(Some of) Your Questions Answered

Good evening folks. Apologies for not finishing off Friday's Q&A by today, which was originally the plan.

I was able to get the first ten questions answered and since many of them required pretty lengthy answers, I figured I could post these tonight for folks to digest and respond to.

So, without any further ado, here is a small Memorial Day edition of Your Questions Answered:

SCOTT- Has there been any progress with Cory Gibbs finding a new club after his release from Charlton?

IVES- I have heard rumblings about a return to MLS this summer but am trying to figure out which club. If he came back, a return to FC Dallas might make sense, but we don't even know who the coach will be. Here's the thing with Gibbs coming back to MLS. He would command a big salary and I'm not sure what clubs are going to gamble that on a player as injury-prone as Gibbs. Obviously, when healthy, he's an all-star in MLS, but how long has it been since he was healthy?

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JUKE BOX HERO- Hey Ives - as the Red Bulls get set to open their stadium next year (fingers crossed), shouldn't they already be thinking about a heavy hitting DP replacement for Reyna, considering how far ahead LA began negotiating with Becks? To that end, who do YOU think are the 3 or 4 players they should be zeroing in on?

IVES- There are a lot of things that Red Bull the company should be doing that they're not doing. That said, I wouldn't assume that Juan Osorio and Jeff Agoos aren't putting together a wish list of designated players.

Who SHOULD the Red Bulls be targeting? Thierry Henry is one, and I will say it one more time. If Henry play in MLS he will play in New York. That's just my hunch. I know the Henry to Seattle thing doesn't want to go away but I can't see that happening. Who else? Ronaldinho and Juan Riquelme are dreams, while I still like the idea of Alessandro Del Piero spending a year or two here. He can clearly still play at the highest level and would be a fan favorite.

One player who wouldn't shock me to see come here though he's young and big-ticket player is Swiss forward/midfielder Johan Vonlanthen. He would only be 23 in 2009, and Red Bull Salzburg is probably lining up to sell him this summer, but stranger things have happened. I know Vonlanthen and Osorio know each other very well and Vonlanthen could be the perfect attacking midfielder for the Red Bulls (he can play as a playmaker and striker).

In an ideal world, Red Bull Salzburg would loan Vonlanthen to the Red Bulls for the second half of this season, but given Salzburg's unwillingness to even let the Red Bulls have a reserve team player on loan (Ernst Obster) I suppose Vonlanthen would be wishful thinking (although, I could see him coming as an emergency option if Altidore is sold. But again, that would require Salzburg caring about the 2008 MLS season.)

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ARTC- 1) With Bocanegra's release, do you maybe see Gooch as a viable replacement considering Fulham's penchant for buying American players?

2) From the huge Hispanic contingent that attended the USA-Mexico match a little over a year ago, has MLS considered a team in the desert such as Phoenix or Las Vegas?

IVES- I'm pretty sure Fulham would love to add Onyewu, but I think Onyewu is going to draw some big offers that might price him out of Fulham's range. I also wonder if England is in the cards, or if Onyewu will wind up in France or Spain instead.

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GEOFF- a) Is there any new information on the Revolution getting there own specific Stadium? It doesn't look good when 75% of the Stadium is empty and its not like Bob Kraft can't afford to build one. The Red Bulls have the same issue until next season hopefully.
b) Would it be smart to move Chivas USA to San Diego since they don't seem to draw too well at the HDC? I understand its hard to compete in the same market as the Galaxy with Becks and co and plus San Diego is closer to Mexico so maybe more of a fanbase?

IVES- A) Nothing to report. I asked a Revs source and was told there's nothing new. The Revs could certainly use a stadium closer to Boston but that's a big investment for an owner who is already receiving the benefits of owning his own stadium because he receives all the revenue from Revs games now.

B) I like the Chivas USA to San Diego idea, not a bad one at all. Something needs to happen though because it doesn't look like Chivas USA has struck a strong cord with its target demographic.

