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I bet you didn't expect to see them this quicky, did you?

The questions are still pouring in, but I've managed to knock out the first batch of answers to the latest Q&A. Those wondering about the last batch from July should stop wondering. I just didn't find enough interesting questions left over to finish off that batch. With a fresh collection of great questions, I'm going to move on to September now.

In this group of answers we have questions addressed regarding, among other things,  USA '94 vs. USA, '09, best summer movies and what to do with Clint Dempsey.

Now, onto the answers:

JOE GOLDSTEIN– Do you think the US might be better off switching to a 3-5-2 lineup? With Left back being such a big issue, playing Boca as LCB as opposed to a CB or LB might make more sense. It would also utilize a deep central midfield more effectively. What do you think?

IVES– And who do you propose would handle the incredible workload that comes with playing the wings in a 3-5-2? The U.S. team is struggling with its wide midfielders covering enough ground in a 4-4-2, and you think a 3-5-2 would make that less of a problem? There’s a reason that hardly any national teams use the 3-5-2. Just isn’t a practical formation for the modern game. Now, if you’re playing FIFA at home, it’s surely easy enough to get your wingers to cover all that space, but that’s not reality.

So no, I don’t think the USA would be better off going to a 3-5-2.

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KPTX– What does Bob Bradley do during the 80% of the year when the USMNT is not in camp? I saw him at the SuperClassico, but don't see him too often at MLS games. Does he go to a lot of MLS games? College games? Does he ever make it to overseas games? Is his schedule a 40-hour a week one when the team is not in camp? Does he have an office at the USSF headquarters to watch tape and have meetings, or just watch tape from his house? Does he have an office in Sunil's basement? Does he just go shopping for new gameday sweat pants? Just curious as to his schedule when the US team is not in camp.

IVES– I would imagine that Bradley spends a good amount of that time watching games, both live and via video. He’s a soccer junkie who watches and analyzes multiple games a day. He’s based in LA so I’m sure he sees at least one MLS game a week in person at Home Depot Center and watches the other MLS matches via video. He does travel to see national team players abroad, and to speak with their coaches and to establish that rapport. He also travels abroad to establish relationships with other national team coaches. Sunil lives in Manhattan so I doubt he has a basement and I’m pretty sure Bob’s game day sweatpants are team-issued so he gets them free.

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TOM M– Can you respond to Edgar Castillo's remark in his Yanks Abroad interview: "..there are a lot of good players that go through the system and can't pay, even players much better than I am…" and "In the US, in California, everywhere, it's hard to evaluate talent because there are so many good players".

When people talk about why the US does not produce better players, I don't see socio-economic factors being mentioned enough. According to Castillo, we have much more talent, but money and adequate opportunities are the issue.

Do you agree?

IVES– I absolutely agree. As someone who covered high school soccer in New Jersey for a decade I can tell you that I saw plenty of extremely talented players who never made it up through the ranks and who fell through the cracks. Alecko Eskandarian was one of the most celebrated players I covered in high school but I can think if a half dozen players most people never heard of who I thought were more impressive and more gifted.

The problem does lie in the size of this country as well as the absence (until recently) of professional team academies. Some people have the misconception that it is U.S. Soccer’s job to find and cultivate all the talent in this country. That’s not how it works in the rest of the world. In the rest of the world there are established scouting and development systems run by the pro teams in those countries. The United States lacked that for so long, but now MLS teams are starting to really get involved there. The problem is you only have 14 MLS teams in this country right now, just 14 teams in a country as big as ours simply isn’t enough. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just the reality of the logistics.

The good news is that things are improving. The established youth soccer system is improving with the help of U.S. Soccer and MLS teams are starting to increase their roles in player development.

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MATTHEW– Which formation besides the USMNT's current 4-4-2 would you like to see Bob Bradley deploy?

IVES– I don’t think the 4-4-2 is a problem, and see it as the best option for the U.S. team, but I wouldn’t mind a 4-3-2-1, which I found intriguing when it was used briefly a year ago. Perhaps something like this:

————————Altidore————————-

————-Donovan———-Davies—————–

——–Torres———Bradley——–Dempsey——

Bocanegra—–Onyewu—-DeMerit———-Spector

————————Howard————————–

It should be noted that Torres and Dempsey wouldn’t really be defensive midfielders, but would actually have a lot of freedom to attack and would find themselves with more passing options.

This formation would work very well if Edgar Castillo emerged as a real option at left back, because his attacking qualities could thrive here. You’d still want more natural target striker than Altidore, but he’s improving and playing in England is going to help him develop that part of his game. Also, Davies isn’t natural fit where I have him listed either, but I can’t see him on the bench. Dempsey would be a better fit there, with Benny Feilhaber a good option in Dempsey’s slot.

That’s just it though, I don’t see how you keep Altidore or Davies off the field, and if they both play you pretty much have to go 4-4-2. A 4-3-3 with Donovan as the third forward is probably something that comes to mind, but I don’t see the U.S. midfielders fitting into that formation.

