Photo by ISIphotos.com

Good afternoon folks. If you are looking at the above photo wondering why in the world John O'Brien is there, I can explain. After the latest question asking about John O'Brien I thought it would be nice to show a picture of him in his glory for those fans who keep holding out hope that he will some day make a return to the field.

Actually, I thought it would just be an ironic photo to run with the latest Q&A since I tell people over and over in Q&As to stop asking about the former Ajax midfielder because he has retired from professional soccer and is never coming back. When I actually broke my own rule and mentioned him in the last installment of Your Questions Answered, I came up with the idea of running this photo.

For those who don't recognize it, the photo comes from the U.S. team's 1-1 tie against South Korea in the 2002 World Cup. I was in the stadium that day and can tell you that I have never been in a stadium as electric and filled with excited fans as that day (That is also the game where I saw the biggest flag I've ever seen in my life). That includes World Cup finals, Champions League matches and MLS Cups (stop laughing).

Ah, memories are great aren't they? Seeing O'Brien at his best must still bring a tear to the eye of some U.S. fans who still think about all the potential and ability he had, and how the U.S. team could sure use a player like him today.

Enough with the reminiscing. it's time to get through the last portion of the January Q&A. Here are the last of Your January Questions Answered:

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MATT– Hi Ives, great site, I read it every day and it's the first one I hit as soon as I get home from work as my employer has blocked your site, bummer. Anyway, my question is this: what is the official rule with regards to a deflection from a defender negating a player's offside position. In other words, if a through ball is played and the player it is played to is offsides, a defender makes contact with the ball while trying to prevent the pass, but the ball continues through to the intended target, is said player still offside? I recently watched a high profile game (league name withheld to protect the possible ignorance of certain announcers), in which a defender did just that. He deflected the ball while trying to block the pass, but didn't actually trap and pass the ball, and the announcer seemed to believe that the simple act of a deflection negated the other player's offside position. I was under the impression that the defender had to actually "play" the ball, i.e. trap and pass the ball of his own accord. What is the official rule on this subject? Thanks for your time Ives! Happy holidays!

IVES– If the 2007 Gold Cup semifinals between Canada and the United States taught us anything, it is that a player who is offside when a defender touches a ball is still offside if the ball gets to them. I know it's a touchy subject among Canadian fans, but the way the rule was explained at the time, Onyewu deflecting a pass to an off-side target doesn't suddenly make that target on-side. It was a pretty obscure rule up to that point (Referees can feel free to add their two cents).

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HOMEY– If FIFA or various FAs can review dangerous plays to possibly assess suspensions, why couldn't that be done for diving as well? I know it's a tough call to make in full speed for a referee. But once you break it down slowly afterwards, sometimes dives are pretty clear. I say suspend every diver one game for those clear instances, and the game will start looking a LOT better.

IVES– I agree, and I think we are starting to see that, or at least we did see that in the fall with UEFA. A one-game ban for diving might help cut down on it. Bans of any longer might be a bit too much.

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FC SUFFIELD– I know in the developmental academy, the us u17 mnt plays as a team in the league… and I heard that they did the same thing with the St. Kitss and Nevis pro league, by inserting their U20 mnt into their league don't u think that thus wud be beneficial in the mls, having the us u20s as a team, atleast we couldn't gripe about them getting match experience

IVES– Never going to happen and isn't a practical idea for any country with a serious professional league.

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LOU– Great site probably the best for soccer in the tri state area. Ok so I have alot of questions so here it goes I would like to know about the following- John O'Brien, Promotion/Relegation, Eddie Johnson's future, the Red Bulls stadium/training facility, World/CONCACAF/USA All-Time Best XIs, the U.S. team's starting lineup in any future World Cup, The best American players in any age group younger than 20, my favorite soccer teams, Freddy Adu's national team future or who the next batch of Designated Players will be. Just kidding, but in all seriousness I was wondering what is going on with Kandji in respects to him being on the Bulls roster, and just a little personal question who are you're top favorite soccer players either playing now or all time. Thanks.

