Comments

1. What factor do you think wins out August 12th:

   A) Mexico rides their increased confidence level to a comfortable victory at home at the Azteca, or

   B) The USA first stringer’s channel their anger at watching the third stringers get pummeled into an historic triumph in a WCQ at the Azteca?

   And if the slaughter has veered the course from a certain American triumph in Mexico building on American confidence gained in the Confederations Cup semifinal and Mexico demoralization over a 10 year winning streak in the USA, what could have been done differently in the Gold Cup to avoid this:

   A) Fully use the 30 man roster?

   B) More effectively used the USA players brought into camp: i.e. player rotation such that legs weren’t shot in the second half?

   C) Better game management in the second half of the Gold Cup Final by Bob Bradley, or

   D) None of the above (please explain your answer in the space provided below)

2. Ives. Longtime sbi Mafia member, before the t shirts. I want to be the liverpool sbi correspondent for the upcoming season. Is this still a feature you’re going to run? Also, I’m interested in writing for your site. How could I make this a reality, if at all? p.s. Was recently at Newark airport at 3am catching the red eye and saw Dave Chapelle, wearing a sbi Mafia t shirt, getting wanded by the TSA. Just thought that was epic.

   Thanks Doug

3. Ives,

   I have heard about sponsors not wanting Donovan to go to Livorno which really made me wonder how much control do sponsors have over players in terms of where and when they can transfer?

4. Ives, love the site very much (as you can obviously tell)
   1. Will El Chupacabra have eaten Dos Santos by the time you answer these questions?
   2. Why is there less publicity (banner contests, line-ups, news-not just your site, but everywhere) about this game vs Mexico than the first one in February?
   3. Any chance we will see a SBI Mafia Banner in 2 weeks (El Chupacabra fingers crossed)?

5. Ives,

   What do the MLS’s powers that be see as its ideal end game in terms of what ideal player demographics would be; whether the team youth systems will eventually be take over for the Superdraft as the main feeder of young talent into MLS; And whether or not the league is OK w/ allowing its best young players to continue to travel to Europe (I mean specifically the cream of the crop, not players like Clarence Goodson or Yura Movsisyan)?

   Also, is there a specific timeline that the league is shooting for?

6. Ives,

   Eddie Johnson enjoyed some preseason playing time with Fulham and made the 18 for Fulham’s first Europa League game. Does E.J. have any chance of making the 2010 WC Sqaud?

7. Hey Ives,

   I am definitely a SBI addict, you do a very nice job with the site.

   I was wondering what the pool of youth national players looks like. Who are the stars we should look for in the next four to five years?

8. Assuming they had a true HFA and travel exhaustion was not an issue, how do you think an MLS All Star club would fare over a complete EPL season?

9. All right, question time!

   By the time 2011 comes around, we might have three teams coming into the league at the same time. I believe there is no way the league can keep the current stanadard of play if the league dillutes the talent pool by adding four teams in two years. There simply aren’t enough good American and Canadian players that would be willing to come back to the MLS given the current salary cap. What ideas are (hopefully) being tossed around to preserve the quality of play? More international player slots per team? Higher salary cap? What would you do?

10. Ives what’s your top XI of all time?

11. Ives, Pepsi or Coke?

12. Should MLS be concerned about too much talent dilution by the time Vancouver and Portland enter the league in 2011? That’s quite a bit of expansion since 2007.

13. Any site redesign coming up?

14. So I called my cable operator, Comcast, about offering the USA-Mexico game. They had no idea what I was talking about. The lady I was talking to said they don’t even offer Telemundo, let alone Mun2. I couldn’t get either of those channels even if I wanted to pay a thousand dollars to watch the game. When I asked about Mun2, the lady actaully laughed and said she nevver heard of it. Have the people at NBC-Universal woken up yet and decided to broadcast the game on a channel where more than 4 or 5 English speaking Americans will be able to watch it?

15. Ives,

    Just woundering who in your opinion is the best american soccer comentaitor? I always hear stick from peopel claiming how bad it is here, do you think we should stick with the fellow americans or let the prooven class of derrick rae and tommy smith comentate the us games?

16. Thanks for taking questions Ives!

    If FIFA called tomorrow and asked the US to host the 2010 WC, what 10 venues would you pick to host matches?

