D.C. United

Outlook for Upcoming Season

Post staff writer Steve Goff discusses the outlook for D.C. United and Freddy Adu.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Steve Goff : Good morning, everyone! Thanks for tuning in. Bring on the questions.....I'll answer as many as I can over the next hour.....

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Bethesda, Md.: Hi Steve-
After Saturday I think I should have been more excited about the return of Moreno. How is he feeling physically these days? Can he hold up and play aggressively the entire season or can we expect a bit of fading as the year wears on?

Steve Goff : Moreno was pretty darn good on Saturday, wasn't he? He's still working on his fitness, but clearly his ability to read the field and find open spaces has not faded. United DESPERATELY needs someone to score this year, and getting goals from Moreno and Eskandarian in the first match is a good sign.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I attended the game on Saturday, and was releived the Freddie's debut was NOT spoiled by a loss.

However, I noticed that when United scored both of its goals, that Freddie was not on his feet rejoicing with the rest of his team mates. While I know that pundits like to read far to much into minor things, was this a sign that there is a disconnect between Freddie's youth and stardom, and his team mates? Afterall, he is ONLY 14 years old when he is off of the field.

Please comment!

Laurence

washingtonpost.com: With United, He Stands (Post, April 4)

Steve Goff : I didn't notice Freddy's reaction after the goals, so I really can't comment on that. However, he has been well-received by his teammates and fits in very well.

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Adamstown, Md.: Comment rather question:

We will remember to not buy tickets when Fredie Adu is off playing in Europe or South America because we couldn't get in to the stadium because United officials were so self-centered they wouldn't open the upper deck for the first game and hoping we will buy seats in future games to see Freddie. We won't be (literally) buying into this selfish scenario.

Steve Goff : I can see both sides of this argument. I understand, though not necessarily agree, with United's decision to cut off ticket sales for the opener. Just my opinion: I thought they should've opened up the place to everyone for the opener because it wasn't just a game, it was an EVENT. Every other game this year is just a game and, perhaps appropriately, have a limited ticket sale for the purpose of creating demand. I just think it would've been awfully special to have 35,000 people at RFK.

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Rockville, Md.: I'm really excited about Freddy Adu and about the DC United soccer team. I was wondering where I should go for more soccer information on the internet, magazines, books, etc. Your help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Steve Goff : Here are my favorites...

www.mlsnet.com has several excellent columns, most notably by Jeff Bradley and the infamous Tino Palace.

www.dcunited.com is much improved the last two years.

www.soccernet.com is awesome for european news and scores. for just scores, try www.livescore.com

locally, give a chance to www.onthesidelines.org and www.topdrawersoccer.com

for message boards and gossip, try www.bigsoccer.com and www.ussocceruk.com

my magazine subscriptions are to Soccer America, World Soccer, African Soccer and sometimes FourFourTwo.

Lots of great soccer books can be found through www.sportspages.co.uk or amazon's british operation. My latest read was Simon Kuper's book about Ajax and Holland's role in World War II.

Hope that helps....

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Silver Spring, Md.: The new FIFA player transfer rules, which limited player movements to a defined period, pose a potential snafu for United and MLS overall. When a Premier League team offers a contract to Bobby Convey this summer, as is expected, he will need to leave for England before the end of MLS's season. He won't be the only star to make the move overseas. How serious a problem will this be?

Steve Goff : Big problem. If Convey gets a nice offer, he's got to go. He'll be 21 in May, making this the ideal time to head to Europe. If he, and others, depart in the middle of a season, it certainly makes MLS look like minor league baseball in this country. Perhaps a compromise can be reached in order to keep Convey around here longer...

Also, Ryan Nelsen is in the final year of his MLS contract and he certainly could play in England. It will be interesting to see how hard MLS tries to keep him around next year.

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Baltimore, Md.: Steve-

It is was awfully loud in section 134 during Kevin Payne's speech regarding a new stadium, so I wasn't too clear on what was said. How serious was the announcement? Should we be ecstatic or is this another one of those dreaded "announcement in 60-90 days" things that Nick Sackiewicz tosses around?

Steve Goff : When it comes to stadium announcements, I'll believe it when I see it. However, Payne and Co. are more optimistic now than ever before and I think they're on the right path to getting a stadium plan finalized with the city. The target date is 2007. We'll see how this progresses, but I would be cautious for the time being...

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Alexandria, Va.: United's strikers looked pretty solid on Saturday, which I think surprised a lot of people. Moreno/Eskandarian standout. Do you think they will be able to stay this strong through the season?

Steve Goff : As I wrote earlier, the Moreno-Eskandarian scoring duo was a pleasant surprise for the team on Saturday. I was surprised to see Alecko starting ahead of Cerritos, but then again Cerritos missed two clear chances in the preseason finale down in Charleston last week.

Don't forget that Quaranta and Quintanilla will provide depth in a few weeks when they're recovered from injuries, and Thiago Martins will be back sometime this summer after tearing up his knee during the offseason.

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Columbia, Md.: Hudson also won his first game a couple years ago. Are there any aspects of Nowak's philosophy that you think will keep the team on track, rather than floundering as the season goes on?

Steve Goff : The team is more disciplined under Nowak and seems to have found a rhythm right away. Will they be able to sustain it? Who knows....it's a very long season. I think having Stewart play wide on the right and Olsen playing a more interior role worked very well.

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Arlington, Va.: United was dominating the match until Freddy came into the game and the momentum completely changed. Was Nowak second guessing himself at all about making the sub when he did? I'm sure there was enormous pressure to get Freddy in the game, but when the team is rolling along so well, maybe it's better to not fix what's not broken. Who will take Kovalenko's place in the lineup Saturday?

