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It’s SBI Q&A Time (August Edition)

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With the summer’s multiple high-profile international teams in the memory bank, and the European club season just around the corner, it is time to discuss all things soccer in the next SBI Q&A.

Please feel free to submit your soccer-related questions in the comments section below and I will answer select questions in a post later this week. I will also look to discuss select questions on the next episode of The SBI Show.

Have a question about the USMNT, its Gold Cup title run and World Cup qualifying options? Want my opinion on the USWNT’s bronze medal finish? Want to talk Americans Abroad, MLS or European soccer? Feel free to ask about any soccer topic you wish.

Submit your questions below.

Comments

  1. Any news on Jose Gallegos, trialed with Bayern. Do you see him going to Europe or will he finally join MLS next season?

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  2. If you are Berhalter do you rest some players against El Salvador? Any chance he even leaves some players in the US to save them from having to travel?

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  3. What was the name of the American center back that played for Norwich a few years back ,who hardly ever got a call up even though Norwich was in the premiership at the time? I hope this dose not happen to Sargent.

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  4. Would love to hear you touch in what is happening with Jesse at RB Leipzig. What is the outlook for him, his challenges, strengths/weaknesses, fan reception?

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  5. The number of Americans making moves to Europe seems off the charts over the past 12-18 months. Is this a “golden generation”, a byproduct of the development academies, or something else?

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  6. 1) Are more than 4 (!!!) measly Bundesliga games per year going to be shown on ESPN / ESPN2 this season, and if not, shouldn’t we all just boycott the entire network?
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    2) What, if anything, is going to help Inter Miami, or was it always doomed to succumb to hubris, given the MLS salary cap? Aren’t the Higuaíns and Matuidi still really good players (for MLS), if they only get some encouragement? And does anyone think Leo Messi is ever going to seriously consider this shambles before he turns 40?
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    3) What center backs are in the running for an emergency signing following Fofana’s unfortunate injury at Leicester, and are any of them American?
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    4) When is MLS going to realize that a schedule with games throughout the summer is simply not workable for teams in Texas, where it is unbearably hot from May through September in every other year but this one?
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    5) What dire Covid-Delta outbreaks are now being associated with the unwisely full stadiums of the Gold Cup, especially in Texas? Which MLS teams will do the sensible thing and require either proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid test for all attenders from now on?
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    6) Would you be at all interested in recapping, for newer readers like me, some background on how you came to cover soccer, and which aspects most interest you? (-:
    .

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  7. Will bidens new policy of letting just vaccinated people from outside affect the qualifiers, in benefitting the US when teams from carribean, Central america visit?

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  8. The USMNT has recently been able to court and retain some great duel nationals (John Brooks, Sergino Dest), but we seem to be losing the battle for Mexican Americans. I still believe there is a wealth of talent that could benefit the USMNT. Is the USSF mishandling this? Will this trend continue?

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  9. I heard that in the Olympics only the players that dress in their final match get medals. Why is that? Does this mean Alyssa Naeher didn’t get a bronze medal? That some bs in my opinion. What do you think?

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  10. Are the rumors about Josh Sargent to Norwich City true and if so is that a good move? Second question is with this player pool which is the most talented the US has ever had, how can they take the old US grit and grind and mesh it with the new skill and swagger with this young group of players and put it all together and compete with the top teams?

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  11. where do you see us stacking internationally? not “rank,” as in the cynical academic FIFA grade grubbing exercise, but like if we played a world cup, who could we compete with and how long would we last? we are clearly the class of the region on talent, but the region give or take canada is in a down ebb. i am always happy to win within it, but we must look higher if we want higher. so where do we fit in the bigger picture?

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  12. With USA #9 and Mexico #10 in the latest FIFA rankings, (1) what are the odds USMNT get in pod 1 for the world cup, and (2) what would have to happen to get there?

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  13. Where do you see Paxton Pomykal in the pecking order amongst the MF & how long do you think it will take before he is on a WCQ roster?

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  14. Which MLS club will Messi play for, and when?

    I don’t see NY City because of the baseball stadium situation.

    I don’t see Miami because of the scandal.

    Whatever team it is, I believe it happens sooner rather than later…

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  15. Do you know if the women’s roster selections are impacted by the contract status (e.g. do contracted players have to be called up or is the coach free to choose the roster he/she wants regardless of contract status)?

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  16. Ives, should US Soccer be on hook to USWNT the men’s FIFA WC bonuses?

    Soccer media seems to avoid answering this simple question directly which I believe helps USWNT continue their narrative almost unopposed….

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  17. Matthew Hoppe was the most interesting (not best) player on the Gold Cup roster for me. He seems to have a lot of potential and could bring a bit of personality to a forward group that at times seems a bit flat, but, as it currently stands, I assume that he would be on the outside looking in for a potential world cup squad. Assuming the US qualifies, where do you think Hoppe could fit for a full world cup squad and what would he need to do over the next year and half to get there?

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  18. Are there any players on the fringes —— either young players, dual nationals, players with limited callups under Berhalter —— that you can specifically see working themselves into the player pool for qualifiers?

    I just saw Johnnyrazor and Goalkeeper72’s questions: Caden Clark, Folarin Balogun et al are all players I would consider outliers due not to their profile but their lack of experience with the national team and are good examples of the type of player I’m thinking about.

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  19. Which MLS and rising USMNT player, who isn’t already or speculated to be on their way to Europe, do you foresee making the leap during or after this season season and which league would they fit best?

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  20. After this Gold Cup has highlighted the skill of an MLS goalkeeper. Do you have your own top 10 list for MLS goalkeepers eligible to play for the USMNT? I would like to know where Jimmy Maurer of FCD ranks?

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  21. win / loss / draw prediction for WC qualifying. and how many points “required” (expected) to make the cutoff? thanks as always. cheers.

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  22. I see fans and professional pundits calling for the US to “test itself against better competition” – better European trams. Insinuating US Soccer has not attempted to make that happen. It seems to me that with every FIFA window since Covid (perhaps before) teams were tied up in either Nations League, Euro qualifying or WCQ. Nations League was designed to make friendlies “mean something”. But it seems to tie teams to their confederations instead of scheduling actual friendlies. There doesn’t seem to be better Euro teams available to schedule friendlies with even if US Soccer wanted to. Now with WCQ in full swing there will also be very little chance for those types of friendlies.

    The question is this: Is Nations League positive for world football or does it just maintain the power structure as is Euro and SA dominant) through limiting interconfederation games between WCs?

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  23. Do you see any players there were more features in the two tournaments this summer making the WCQ? I feel it’s unfortunate that players like Julian Green, Konrad, CCV and Pepi may be on the outside looking in when they definitely could have competed for minutes at the Gold Cup

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  24. What do you think about Losada’s impact on DC United?

    (From SBI: FYI, people who have never posted a comment on the site have their first comments go into a pending mode, so all your follow-ups weren’t really needed, but noted.)

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  25. Who of the players that did not play NL or GC do you think makes a qualifying roster this fall? Konrad, CCV, Luca, Caden Clark, etc…

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