With the New Year already in full swing, and the U.S. national team and MLS teams already working towards success in 2010, it's a good time for a new SBI Q&A.
You know the routine. Post your soccer-related (and pop-culture related) questions in the comments section below and I will look to post answers to the best questions over the course of the coming days and weeks. The goal this time around is to post all answers before the end of the month.
Have questions about your MLS team? Wondering about the U.S. national team's options?
Send your questions my way.
Ives:
If I remember correctly, the franchise fees that Vancouver and Portland paid recently were about $45M each. If that’s the case, where is this money going? Either one of those franchise fees alone would be enough to pay for all the salaries of the entire league (less the designated players’ salaries, which are not paid by the league anyway) and yet they can’t raise the salary cap? Any idea what is going on here?
Will the USMNT uniform be updated prior to the WC?
Sometimes during cold weather some EPL players will come onto the pitch what looks like Vaseline smeared on the sternum of their jerseys. What is that stuff, and what is the purpose?
How much would you enjoy having Mexico sponsored by Puma, just to see Blanco in one of those “tech-fit” shirts, a la Cameroon?
Hey Ives,
Do you know when the world cup jersey’s will be released? It stinks that we can’t buy them yet!
Ives,
Regarding the US National Team:
Given our current injuries in the back, and our decent depth at midfield. Shouldnt we consider EDU in the Back?
He did play well there in the Olympics..
Do you think the Union’s stadium will be completed in time for the start of the MLS season? From the looks of it on the webcam its looking iffy.
Ives: one of the complaints with MLS I hear frequently is the quality of the coaching – and the often incestous world of MLS coaches, going round and round from one club to another. At the same time we hear of MLS clubs signing “partnerships” with major overseas clubs and many of us wonder what impact this will have on the club.
My question: has there been any plan put in place to begin sending American and MLS training and coaching staffs to train at their “partner” club’s academies in order to benefit from long established programs?
Does Donovan have any control if he does wish to leave MLS for Europe? I was surprised he signed the MLS contract when he did, considering European clubs could be very interested after the WC, but maybe not willing to pay the outrageous price MLS is sure to ask for him.
Hey Ives, love the site. What do you think the chances of a team in the south getting a team? Atlanta maybe? When do you think it will happen?
Given comments about what Jozy and Adu have done, what do you think about Twitter’s place in professional soccer (or professional sports generally)? Should it have a place? Have Jozy and Freddy just taken it too far?
how well do you think the seattle sounders will do this year now that they have a year under their belts. Also do you think that upcoming franchises such as Philly or Vancouver/Portland can keep the solid start continueing to help make the league better.
hey ives, love the blog. i basically read it every day. as a college student suffering from an overload of classes he’s not enjoying so much, i am asking for some advice. what has your career path been like? how would you recommend starting out in soccer journalism? is it worth it? thanks!
…and will you take me to the 2010 World Cup?
I’m not sure if you mentioned this recently or not, but where is Jeff Parke right now? Any chance we see him playing in MLS again anytime soon?
Do U.S. fans over estimate the talent of Americans abroad, or does a glass ceiling actually exist in Europe which inhibits the opportunity for Americans to get playing time?
Who do you think the galaxy will bring? Think a honduran player will come?
Ives –
1) By now Holden has probably signed with someone (Bolton?). The Dynamo have said they are looking at some talent from south of the border. Any idea as to who, or at least, which leagues, the Dynamo are scouting?
2) Your SuperBowl prediction.
What are your favorite soccer books? I love reading sports nonfiction, but I have never read any soccer ones and would love to read a few to get ready for this summer. Any recommendations? The Beckham Experiment? Soccernomics? How Soccer Explains the World?
Thanks for your suggestions!
where did the term sbi mafia come from?
also, what do you do with the information that you collect from us? like, do you know what team each of us is a fan of, and how often we post, and how old we are and stuff like that? and what would you do with that?
how are RBNY season tix sales progressing?
Why do Eurosnobs like to ignore good soccer leagues such as the Mexican Primera or the J-League? It seems nobody outside those respective countries and those neighboring really know how good those 2 leagues are.
How will Houston fair this year? Does it depend on new signings? How will the loss of Holden (Stuart) and Clark affect the team?
Hi! Since promotion/relegation seems to be out of the question, where would you place the final teams to get as good a league as possible, if we are talking about a 20 team league? Or 24? Which teams should move?
Maybe another team in NYC and then St. Louis?
If you had to pick a starting 11 using only one player from the 11 largest English speaking countries (US, England, Canada, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Wales, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana) what would it look like?
Is there anything new with Cody Arnoux and Anton Peterlin with Everton?
Ives, I have a three-part question; I’ll try to keep it brief.
I’m a first generation American- my parents and grandparents are from north London and I’m a red-blooded Arsenal fan living in Nashville. I watch MLS but always find myself rooting for the underdog. With that background info in mind, can you answer the following?
1. When will MLS put a team in the south? Atlanta or even the soccer hotbed of Raleigh/Durham would be obvious picks. The region is full of Latinos and youth soccer is huge here, so why won’t MLS expand here and give us a team to support?
