(Some of) Your Questions Answered

Good afternoon folks. It's another dreary day on the East Coast and I will be heading offline for a bit today. I was hoping to have last week's Q&A session completed but was unable to get to all of them. Rather than make you wait, I have decided to post some of the answers to some of your questions. I will get to the rest ASAP (Monday at the latest).

Feel free to use this thread to discuss anything you'd like, be it the Q&A, Red Bull Park, Beasley's injury, The NCAA Tournament, the upcoming U-23 training camp, Harry Redknapp's arrest, the UEFA Cup or anything else in the soccer world you would like to discuss.

Before you start firing away, here are some of your questions answered:

BRAD- What do you think of Drew Carey's clause he put in with the Seattle Team regarding a fan vote for a General Manager?

Is there any way we can get ESPN to do a fan vote for commentators for 2008? If so, I really think Julie Foudy should be in the booth by herself. Seriously though, is she coherent?

IVES- I dont know how seriously to take that sort of stuff from Carey. I appreciate his interest in fans playing a role, but at the end of the day you can't make a complete joke of the organization, and fan voting for a GM would be pretty suspect.

As for your other question, I'm not touching that one, though I will say I feel like Foudy has gotten better. Then again, I don't listen to enough ESPN/ABC games since I'm usually attending them.

SUPER METRO- 1. Any real changes of Riquelme to MLS, what's his issue with clubs/FIFA etc.?
2. Update on J. Exantus

IVES- No chance of Riquelme for 2008 (or 2009 for that matter, he is heading back to Boca). I have never heard him express interest. The Argentine that should arrive in 2008 is Juan Veron. I would put good money on Veron wearing the DC United kit in 2008.

As for Exantus, he just finished up his junior year of high school. He had another stellar season and is developing nicely. That doesn't mean he wouldn't have developed at a faster rate playing for the senior Red Bulls team but there's no point crying over spilled milk on that one, is there?

CENTRAL COASTER- Whats your opinion on Marvin Avila of Guatemala. I've only seen him in Gold Cup and I know he scored against Mexico a few weeks ago. It seems like he's destined for something better than the Guatemalan league. Do you see the Mexican League, MLS, or some other league in his future?

IVES- I don't know how much stock you should put into Avila's brace against Mexico last month. Both goals came in the second half with Mexico down a man and the second came courtesy of a failed clearance. Avila's a nice young player but I wouldn't but too much stock into him being a rising star just yet.

DANNYc58- Oh man! I sent you an email, can that be my question? About Sebastian Lleget and his citizenship, etc?

IVES- Danny, that question was like a book of 10 questions. I will investigate and try to get some answers for you.

CARL- I don't know if you explored this in your column but do you think a withdrawn striker is what's missing from the Revs since Deuce left? Twellman has a lot of heart but we need another creator and finisher up front. Will New England decide to use a DP spot on a player like this and do you have any ideas on which player(s) may be available to come to MLS?

IVES- Carl, that was essentially my column after MLS Cup for ESPN.com. The Revs rely too much on Twellman to score goals and need a second proven goal-scorer.

SCOTT- Do you think Bob Bradley will ever try out his son in a more attacking role? Feilhaber seems ineffective and it could be useful to have that flexibility if someone like Donovan or Adu goes down. Bradley seems to have a scoring touch that's put to waste as (very good) holding mid. Plus there's I think there's a decent wealth of defensive mids in the US pool. Any chance of this happening or is MB's role as a defensive mid too important to mess with?

IVES- I think that as Michael Bradley evolves as a player you will see him take on more of an attacking role, and by that I mean be more of a two-way player rather than focusing on sitting deeper and breaking up attacks. He has already started to open up that part of his game with Heerenveen and you should see results with the national team next year.

EMILIO- Have you heard anything on potential candidates for the Red Bull coaching spot, do you expect coaches with MLS experience or international coaches. Is Paul Mariner being considered?

IVES- I've heard some and I also have reason to believe that some names that have been floated out there aren't legitimate. I would say that the Red Bulls are looking at MLS-experienced coaches, which is the smart way to go.

CHICAGO MILLONARIO- 1. Do you think an MLS club can make a serious challenge in the Copa Sudamericana soon?

2. Also, how would the scheduling work out? If a team makes it to the semifinals of the Copa AND playoffs/MLS CUP at the same time, which tournament should be the higher priority?