17. What do you think the odds are for an MLS team in San Diego?

18. hey Ives, thanks for these, and for all your work!

    i thought the Rapids cleared the words off the front of their kit at the beginning of the season to make way for a sponsor; any word (or even hints) on any deals shaping up there?

19. What is Landon Donovan’s exact contract status?

20. Everyone has been anxiously awaiting the debut of Jermaine Jones, and its clear he will definitely bolster the U.S. midfield. With that said, how much of an improvement on a scale of 1-10 will Jones be over Ricardo Clark? Clark looked as though he was beginning to really elevate his game in the latter part of the Confed Cup. Any sort of improvement helps, but if you could give an idea on just how much of a boost to our midfield fans should expect with him in there instead of Clark, it would be appreciated.

21. Ives, I think I spend about 20% of my waking hours on your site…

    OK, it’s September 2010 and the USMNT just won the World Cup (cue the laughter). Who would you cast to play the major roles in the movie made about the team? Matt Damon as Landon Donovan? Vin Diesel as Timmy Howard? Derek Luke (on someone’s shoulders) as Gooch?

22. After the recent meeting of the MLS board of governors during the all-star week, do you know what’s the status of a possible Montreal expansion team?

23. Any truth to the rumor that Conde and Soumare will book one-way tickets to Europe come January?

24. Since my questions always seem to be outdated by the time they get answered…

    How about that USA win over Mexico? That was pretty exciting stuff. I used to think the US would NEVER win in Mexico City, but they went and did it! The Ching-Altidore tandem worked very well up top (obviously). Do you think this will be our go-to duo for 2010, or do you think Altidore and Davies will develop enough to make them our World Cup starters?

25. Ives: Who do you rate as the best player in CONCACAF? Best field player? Best young player? Thanks.

26. I just insulted you in the national press… we need to have a beer in my backyard… what will you have?

27. Hey Ives,

    Great site!

    What do you think of Alexi Lalas in the announcer’s booth? It seems that everyone here either loves him or hates him.

28. If Brian McBride and Brad Friedel come out of national team retirement, do they make the 2010 squad?

29. How is US Soccer funded? Do they receive government money? Money from Fifa? Or, are they a self preserving business?

30. Since the MLS reserve league is no more, would you guess that MLS will want their teams to maybe field USL PDL squads? I’ve heard that Philly Union will actually have a squad playing in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) next year. What can you tell us from your Philly sources?

31. @Seisco, I’ll stop calling it “soccer” when the Italians stop calling it “calcio”.

32. Firing.

    Ok. Seeing Charlie Davies move from Sweden to France’s Ligue 1, do you think Scandinavia could become a platform for young American players to get better development and exposure?

33. Ives, who do you think will win the election? Obama or McCain?

    Also, what is your take on the recent news that England will not be participating in Euro 2008? Surprise? Disappointment?

34. Real question:

    I hear a lot of clamoring for things like single-table, no playoffs, promotion-relegation, no draft, no reliance on college, etc.–in short, people wanting to turn MLS into a European league (specifically, an English-style system). These things are obviously impractical at the moment–that is the argument against that I hear most often. But to me, even if some of those were do-able, I’d still prefer to keep the elements unique to the American game. For instance, while some might argue that the draft rewards poor play, I’d argue that it keeps the league from being dominated by 2, 3, or 4 monsters (I don’t see why so many think this is desirable). Furthermore, since we’ve seen a few dynasties emerge in MLS’ short existence, it’s fair to say that well-run clubs can still excel in spite of their draft positions.

    All that said, which European elements do you think would make good additions to the MLS (i.e. promotion/relegation, single-table, buy/sell as opposed to trade, etc.), and which American elements are must-keeps (i.e., playoffs, draft, college soccer, etc.)?

    Thanks.

35. How’s Charlie Davies doing in France so far? Any way you could get an interview with him to see how he’s adapting? He could be a major cog next year in S. Africa

36. Hey Ives,

    Besides qualifying for next summer, what should the primary short-term goal of the US MNT?

    Watching soccer in HD is fantastic. Any idea on if RBNY’s games will be broadcast in high def next year? What about FSC adding an HD channel (or if they already have one, TWC adding it to their lineup)

    Thanks, really enjoy your site.

37. D’oh! I’m a dork! I saw a new Q&A go up and asked about the last one before I saw your comment about posting the rest of it today. Sorry! I’ll go slink back into a corner now.

38. Ives,

    Thanks again for the Q&A!