2. People keep asking when an American will be a starter for a “top four” team in any league. Given his performance over the last few years, would it surprise you if that player was Clint Dempsey?
3. Nashville made the final cut for our world cup bid. Does Music City’s uniqueness and the quality of LP field make it likely that FIFA selects us as one of the “small market” venues to host games?
Ives,
What has a bigger impact on the fan experience for SA 2010: (1) crime; (2) transportation infrastructure (or the lack thereof); or (3) lodging (the lack thereof)?
http://redbull.newyork.mlsnet.com/players/es/bio.jsp?team=t107&player=megaloudis_c&playerId=meg072826&statType=current
You know my question.. 😉
Shoot…. in my question above, when I said “other leagues” I meant “top leagues”. I know MLS gets lots of players from central america on loan (marco pappa, conde, now Martinez for the Fire for example). I was talking about european leagues…… thanks.
Ives,
Why don’t we see more loans between MLS and the other leagues? It seems the unique MLS schedule would allow for this to happen all the time.
I’d think that somewhere in Europe is a 1st or 2nd division team who are dealing with a number of injured defenders or injured CM players.
I’m thinking:
1) these teams would would love the opportunity to get Chad Marshall or Kyle Beckerman for 10 weeks (even if only to provide cover)
2) they could pay below normal european wages for these players
3) MLS makes some money
4) MLS gets european exposure
5) The players make some extra money
6) The players get extra experience, exposure.
So what keeps the top 10% of MLS players (who are typically paid well below their value to a european team) from going on loan every single year before MLS like Beckham and Donovan are doing right now?
Likewise, if come March some kids on teams like Bolton or Sunderland haven’t been making it into the reserve games (and the EPL season is about to end) why not loan them out to MLS where they will get games all summer?
Ives,
Who will captain the USMNT in Honduras?
What qualities does Bradley look for in a captain and vice-captain?
One of your previous answers implied you are doing web monitoring / statistics (doesn’t suprise me, just hadn’t thought about it).
What is SBI’s most popular post all time?
Generally which post topics rate highest (MLS, US Nats, Q&A which is my guess, etc.)?
What is the year-over-year trending?
Keep up the great work, I’m personally trying to drive those stats up!
Two-part question:
1. Will Giuseppe Rossi be on the next season of “Jersey Shore”?
2. What would his nickname be?
Ives, do players’ agents fabricate stories about their clients to pump up their value. Have you received or repeated any of these PR campaigns?
Hey dude,
Greenland is looking to join FIFA in the near future since they are now able to use FieldTurf and will have a decent stadium. The big question is, will they join CONCACAF(since it’s in North America) or UEFA (since they have major ties to Denmark)? What do you think. Do you think they would be the worst national team in FIFA history?
Ives,
Any bold pre-preseason predictions for the upcoming MLS season? Who’s your early favorite(s)?
Agree, I’d like to hear Ives’ answer. I recently read and enjoyed and recommend Charlie Connelly’s “Stamping Grounds: Liechtenstein’s Quest for the World Cup.”
1) Where do you suppose that the National Soccer Hall of Fame will end up? Was hoping either Harrison or down in Chester, but based on rumors those locations seem unlikely.
2) Do you think that it’s sensible for the NYRB to place their reserve team in the NPSL?
3) Lastly, down in Philly I had heard about a possible NASL and NPSL parnership, what can you tell us if anything?
Ives,
Who do think will turn out to be the better player, Danny Mwanga or Steve Zakuani.
not sure what lickout is – I meant Lockout
I hear Feb. for the home shirts, March for the aways…It was Feb. in 2006.
When is the USSF going to unveil the jersey that the MNT will wear at this year’s world cup? What design or color would you be interested in seeing?
What would be the best club for Luis Gil to sign with.
Where would an MLS All-Star Team finish if it practiced together and played a full season in the EPL? I personally think it would fall somewhere between 7th and 10th…
Strange question…there’s been interest in Clark, Donovan, Holden, Adu, EJ….and probably more I can’t think of now…
off the field question…Have you heard when the US World Cup jerseys will go on sale?
Aside from the obvious answer of “Spain”, who will be the next first time World Cup winner (i.e. not Brazil, Argentina, England, France, Germany, Italy, or I guess Uruguay)?
Candidates include USA, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, China, Japan, Nigeria,…
Ives: What’s your best XI from countries not going to south Africa?
Hey Ives,
If both are in form, would you rather have Holden or Beasley on the outside playing for the Yanks?
Hey Ives,
Related to other questions (and probably one that has been asked before) if the CBA doesn’t get signed, can players under contract play in Europe? Would the MLS get transfer fees or would they be free to go? Thanks for the great site!
With Bocanegra’s recent pt problems, any chance Bradley looks to put him on the bench and start Demerit with Onyewu? Also, how do you see the RB and LB shaping out for the world cup. Granted its a while away, but the right matchups could be crucial for England with someone like Lennon on the wing.