IVES– Kandji is on the Red Bulls roster and has looked very good in pre-season. I can really see him having an impact in 2009 and a 10-goal season wouldn't surprise me.

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TIM F– With Jimenez already gone, who else will not be returning to the Red Bulls in 2009.

IVES– As you know by now, Dave Van Den Bergh, Gabriel Cichero, Mike Magee and Jeff Parke are gone. There could be some other cuts made before the start of the season though, with head coach Juan Carlos Osorio still looking for defenders.

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MATT– Hi Ives Great Site I Was wondering how much the salary cap they said a little how much is that 10,000 or 300,000 number please. Also i was looking at the salarys for the mls teams and why dont all the players in the senior roster make north of 100,000 because it's possible I tried making it its very easy if they make the salary cap 2.6 million. Alos why dont they pay for income tax.

IVES– If you're asking how much the salary cap went up, I heard it didn't go up much at all, and not anywhere close to $300,000. As for why teams don't just pay every player 100K to start, you can't do that and afford to pay your top end players. Lastly, if a team paid a player's income tax then that would make their salary considerably higher. That isn't something that happens in any sport in this country.

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RICH– Keep up the great work Ives. Do you think Rojas or Magee or Sinisa will play center attacking midfield for the Red Bulls or do you think the Red Bulls will find someone else to play that position? If the latter, who will it be?

IVES– Rich, here's a question for you. Is there a "left attacking midfield" or "right attacking midfield" position? I ask that because the whole 'CAM' position title is a pet peeve of mine, basically because it's the creation of computer soccer games and not a position I've ever heard a legitimate coach make reference to.

Now, onto your question. Do I think one of those players will be the team's playmaker/attacking midfielder/No. 10? Magee is in LA now so he won't be. I don't think Juan Carlos Osorio necessarily sees the need to play in a system with a player solely dedicated to a playmaking role. This is more and more common in the European and international game. Basically, if you have creative and dangerous players in your front four (whether a lone forward and three midfielders behind him or two forwards and two wingers) then you don't necessarily need a No. 10 in the middle focusing solely on creating.

Now, I can see Rojas playing behind Angel in a 4-2-3-1, and MAYBE paired in central midfield with Seth Stammler in a 4-4-2. What I can definitely tell you is that finding a playmaker is not a priority for Osorio. He is confident that he has enough attacking players and is now focused on finding some defenders.

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BRANT– Any chance of working loans from European leagues to MLS for players that are stuck on benches and needing some game time? I'm not talking about Americans, but someone like Shola Ameobi from Newcastle. He's getting some game time right now with Martins hurt, but would Newcastle ever look into loaning him to MLS for part of their 'off-season' to get some games in while the squad is on break? Would MLS go for it at all?

IVES– Don't see it happening Brant. For starters, MLS only approves loans that have purchase options, which means European clubs would have to be willing to sell the player they are loaning. Secondly, if a club still likes a player and just wants them to get playing time, chances are they will want them loaned to a nearby country or lower level league in the same country so that they can closely monitor that player's progress. Thirdly, teams getting those players on loan usually pay all or some of their salaries. MLS teams aren't in position to be paying big bucks for players on loan. So in theory, it would be a great idea, but practically speaking, it doesn't work.

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KP– In the spirit of the New Year, what do you think Bob Bradley's resolutions are for 2009? (soccer related of course)

IVES– I think these are some:

• Find a forward to play alongside of or in place of Brian Ching.

• Find a central defender he can have confidence in if Bocanegra or Onyewu aren't available.

• Identify a quality young left back, right back and left winger to move up the pipeline.

• Smile more.

• Work on his Spanish.

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ALEX– I know that the draft hasn't taken place yet, and not many trades have been made yet, but what teams who didn't make the playoffs do you think could make a good run next year. (If you think it's too early too call this, then feel free to ignore this one.)

