in CONCACAF rather than CONMEBOL: Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana. (French Guiana is actually an overseas department of France, although like Martinique it has its own soccer team – I guess it is somewhat the equivalent of Puerto Rico to the US).

    Reply

  19. Ives,

    Do you know or suspect that anyone from the nats (coach included) reads your blog, or dunord, or bigsoccer?? Seems like it would be something they would do secretly…

    Reply

  20. Hey, ives, I am not yet interested in who’s gonna get called up for the World Cup two years from now. That’s a long long time from now in soccer years. What i would love to see is speculation on who BB will take to South Africa for the Confederation Cup next summer. Would love to see some chatter on that.

    Reply

  21. In addition Suriname (as well as the guyanas in general) are largely Caribbean in terms of history and culture, so it makes sense for them to play with that region.

    Reply

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