IVES- I think teams like DC, Houston and New England can compete in Sudamericana now, the issue might be scheduling confilicts. As for which tournament would have priority if a team reached both, you can bet MLS would be the priority. That's the thing, MLS teams just don't have the depth to compete in two tournaments at the same time.

PATRICK- What do you feel is the status of the even-keel Revolution going into the offseason? Is it time to start looking for a successor to Ralston? How good is Wells Thompson going to be? And god almighty is Khano Smith hopeless or what?

IVES- The Revs need to move Ralston back to the right flank. Well Thompson is a decent option but I'm not convinced he's the answer there. As for Khano Smith, he shows flashes one minute, then turns the ball over the next. He's frustrating to watch, but in MLS, where wing play is pretty mediocre, Smith isn't the worst winger around.

CARL- Can you go into more detail on New England's claim to Jose Angulo? Can they fight the ruling that he would go into the MLS Draft? And how much of a difference-maker do you think this kid is? Altidore-esque?

IVES- All I know is what I've been told, which is that New England's discovery claim on him is invalid and he has to go into the 2008 draft if he signs with the league. The Revs put in a claim for him during what was the first summer after Angulo graduated high school (unless the team actually developed that player). You can't allow teams to grab kids right out of high school, otherwise why have a draft?

As for the impact he could have, the kid is truly skillful, a strong, left-footed striker with a blast of a shot. His biggest issue is fitness. He's had issues with fitness, as evidenced by his terrible one-day practice date with the Red Bulls, who took one look at him and told him not to come back. Angulo is a talent and could develop into an impact forward in MLS.

OSSINGTON- What have you heard about SI/YI spots being increased in the league?

IVES- I had heard that the league was combining senior and junior international slots so that teams had as many as seven total slots to use, meaning a team could theoretically have seven senior internationals. Nothing official has come out on this yet, at least not that I've seen.

BRAD- Do you know if MLS players read your blog?  Obviously Bobby Boswell is in tune with the blog community, but I didn't know if you'd heard of other players that read your blog or chime in with their viewpoints under different names or something.

IVES- Some players read the blog, both in and out of MLS. I won't bother naming names since that would be kind of cheesy. As for whether any of them post under fake names, I have no idea if that's happening. I do know that plenty of coaches and GMs in the league read the blog, as evidenced by text messages and emails I have gotten after some posts.

BIG Z- I know it was De Rosario who lifted the Dynamo but can you give me a list off the top of your head of the top 5 difference making midfielders in MLS? Is De Rosario ahead of Joseph now or is it just that Joseph has less class around him than De Rosario?

IVES- DeRosario had an amazing MLS Cup, there's no disputing that, but for my money Shalrie Joseph is the best midfielder in the league. He just covers so much ground and delivers killer passes at will. If you watch MLS Cup over again you'll see at least three or four pin-point passes that should have led to goals (One of them led to Twellman's goal).

Here are my Top Five impact midfielders (in no particular order):

• Shalrie Joseph
• Cuauhtemoc Blanco
• Guillermo Barros Schelotto
• Dwayne DeRosario
• Christian Gomez

When these guys are on, they're amazing to watch.

GREG- Ives, Great to meet you at Summers. Any info on where the next MLS cup will be? Thanks

IVES- Hey Greg, good meeting you too. The 2008 MLS Cup will be at Home Depot Center in Carson.

CHRIS C- I posted this question on the Jose Angulo Update, but I'll ask it here again:

How would you rate this year's Superdraft quality compared to year's past?

and, other than Jose Angulo, who are some other stand out prospects?

Thanks man

IVES- Angulo isn't officially in the draft yet because he has yet to sign with MLS. As for other prospects in the draft, I'll look to start putting out draft stuff in December. Right now I'm just making the transition from the MLS season to college scouting stuff.

JAIME- How good do you think Jeff Larentowicz is? Is he developing into a difference maker like Parkhurst and other younger guys on the Revs?

IVES- I think Larentowicz is a good and underrated player who grew tremendously in 2007. He's tough, quicker than you realize, a good passer and has a solid shot when he tries it. He has definitely allowed Joseph the freedom to roam a little more because he can cover ground so well.

JUAN PABLO- Ives do you see Parkhurst and Dorman going to Europe in the next year or so? Where do you think Parkhurst might get a shot? Bundesliga? Prem? And even though Dorman might want to move, is anybody still interested?

