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Your Questions Answered (Part 4 of 4)

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Here it is, the final portion of the most recent Q&A session. Admit it, you probably thought you wouldn’t see it for another month, but here it is.

There are a variety of subjects covered, both MLS related and European soccer related. Among the questions are one about Eddie Johnson and whether he’ll ever have a reason to smile in a national team uniform again, as well as one about the future of the right wing position for the national team.

Here they are, the rest of your most recent questions answered (Keep an eye out for the next Q&A, which will be this week):

ADAM– If you could be any household appliance what would you be and why?

Who do you think will qualify in the UEFA WC qualifying? Any top pics beside say Spain or Germany?

HENRIK– What new soccer specific stadiums should be up and running by 2010 and 2011?

JIMMY BOBO– Yo, Ives. I heard the great story about the three Cuban soccer players who defected in Tampa during the Olympic qualifying tournament. I heard that they took a bus all the way from Florida to LA to be on trial with the Galaxy. My understanding was that the goalkeeper was pretty good. What ever happened with those dudes? Were they released by LA? Did another team pick them up?

Do you think that the USL could do Prom/Rel.?

Lastly what do you think how many more spots on the rosters do MLS teams need to compete in all these events,and what is a realistic bump up in salary cap?

This is hypothetical, if the USA and England were to switch places for qualifying, how do you think each team would do?

MIKE K– Yes or No time again!
1- Sunderland stays up this year.
2- Rangers break Celtic’s string of SPL titles.
3- Celtic gets out of the group stages again.

TOM M– Tomorrow you wake up and realize you’re the Colorado Rapids FO.

After therapy, you are tasked with hiring a new coach and shaking up the roster.

Who do you hire, and what roster moves do you make?

Great site- I visit several times a day. My #1 site for soccer updates.

Comments

  1. Ives, if MLS does take more USL cities, what do you see the USL doing? Will they just expand, or do you think teams from USL-2 will move up? There are some pretty big markets in USL-2 right now, like Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

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  2. MArta is beating any man off the dribble and her skill is no where near a legit USL player like Melvin Tarley, Randi Patterson, SEbastian Le toux.

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  3. Marta has the skill to play with men but the pace and physical demands make it pointless. Every move or deke she would make would be erased by the fact that the would get get caught 3-5 yards later.

    My boys HS played the NAIA power-house Friends U in Wichita back in the mid 90’s and we beat them by double digits (they did score on a corner though).

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  4. Oh come on Ives, answer the Marta question. Scarrrred? I think you’re a good judge of talent so could provide a pretty good answer. Even if you said high school men’s team talent, give it your best shot

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  5. Funny you mention it Sam. A former player on the North Carolina Mens team metioned that Mia Hamm would practice with them between national team assignments. The reviews were that she was quite pedestrian when compared to the men.

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  6. I am sure you all are well aware of this by now, but FYI the “RSL Stadium” on the list of SSS is now “Rio Tinto” Stadium.

    I know nothing about the French league and am curious why you rate it higher than the Bundesliga. Is it their CL performances, or something else?

    Thanks for the site, btw. I echo another poster who says he frequents this daily.

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  7. Marta question is hilarious. She wouldn’t be able to compete at any level with men. Why do people keep questioning whether or not the women can compete with the men. Didn’t Mia Hamm and the women’s team lose like 15-0 in a scrimmage with Virginia mens team?

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  8. Ives: Thanks for the mention of the Norwegian league, home of defending champions SK Brann. Fellow Scandinavians from Denmark (listed below them) and Sweden (not listed at all) will surely squawk. But here’s the real question: where would MLS fit into that ranking?

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  9. KingSnake – I’ve been a Newcaslte fan for almost a decade now. That question was as much tongue-in-cheek as anything. I’ve learned it’s a lot like being a pre-2004 Red Sox fan…

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  10. Yeah, the inclusion of Romania as the 7th best league in Europe is surprising… although, if you think about it, how well did CFR Cluj do in Champions League the other day? The Roma team that Cluj beat has how many internationals from top teams – a zillion? (Admit it – you never even HEARD of CFR Cluj until the Champions League draw came out, right?)

    In fact, if you go to ESPNsoccernet.com, you can’t even get the Romanian league standings, much less any other information about the teams or games there!

    I was thinking about this in relation to your Top 25 European club sides posted yesterday. What about Dinamo Bucharest or Cluj, or Steaua Bucharest?

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  11. Brant: Real fans/supporters support their team through thick and thin, not flit from one quick lay to another like Paris Hilton on a weekend in Vegas …

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