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WALLY- What do you make of the possibility of Henry actually coming to Los Angeles?
Also what do you make of the rumors of Feilhaber coming to the MLS? Thanks

IVES- Henry to LA makes more sense than Henry to Seattle, but I'm sticking by my Henry to NYC suggestion. As for Feilhaber, I can't see him coming here for his price tag. Unless Derby loans him out at a bargain price I just don't see him coming to MLS.

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S. YOUNGBLADE- When can we expect a SBI presidential endorsement? Think about the question like this, who would you rather see at this weekend's Red Bull/Fire match-up; Clinton or Obama?

IVES- I try to stay out of the political fray (let's face it, you folks come here for the soccer), but if you're asking me who I prefer, I'll give you a hint. Their name rhymes with Shcmoshmama.

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SMOREBS- Thanks, as usual. When do you see RBNY using their full starting line-up? What formation do you see them using against Houston next week?

IVES- Well, let's see. Stammler is close to returning and Van Den Bergh comes off his yellow. For me, the very best Red Bulls starting lineup is this one:

------Altidore-------Angel---------

Borman------VDB---------Richards

---------Reyna---Stammler-------

Golthwaite---Parke--------Leitch

---------------Conway-------------

I know the Van Den Bergh as attacking midfielder move only took place vs. KC but I really liked what I saw there. Also, people can rag on Chris Leitch all they want but when he has been at right back in this formation he has done well. He had two bad games, one at center back and the other he made a bad play on a free kick, not exactly an indictment of his ability to play right back.

Juan Carlos Osorio stressed again on Sunday that the team needs three more players. In my opinion he needs a central defender (who would partner with Parke in a four-man defense and allow Parke to slide right in a three-man defense) OR a left back (who would allow Goldthwaite to slide into a center back roll alongside Parke in a 4, and play as the center back in a three), a left winger and a defensive midfielder. Why not a playmaker? Because finding a quality AVAILABLE playmaker for the money the team has to spend is impossible, so Osorio's plan is to play someone steady alongside Stammler who can allow Reyna to play in a more advanced role. People criticizing Reyna in an advanced role need to realize that he hasn't had a chance to play that position with reliable support behind him.

Even before transfers arrive I think the above lineup is good enough to get results. Is it good enough to challenge for a title? Nope, I think it loses to Chicago and New England (and has a tough time against Columbus). If Osorio can get the two or three targets he has his eye on then we'll see what's what.

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TXFULTBOL- 1) With his recent knack for picking the wrong players, not letting players play to their strengths while attempting to force to play into his "system," why is Nowak the Olympic coach? He has no penchant for letting players improvise and show technical ability on the field to match the international game.

2) With Donovan probably not playing all the upcoming friendlies (England, Argentina, Spain), who will probably be selected to replace his position?

IVES- TX, I'm not really sure where you're getting all this from. The last time I checked Freddy Adu pretty much had free reign to do what he wanted in Olympic qualifying. Are there some fancy tricks Dax McCarty or someone else would have been able to pull off if not held back by Nowak's old school system? I'm not buying this one.

2. Not sure which Donovan misses, but there isn't really anyone who can replace him. I wonder if Freddy Adu gets a starting role in one of these matches or if he will simply be a bench player. I would like to see how he stacks up against a quality senior team.

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BERTO- Who do you see starting against West ham United?

Heres mine:
Donovan,altidore,blanco,guille,becks,edu,joesph,conrad,davino,parkhurst,busch

IVES- Since there is fan voting involved I think it's tough to predict who will start vs. West Ham in the All-Star game. What I will say is who I think should start based on the first two months of the season (In other words, this would be my ballot as of today):

---------Landon Donovan---------Kenny Cooper-------------

----------------------Cuauhtemoc Blanco----------------------

Robbie Rogers--------------------------------David Beckham

-------------------------Shalrie Joseph------------------------

Gonzalo Segares------------------------------Marvell Wynne

--------------Chad Marshall----Bakary Soumare-------------

-------------------------Wil Hesmer---------------------------

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JULIO- Why won't the MLS play in Copa Libertadores?

IVES- I don't think MLS teams have the depth necessary to be able to handle adding Libertadores to an already loaded international schedule. Would it be nice for MLS teams to be in the tournament eventually? Of course, but not until teams have the resources to compete and not hurt their other commitments.