IVES- Dorman is on his way already and I would have thought the same of Parkhurst but sources tell me he plans to play out the final year of his MLS contract, which ends after the 2008 season. Why would he do that? If he waits he can then choose between a big MLS contract (big being relative to MLS of course) or leave on a free and get paid even more. Why would the Revs let this happen? They don't really have a choice. With only one year left on his deal, Parkhurst isn't going to fetch a huge transfer and he's so important to the Revs defense that selling him wouldn't be worth it because you couldn't replace him.

DAN- 1. Is the issue of individual teams in MLS chartering flights rather than flying commercial going to be adressed this summer?

2. Are there any issues you think MLS should deal with but probably won't be dealt with during the off-season?

Thanks.

IVES- I think the charter flights issue will be re-opened for consideration. I know that the Red Bulls new practice facility is located near a small airfield and part of the plan there was to be able to fly the team in and out from there. The league can't really keep giving the Galaxy this special treatment.

As for issues the league is likely to ignore, the league needs to revamp the reserve division. It was a nice idea but has become a bit of a joke and with expansion coming in bunches, reserve level players need good experience more than ever to help their development.

NICK- What are your thoughts on Garber allowing the new Seattle team to play at QWest field instead of building an SSS? I thought the MLS was only allowing teams with a SSS or plans for a SSS allowed into the league. I think QWest is the coolest stadium in the NFL, but it doesn't strike me as a soccer stadium even though I know it was built to cater to both sports.

IVES- I think that what matters to the league more than the idea of every team in a soccer specific stadium is having every team in position to generate strong revenue from their home. If Seattle will draw the majority of the revenue generated from games at Qwest then it's mission accomplished. What you don't want is situations where teams play in non-soccer stadiums where they're generating no revenue (like the Red Bulls at Giants Stadium).

I think Qwest can work just fine. I know some fans from other expansion candidate cities are up in arms but ultimately, you need a good market, VERY rich owners and a stadium where a team can put on a good game and generate revenue.

CHESTERTON CHRIS- i remember reading fifa limits the number of teams to 20 per league. i know it's early in mls development, but do you see down the road (7-10 years from now) this being a limiting factor to the growth of soccer in the us and mls in particular? 20 teams won't cover the us well geographically. with $ being key to growth of any sports league, big $ won't be shelled out for tv from the networks if the network doesn't cover the whole country. could fifa change their stance? or would this lead into mls 2, ie, a second tier to cover cities which didn't make it into mls and then relegation?

IVES- I have always wondered about that myself and what I have heard is that the league isn't looking past 20 just yet (That's a 50 percent increase as it is). Yes, the United States is so big that it needs a bigger league, and the impression I have gotten is that the league doesn't believe FIFA will stand in the way of that. After all, if some of those teams are Canadian then you have a league catering to two nations so FIFA couldn't complain too loudly. Also, FIFA never made 20 a rule, I believe Sepp Blatter mentioned it as an ideal cap during one of his bi-monthly rants about nothing in particular.

MIKEMIKE- Have you logged onto

http://bestof2007-ussoccer.blogspot.com/search/label/Best%20Soccer%20Blog

to vote for your own site?

All the cool kids are doing it.

-Mike

IVES- Mike, I can't bring myself to vote for my own blog, much like I can't bring myself to post my own stories on message boards. I know some other folks do that, and I don't begrudge them for doing that (maybe I'll change my tune on story posting down the road), but that's just me. (Let's be serious, I hired two computer hackers to rig the vote. They're the same folks who rig every vote involving anybody from D.C. United. Okay, I'm kidding.)

People can definitely feel free to vote for Soccer By Ives. I'll be more than grateful to accept help from others who want to help my campaign.

NICK G- Predict the futured a little bit here...

How do you see the U.S. attack shaping up in 2010 with all the options we may have by 2010? Beasley, Donovan, Dempsey, Adu, and Altidore will all make strong, strong cases for being starters, so how do you fit them all in, plus other possible options? Do you rotate, go with the hot hand (err foot), or play based on matchups...or something else?

IVES- A little bit? If I had those answers Sunil Gulati would have already hired me as U.S. soccer's technical director.

You can't project if all, or even most of those players will be in position to be options in 2010. Beasley, Donovan, Dempsey, Adu and Altidore are all shaping up to be the to candidates to lead the 2010 squad but you never know whose lurking. Could most people have identified Clint Dempsey as an impact player for 2006 in November of 2003? Could most have penciled in Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley to lead the 2002 attack in November of 1999? Nope. In other words, leave the future predicting to Walter Mercado and Miss Cleo.