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MAX G– 1) As a soccer journalist, do you feel most pundits objectively deliberate on the game and revise their opinions accordingly, or are they more prone to look for evidence that corroborates their existing opinions/pre-conceived notions?

2) Public option?

IVES– 1. I believe some pundits are objective and try to analyze a game and describe the outcome fairly. I also think some folks are pre-disposed to how they’re going to view things. There are also a few who I really get the feeling write what they thin
k people want to hear rather than what they believe. I personally try to watch a game and be objective about it. Obviously we all have our own ideas of the game and of what results mean, but I think some people are better at others at clearing away the BS and getting to the core of what a match’s outcome means.

2. I said soccer and POP CULTURE, not Politics. I’ll keep that one to myself, or you can go to my other website, Healthcare By Ives (kidding).

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ROEHL– What are Richie Williams' prospects for staying on as NY head coach job full-time? Does he even want the job?

Personally, I think a big name demanding big money isn't going to necessarily win games in New York or in MLS. It hasn't in the past, it's not going to change in the future.

IVES– I would like to think Williams’ chances are good, and he deserves them to be, but I can’t take for granted anything Red Bull might decide. We can only hope that Erik Stover A) realizes that a big-name foreign coach without much knowledge of MLS and American soccer would be a mistake and B) he has enough juice to let the suits in Salzburg realize that. If that happens, I think Williams gets the job.

And does he want the job? Are you serious? Let’s see, would a New Jersey native and soccer lifer and long-time assistant coach want a chance to coach his hometown team the year it moves into a beautiful stadium and the year it is planning on using its second designated player slot to bring in a star player (not to mention the two first-round draft picks and extra allocation money from being so bad in ’09)?

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ANTHONY R– After seeing the USA beat Spain, I am more convinced than ever that "on any given day…" Having said that, if Del Bosque's 16 player rotation is healthy, Spain has to lift the WC trophy next summer. Thoughts?

IVES– The way they’re playing right now, I’d have to put my money on Brazil if I were placing a bet right now. It’s Brazil and Spain as the co-favorites, with a dip to the next group, which includes England, the Netherlands and, wait for it, Ivory Coast.

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JOEL– Best summer movie that you saw?

I love the site!

IVES– Have to go with The Hangover and Terminator: Salvation.

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GEOFF-Do you think Preki would be a good successor to Juan Carlos Osorio at the Red Bulls next season or do you think Richie Williams deserves a shot? Preki's Chivas the last few years have played some real nice football and have been a contender.

IVES– I don’t think Preki comes to New York (though I have heard he interviewed for a job with them in the past). I think Richie Williams should keep the job. I see Preki coaching Kansas City next season.

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IRANT_IRAVE– Why don't you consider yourself a fan of a team? Was it because of Metro/Red Bull, too much heart ache?

IVES– I wasn’t really into MLS when the league began. I was a late bloomer when it came to following soccer religiously and was pretty oblivious to the MetroStars in their early years. I dove into MLS as a newspaper beat writer in 1999 so no, I was never a fan of the home team, and now that I’ve covered the league for so long I can’t see how I’d become a fan of any team in MLS.

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SHAWN– Ok Ives, your opinion, USMT 1994 versus Today's roster who wins? Score?

IVES– These are always tough to do because you’re talking a 15-year generational gap and a clear advantage in terms of athleticism for the current squad. I say the current team wins 3-1, but the 94 midfield plays very well. Why 3-1? Jozy Altidore+Alexi Lalas=two goals. Also, John Harkes would get sent off for a vicious foul on Clint Dempsey.

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MANCHESTER FC– What is your pump up song? My personal favorite is Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine.

IVES- Songs that get me pumped for some reason are Shook Ones by Mobb Deep and Who Shot Ya by B.I.G (yes, I'm a rap fan), but after covering high school wrestling for years I have to say the best song to come out to is Down with the Sickness. A good one from my college football playing days was Enter Sandman by Metallica (and no, I wasn’t a Metallica fan, but that song used to get us pretty pumped up before a game).

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MIKE– Do you think Clint Dempsey needs to sit one out next time? He looks lethargic and uninspired. Has he been playing too much or has do you think his status has gone to his head? What gives?

IVES– I know that’s the popular sentiment, and understandable given his recent outings, but how do you sit someone who almost always delivers a clutch goal or assist? It’s like a slot machine that you know will pay off. Yes, it is painfully boring to keep putting the coins in, but if you know a jackpot is coming, do you get up? I would love to see Stuart Holden get a start, but do you really give him his first start in San Pedro Sula in a must-win for Honduras? Um, probably not.

You've got to stick with Dempsey, at least for the Honduras match, because he's capable of giving you something special at any moment. I remember writing that, after the first two Confederations Cup matches, Dempsey should sit. He proved me wrong on that one big time so I'm not about to doubt the Texan again.

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What do you think of these answers? Share your thoughts below.