Comments

[brian]

from the grammar police: that's no "penchant." as you were, boys. a pension is something I should be receiving in just a few years. : )

[kpugs]

I think fans would do better now to accept Henry will only play in NY if he plays here. In the same way that there was virtually no way Beckham would play anywhere but L.A., there is basically no chance whatsoever of Henry playing anywhere but New York.

Plus, Wally, are we already assuming MLS will continue to allow L.A. to pay DP salary to 3-4 players despite having only one DP slot? That's a bit much isn't it?

[Katatonia]

nah not really

[sublicon]

good call, brian. i was about to say the same thing.

[j_loome]

You can argue value for money all you want,and I know he wasn't that impressive last year, but for my money Carl Robinson at tfC has been the best holding mid in the league this year, ahead of Shalrie.

[Mike O]

Happy Memorial Day, Ives! Hope you had some fun and got to go outside in the burgeoning summer weather! Played some soccer today with my girlfriend's 9 year old niece at a friend's barbecue in the sunshine and was reminded of the real reason, outside of all the intrigue and politics of professional and international soccer, why I love soccer so much. Corny as it sounds it really is the beautiful game.

[anotherbodymurdered]

Baky!
Super Sega!
TEMO!!

Heyyyyyyyy Fire GO!

[Daniel]

Ives, MLS & FMF should make the Superliga into the new inter-liga for the Copa Libertadores entrants. That means moving the Superliga at the same time they have the Interliga. Which also means when MLS gets to 16 or 18 clubs the regular season can be extended.

Anything to get the US Open Cup more exposure and treating it like it should be.

[anonymous]

funny how the question from youngblade was "hillary or obama" rather than "hillary, obama, or mccain".

afterall, mccain will be the eventual victor come the election

*sigh* newyorkers...

[Jacobw]

Why exactly is it a lock for Henry to play in New York?

New York/New Jersey is not a huge market for soccer. It just isn't. It's an incredibly crowded and saturated sports market.

You have at least eight teams that will get more exposure than any soccer team.

Mets, Yankees, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Devils.

[phillypride]

Jacobw, Henry probably doesn't care so much how big a soccer market NY is compared to other sports. He almost definitely cares about being in a big, internationally-known city where he can rub elbows with other celebrities. Plus, he would still get much more media and fan attention in NY than he would in any other MLS city (since Chi and LA already have international stars).

[Ted]

I was pulling for Edwards... now the three realistic choices are Obama (seriously, what are you hiding?), Hilary (you have to be kidding me), and McCain (I go coocoo for coco puffs). Shoot me now.

Oh well, it's better than Ron "I'm too scared to have any real beliefs so I just say everything should be left to the states" Paul.

[4now]

Hesmer's overrated, but it has been a bad year for goalkeeping in MLS. To be honest, Jon Busch strikes me as the most consistent and professional of the lot.

[brett]

ives- "while I still like the idea of Alessandro Del Piero spending a year or two here. He can clearly still play at the highest level and would be a fan favorite."

i dont see this happening... but ill go out on a limb and say it wont ever happen

he claimed he'll retire at Juventus... but i guess things change (possibly)

[Steve T.]

Jacobw,
Dont forget the MLS season is played during the summer when six of your eight aforementioned teams are in their off season. And if you don't think NY is a huge soccer market take note of the sell out crowds when quality teams come to town, and the 110 team Cosmopolitan soccer league. There are plenty of fans here, they just have discriminating tastes.

[Dave Martinez]

McCain will win this year for sure. Its funny - unless there is a Obama/Clinton ticket. But that wont happen.

Agreed with anonymous (who obviously doesnt want to take a beating for saying it, but I could care less). McCain wins.

[brett]

Steve T.- such is the problem for all MLS locations.... there is enough footy fans in cities like NY, LA, and Chi to fill 60k+ stadiums... its just convincing them to give the MLS a chance and not compare it to leagues that are 100+ years old...

anyhow, i stand by the fact that its not the fair-weather fans we need to attract, but rather the youth players that are growing up in the areas... if the teams focus on the youth, you'll see a surge in attendance over the next 10 yrs...