IVES– Alex, I'd like to say that it took me two months to answer your question because it was too early to answer it when you asked, but we know that's not true.

non-playoff teams that could make good runs are Toronto FC, D.C. and FC Dallas. Los Angeles is a candidate, but until we know the deal with Beckham (and Donovan) I can't really factor them in. That leaves Colorado and San Jose as teams I see missing the playoffs again.

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JOHNNY– Some FSC programming questions for you… 1. Why in the world does FSC tease us with these sylvania HDTV commercials that boast about watching the beautiful game in HD when FSC is not in HD anywhere? 2. Does FSC hate Fulham? There are barely any Fulham games on this year. I hate watching soccer on the computer!!! 3. Any more BPL to ESPN rumors? Thanks IVES YOUR THE BEST!

IVES– 1. I've often wondered that same thing. That's clearly a lack of communication between the marketing department and programming (or just some marketing guy not having a clue). 2. I feel like I've seen Fulham quite a few times. You might have to splurge on Setanta if you really want to watch Fulham. 3. The latest on ESPN making a play for the EPL is that EPL was outbid. That's what the reports have said. We will see what's next for ESPN in its quest to grow its soccer programming.

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PK– It seems that the US has had unproportional success (compared to other field positions) in delivering world-class goalkeepers to top stages of European football. How do you rationalize this success? Is it simply chance or does the hand-eye coordination culture of the US, evidenced by sports like baseball and football, explain this trend?

IVES– This is one that has been asked for years. I can recall having a conversation with Peter Schmeichel about this (name-dropping alert) and he had a pretty sensible theory that has become the popular theory. American athletes play multiple sports that involved using hands (football, baseball, basketball) so their hand-eye coordination is already established at a young age. Throw in the belief that bigger and more athletic soccer players tend to be pushed toward the goalkeeper position, and you wind up with a deeper pool of big and athletic prospects with great hand-eye coordination.

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RYAN– How likely is the following scenario? Beckham opts out of his contract following another dismal Galaxy season and signs a long-term deal with AC Milan to finish his career.

IVES– Well Ryan, if a transfer isn't done before his loan expires, I absolutely see Beckham leaving after 2009. So either way, I can't see Beckham in MLS in 2010.

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EL SCOTT– In the American sports scene, it seems a given that some teams will eventually pack up and move to a new city. What is your best guess as to the first MLS franchise to relocate, where will it go, and what is your estimated ETA?

IVES– Kansas City used to be the popular pick, but the Wizards are building a stadium and have a committed ownership group. My money is on Chivas USA moving. I could actually see Chivas USA being sold and then moved. Not in the immediate future, but in say five years if the club doesn't start doing better at the box office.

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BRANT– What do you think will happen with the new women's league starting up? Stick around? Implode (again)? Will they fall victim to the marketing fallacy of the "soccer mom" (she drives the *kids* to soccer, people, she's not a fan of any pro team or player…) ? The WNBA has survived in large part by being subsidized by the immense (though waning) popularity of it's big brother. To my knowledge, there's no connection between men's/women's pro leagues, is there? How stable is there plan?

IVES– I can't say I'm an expert on the women's game. I will admit that it goes largely ignored on this site. What I can say is that the current economic situation in this country isn't exactly ideal for a new league to be trying to plant roots. I think the WPS will struggle to take hold. Here's hoping it survives, but right now I can't say I would bet money on that happening.

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NICKELCALI23– Who are the 2 hardest working USA national team player in USA practices and games?

IVES– Good question Nickel. I don't get to see enough full national team practices to know who works the hardest but Frankie Hejduk does have a reputation of being a tireless worker. Michael Bradley is someone whose work rate in games is extremely impressive. Same goes for DaMarcus Beasley, who spends 90 minutes running up and down the wings.