    Do you think that Mexico scoring that 5th goal in the Gold Cup was in any way a mistake?

    By that question, I mean: It’s hard to view that as anything but “rubbing it in”. And, to me, the only purpose that it served was giving The U.S. more motivation in Azteca.

    I know it’s not possible to tell a player in a position to score that he shouldn’t take the shot, but did that last shot potentially do more harm than good?

    Thanks again.

39. Ives

    1. I heard Sean Wheelock on BBC radio a few months ago say that everyone hes ever talked to associated with MLS (coaches, players, GM’s) have told him they don’t believe Adu is the age he claims to be. Have you gotten the same response?

    2. Is it possible for you to ban folks who ask JOB questions?

    3. What team thats currently out of the MLS playoffs right now do you think has a chance of making a run deep in the playoffs or maybe to the Cup final?

40. Why isn’t there more love for Frankie Hejduk among USMNT fans? You can’t find a harder worker who’s more dedicated to playing for his country. He hounds opposing players into dumb mistakes and rarely, if ever, gives up a stupid play to an opponent. He runs more than an Energizer battery, and has made some great plays over the past few years (@ El Salvador springs to mind) while playing through injuries and player turnover on his squad.

    After missing ’06 thru injury, I don’t see any way his *not* in South Africa in 2010, even if it’s just for locker room presence, but I really think he can challenge as a starter. Am I the only one? Are there any Frankie fans out there?

41. Jose has just announced his latest special signing…and it’s Ives Galarcep! You will be joining Sven and Wayne on Special 1 TV.

    What would you want to be your:

    1. Nickname (e.g. Special One, It, Potato, etc)

    2. Unique Saying (“Snared!,” “well-uh”, “be champions!”)

    3. Clothing (scarf, hoody)

    4. Puppet (like Rooney with Ronaldo)

    I don’t know about your nickname and saying, but I sugest you wear the SBI Mafia shirt and have an Amado Guevara puppet. Classic, that is.

42. Hello,

    1)
    Who has been the best DP signed by the MLS. I am personally surprised by Blanco…i thought he would be a train wreck.

    2)
    Will an American, not of Mexican or Hispanic descent ever play in the Mexican league again?

43. Hey Ives,
    I remember you reported that US Soccer planned to send a large number of supporters to the Confederations Cup. Did they end up meeting their goal?

44. Ives,

    What team do you root for in the MLS?

45. I didn’t see this answered last time, so plz forgive me for asking it again.
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Seeing the comments on J Jones being categorized as a sell-out or a mercenary who’s just trying to play for the US because he can’t crack the German team made me wonder about the following:

    How is someone like Edgar Castillo or Neven Subotic regarded in Mexico or Serbia when they spurn the US for the other national team? Is Subotic treated like an outsider b/c he came up thru the US system and was a US youth international? Are the Serbian soccerazzi saying that he only wanted to play for Serbia because he’s not good enough to break through the Onyewu-Bocanegra-(should be Chad Marshall)-Califf-Shea pecking order?

    What’s the reaction in the ‘other’ country when a player picks them over the US?
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Thanks. Love SBI!

46. Ives,

    1) Have you heard where the best atmosphere for college soccer games is in the US?

    2) And what would you consider to be Andy Bernard’s best musical performance?

47. Good afternoon Ives,

    As always, I really love your site. I enjoy the way you keep your articles spread througout the day. Keeps the hit count up I bet too. 🙂

    My question is (and I know its a bit premature):

    What do you see Mix Diskerud having to do to get a call into the senior team? And when do you see him getting cap-tied under the new rules? If he does get cap-tied to the US, do you think Bob will be the coach to do it?

    The reason I ask is that, if I’m not mistaken, he is the first(newest) dual national, since the FIFA rule change, who is living up to the standard (1st division football, getting 1st team minutes, performing) the USMNT coaches have stated publicly for getting call-ups.

    I know that he doesn’t have much of a track record so far. And, I don’t advocate capping players to keep other nations from them. His is just an interesting situation to me and I wanted to hear your opinion.

48. Are we ever going to get part IV of the last Q&A? 🙂

49. Hey Ives,

    Rank the main Euro leagues from best to worst:

    England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy

50. Who would make your All-Time US MNT roster?

    Who were the best US players historically at each position:

    GK:
    RB:
    CB:
    CB:
    LB:
    LM:
    HM:
    AM:
    RM:
    F:
    F:

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