BEN- Who do you see headed to Europe out of MLS this offseason?

Also, do you think we'll see Robbie Findley spend any more time with the national team (or Kyle Beckerman for that matter)?

IVES- I'm pretty sure I answered this question the last time around. Andy Dorman, Eddie Johnson, Matt Pickens and Bobby Boswell are all possibilities. I wouldn't be surprised if Ricardo Clark went as well.

ANDY B- I haven't watched enough MLS, I'll confess, to know if this is a consistent trend-- but the first 20-25 mins. of the final struck me as VERY physical, to the point where it seemed like it would have been hard to put together any passes, let alone displays of skill, because people were too busy just hammering each other. It eased up (looked like people just got worn down, and space started to open up as things progressed). What do you think about the level of "physical play" in MLS generally-- too much, too little, or 'just the way it is, who cares?'

IVES- I don't think that level of physicality is the norm during the regular season. I think you had two teams who were meeting in a second straight final trying to set a tone. That said, I don't know if it was as physical as you say. New England was moving the ball around pretty well (except for when Khano "the Bermudan turnover machine" Smith would get the ball.

I've always said the play in MLS is a touch too physical and the refs are to blame for that.

A DIDDY- Any word more detailed word on a Reyna buyout?

We will see Reyna as a coach somewhere?

IVES- No details yet and yes, you will see Reyna coach somewhere eventually. Becoming a coach has long been in Reyna's plans. He has studied the coaching methods of his managers and coaches through the years with an eye toward making that transition.

LAWRENCE- Do you think that if Klinnsman sees US's upcoming talent, and wanted the job, USSF would give it to him?

Do you see players who are in a bad situation in europe, like Kamani Hill, coming to the MLS?

What do you think of CONCACAF's preliminary approval of a champions league for our region?

Thanks

IVES- The job is Bob Bradley's and will stay his unless he somehow failed to progress through World Cup qualifying.

As for players struggling to find time in Europe, they would be crazy not to at least consider MLS. Look at Cory Gibbs, who came back for a year and went right back (his injuries notwithstanding), and look at players like Dempsey and Ryan Nelson, who have used MLS as a springboard. The way expansion is going the league needs the talent so I think players like Kamani Hill and Gabriel Ferrari would be wise to consider MLS.

The question is whether MLS will stop lowballing these types of players. I've heard far too many stories of MLS offering peanuts because they think players are out of options. I really believe this is at least part of the reason you see so many Americans plying their trades in places like Sweden and Norway.

That's all for now. I will look to post the rest of my answers by Monday so stay tuned. Thanks again to those who participated.

And again, feel free to use this post to comment on any soccer issues you may be interested in.

Comments

[Brad]

Hopefully Eddie Johnson doesn't read this blog b/c he'd probably be depressed that there are so many 'haters' out there. Maybe he can get Soccer by Ives carved in his head as a promotional tool for you winning best US Soccer blog.

[Matt]

What exactly does Eddie Johnson have to do anything?

[Matt]

What exactly does Eddie Johnson have to do WITH anything?

[Brad]

I asked Ives in the Q&A whether players and coaches read the blog. I was just making a comment on that.

And since I have been known to bash EJ in the past, I was just stating that hopefully he's not one that reads it.

[Amit]

Has anybody noticed that the best recent draft picks for the Red Bulls have all come after the first round(Altidore, Richards, Bradley, etc.)

[CRSvideo]

I still think Wynne was a pretty good pick for us (when we had him). So was Clark. They were both in the first round. Problem is don't we often trade away our first round pick so can only choose in the later rounds on draft day?

[Dannyc58]

Ives, you cut deep man!

(thanks for ANYTHING you can get...you are awesome)

[Dannyc58]

My last post makes me sound like a stalker, I can assure you I am not. Anymore.

[Andrew]

Ives, what's wrong with letting fans vote on the GM? I think it's terrific. Comon how many Colorado fans would love to get to vote their GM out (if only so that they can bring one in to fire Clavijo)? Carey got this idea from Barcelona and they aren't too shabby of an organization so what's the problem?

[max]

Great as always, Ives.

I'm a long-time reader, first-time poster and noticed something curious about the MLS Cup trophy presentation at RFK. When the Dynamo lifted the cup, it looked like the confetti was light blue, black, and white (SJ colors). Has anyone brought this up yet? It seems like a subtle, classy tip of the cap to acknowledge the team's roots.