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LIAM– Ives, me being of Scottish heritage, I love to see Beasley and Edu playing or at least attempting to play in the SPL. What do you think about more Americans going to leagues like the SPL or League Championship where they're guaranteed to get more playing time then most Premier league sides such as if like Holden, Rolfe, Mapp, Shea, Pearce would all be guaranteed to play for most of the SPL sides (remove Celtic/Rangers). Plus I'd be able to see more Americans play in my EUro League of choice.

IVES– The Scottish league is a tough situation because it doesn't have the best reputation once you get beyond the top three or four teams. The quality of play after the top clubs in Scotland isn't the best so I think the players you mentioned would probably be better served in a league like Belgium or even with a top Danish club rather than a bottom half SPL club

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THOMAS– Give a rough estimate of the number of years before you think it would be fair to say that the quality of play in MLS puts it in the top three leagues in the Americas. My guess: 10-15 years. If you HAD to pick one or the other, which is more important to getting to that level, better foreign talent, better American (and Canadian) talent, or better coaching? Keep up the great work. I can't wait to see the site redesigns.

IVES– What are the Top three leagues in the Americans right now? Argentina, Mexico and Brazil? After that, I'd put MLS ahead of any other league in the Americas (yes, that includes Colombia). I agree that MLS is probably 10-15 years away from competing with the Brazilian league, though if Europe keeps taking Brazilian talent at younger and younger ages then the gap could shrink.

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MR. DERP– I was reading an article recently where they discussed how the Bosman Ruling has all but wrecked team loyalty. My question is how were transfers/contracts done pre-Bosman?

IVES– The latest issue of 4-4-2 does a great job of detailing all things Bosman. Basically, pre-Bosman a player was tied to a club until he was sold or released. There was no free agency, so basically even if you were out of contract a club could sell you or keep you.

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CHASE– When ESPN inevitably purchases the North American broadcast rights of the Premier League (and subsequently other European leagues), do you envision them using ESPN2/ESPNClassic as its platform or will they more ambitiously move to create a new channel (like ESPNWorld for example) that would be home to all soccer, as well as other sports like F1 racing, rugby, etc. This would make even more sense if ESPN/Disney buys Setanta (as is being rumored) and begins to compete with Sky Sports in the British market. And do you think ESPN acquiring the rights would be a good thing?

IVES– Well Chase, ESPN was rebuffed in its bid to grap the EPL broadcast rights away from BSkyB, so any grand plans like the ones you mentioned will have to wait a while.

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BROKENBIL– Thanks for doing this again. I love your Q&A, especially the recent debate on Supporters Shield vs. MLS Cup. Can an MLS team win the US treble of MLS Cup, US Open Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League in a single season? Thanks!

IVES– I team CAN do it, but that's a pretty brutal road. MLS teams generally just don't have the depth to compete that deep into that many competitions. If there is a team capable of doing it this year I would probably put them in this order:

• Chicago Fire

• Colombus Crew

• Houston Dynamo

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ISAAC– Hey Ives. Thanks for the site. It's expanded my understanding of the sport largely and i really appreciate it. What, in your opinion, was the best goal ever scored in the MLS and for the U.S. national team? Where do you see U.S.A. In the FIFA Rankings come South Africa 2010?

IVES– For me, the best MLS goal ever scored was this John Wolyniec volley:

When you consider that it came on the last kick of the game, off a pass from midfield, I can't think of many better goals when you factor all that in.

As for best U.S. national team goal, that's a tough one. I'll have to get back to you on that one. Nothing sticks out right now.

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PICO– Since you are in the NY metro area, what are your favorite Peruvian restaurants? It takes me two hours from the Poughkeepsie area to make it to the RB games and I would love to take advantage of the situation to grab some tasty meals afterward. Any places in the nearby NJ region would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

IVES– Well, Paterson and Passaic (where I grew up) have some great spots. Funny thing is I don't know the names. I just know how to get there. I will work on a list of names and addresses and included right here, so check back here in a week. I'll hook you up (readers can feel free to share your their best recommendations for Peruvian Restaurants as well).

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That's all. What did you think of these answers? Share your thoughts below.