[alex]

Ives, great point about the reserve division becoming a joke. Pretty sad when the USL can make a better development pyramid than the “premier” league in America.

Do you think they will address the salary issue? If i recall correctly there were some articles published about lower draft picks going to the USL because they didn't want the sad 12k for a development contract.

[andy b.]

Ives-- thanks for doing the Q&A and I'm glad I got my ? in early enough to be answered in the first bunch for once.
In rereading my own ? I think it exaggerates the physical play-- I think it was very, very hard in the first 25 but then came back to normal. And NE did move the ball alright.
I just wonder if the physical stuff is a cheap substitute for actual skill by players lacking in talent; it then has the effect of smothering those who do have the skills. Kind of a chicken-and-the-egg problem. If people are roughing you up you don't have much choice but to engage in it, you know?

[Lawrence]

WC 2014
HC Reyna
AC Preki

:-)

oh yeah, USSF President Neil Buethe

[josh]

Brad, if you choose to bash somebody in a public forum, don't later hope he doesn't read it. That's a bit hypocritical. You generally have good things to say; if it bothers you you that someone might be affected by some of the negative, leave it out.

That said, EJ is so talented and needs to freakin' step up, and I hope he does read that.

[Brad]

Wow. Apparently I rubbed some people the wrong way taking a shot at EJ. My bad, guys.

Was just making a joke that if he actually came on here, he'd read a lot of ruthless drivel from me as this is my only forum for taking out my EJ frustration.

[Brian]

About the fans voting in seattle situation. From what I've read, fans will be able to "buy into" the club somehow and then be awarded a vote for GM. In other words, the vote for the GM won't be an internet poll or something equally as dumb.

[Ives]

Hey Brad, don't sweat your EJ comment. I understand what you meant. And to be honest, I doubt VERY highly that Eddie Johnson reads this blog.

As for the fans voting for the GM thing, Barcelona votes and other Spanish clubs have votes for president where paid members (associates) get to vote. The thing is that in many cases these clubs are public entities with boards. MLS teams are owned by the league and operators so they don't really need to do the same thing.

All that said, I'd be ALL FOR Colorado voting for a new GM. It isn't a stretch to say that Colorado's leadership is regarded as one of the worst, if not the worst, in the league.

[Igor]

What do you think about Nowak and Adu's reunion on the U23 Olympic team?

[andrew]

Why do you think US guys play in denmark, sweden, etc. Why not MLS? pay?, prestige?

[KingSnake]

Hot looking Viking chicks, and the money to spend on them. (Plus more visibility to big Euro clubs ...)

[alex]

Believe it or not the pay is better in the nordic countries. A lot more players there are making low hundreds as opposed to MLS.

[JJH]

I agree that Cuauhtemoc Blanco is an impact midfielder. He falls down so much, he's always making an impact!

[Mickey]

Off topic - slow news week - in the spirit of questions had/questions answered - I posted a similar query over on Soccer Insider:

WAY OFF TOPIC... but it is a slow news week...

Has anyone else ever noticed the number of Americans playing in Europe who wear the captain's armband for their respective club? Rather disproportionate to the number of Amercians even playing in the leagues. Among the captains' club (current and recent past), Gooch, Reyna, Keller, McBride, Bocanegra, Jay Demerit and Danny Califf (and maybe Friedel before DCU alum Ryan Nelson arrived at Blackburn).

Ives - does the US have the highest representation of captains among top-flight teams in Europe when taking into account
total US players in the leagues?

[Brad]

Mickey, it makes you wonder if they get the captain's armband b/c they are forced to prove themselves. You figure if most Americans go over to England, they know they have to play their a$$es off to make it. Maybe the coaches respect that. That they would lay it all on the line for their team and work harder than those that have it spoonfed to them.

Good question though. That is really odd, but it's definitely good for us.

[kpugs]

I am way late on this comment but the FIFA limit is actually 18 teams, not 20 (please pardon me, I don't have the time at work to research and make sure that is correct; if it has changed to 20 recently, do me a favor and ignore the rest of the comment).

Also, as far as I know, since the ruling was passed it hasn't been enforced, nor have FIFA even attempted to enforce it. In fact no one has said anything about it at all since last June.

I'm not saying this won't effect MLS. But at the same time FIFA's congress allegedly passed this rule and then didn't bother trying to get it into action. La Liga, Serie A and the Premiership will fight it tooth and nail. So I'll worry about it with regards to MLS when I see one of those leagues cut down to 18.