Steve Goff : Good point. United was doing quite well early in the second half. Tough situation for Nowak. He knew he had to get him into this game. Was it Adu's fault that United's momentum faded when he entered? I'm not sure.

As for Kovalenko, good question. Perhaps Namoff joins Carroll in defensive midfield and Prideaux moves into the backfield. Maybe Stewart drops back, Olsen pushes out wide and Adu starts. Maybe Josh Gros plays on the left wing, Convey moves into a more central role, Olsen goes wide and Stewart drops back.....Hard to say....

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Derwood, Md.: Saturday's game produced some of the best play from DC United in a long time. The team was organized and played creatively. Gone was the "hothead attitude" that contributed to ugly play the last two seasons. Can this be credited to Peter Nowak's coaching style and philosopy? And what is the attitude of the team toward Nowak as compared to playing for Ray Hudson?

Steve Goff : Nowak's influence is obvious, but also keep in mind that he doesn't have to deal with Etcheverry and Stoitchkov's volatility. Peter's approach seems more disciplined than Hudson's and the players apparently have responded to it.

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Sioux Falls, S.D.: Your opinion Steve, who will have more goals this year, Alecko Eskandarian or Freddy Adu?

Steve Goff : If I had to guess, I would say Eskandarian. But as I said before, it's a very long season and things could change, emerge, develop many times over the next seven months.

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Washington, D.C.: Steve, great job of covering DC United and soccer in general. We in DC are fortunate to have you covering the sport for The Post.

What did you think of Moreno's performance on Saturday? Seemed like the old Jaime is back. Given what you've seen in practice and other pre-season games, is what we saw on Saturday indicative of what to expect this season from Moreno?

Steve Goff : Thanks for your kind words. Jason LaCanfora, Mike Wise (our new guy from the NY Times) and Sean Flynn wrote excellent stories.

Jaime had an undeniable impact on the match, especially in the first half. For me, what stands out off the field is an intensified work ethic and perhaps a maturity toward game preparation that wasn't there in the past.

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Sideling Hill, Md.: Will the team do anything to recognize the accomplishments of Etcheverry?

Steve Goff : Yes, I would expect the team will honor Marco at some point during this MLS season.

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Baltimore, Md.: DC seems to have little depth in its defense. If Petke or Nelson should go down to injuries it appears DC would be in trouble what with Stokes being so inexperienced. Would they trade for a defender since they have so many strikers?

Steve Goff : Good question. Yes, DCU appears a little thin in the back. This could become an issue very soon because Nelsen is scheduled to rejoin New Zealand's national team in May/June, as I recall.

Stokes is getting better and will probably see more quality time. Prideaux is a very good MLS defender. Carroll can play in the back. But yes, when Nelsen is gone and if Petke misses any time, the backline could become DCU's main vulnerability.

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Adams Morgan/Mt. Pleasant, Washington, D.C.: What is the real deal with Kevin Payne's pre game announcement about a new stadium. Was it just playing politics or is there a real plan in place?

Steve Goff : No official plan in place, but they've made progress and hope to be able to reveal more details this summer.
The two primary locations being considered are next to RFK and as part of the city's Anacostia Waterfront Initiative.

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Washington, D.C.: Who was that kid that game on in the second half?

On a serious note I haven't heard much in the press about the play of Brian Carroll. For a rookie (he didn't get any MLS minutes last year) he had a pretty decent outing and seemed very composed. Can we expect to see him in that same roll some more this season?

Steve Goff : Carroll, who is perhaps the best all-around athlete on the team, proved during the preseason that he can start in this league. He made a few poor decisions early on Saturday, but overall was very composed. I would imagine he will start most, if not all, of the year.

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Arlington, Va.: Saw you on the BBC! Freddy hype sure did get out of hand. Now hopefully everyone will calm down and Freddy can work his way into the team and the league. I was very encouraged by the total team effort Saturday. To have Moreno back and playing well is a major coup. There didn't seem to be much arguing with Kevin Stott on Saturday despite his subpar performance. Is this due more due to Marco and Stoichkov being gone or is Nowak so on top of his discipline first ethic that the team is going to be more composed?

washingtonpost.com: With United, He Stands (Post, April 4)

Steve Goff : I sure hope I looked pretty on BBC!

Yes, very disciplined performance by DCU, other than Kovalenko's slap at Mullan, which resulted in a red card.
Nowak wasn't pleased with Kovalenko's reaction and said after the game that it won't happen again.

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Richmond, Va.: After their performance against S.J do you think that D.C United have a chance of winning MLS cup?

Steve Goff : Sure, why not. There's not a big difference in MLS between all the teams. Last year, San Jose and Chicago were a little better than everyone else and Dallas had a nightmare, but all others weren't much different from each other.

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Anonymous: Dema?: I didn't see what Kovalenko did to get the red card, but how stupid is it to take a cheap shot w/ten minutes left w/one goal lead? What was the feeling about it in the locker room afterwards, did Kovalenko comment, and what was Nowak's reaction? Any disciplinary action?

I think Dema's a real asset until, as always, his temper gets the better of him.

Steve Goff : I didn't talk to Dema, but it seemed he was getting pestered from behind by Mullan and reacted by whipping his arm back without looking.

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Springfield, Va.: Besides putting fannies in the seats, what skills does Freddy Adu bring to the team? Will his playing time be earned or will another more skilled teammate be on the bench while Freddy plays?

Steve Goff : His ball control and acceleration are breathtaking. Once he becomes more comfortable in an MLS game, I think we'll see him do some amazing things.

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Baltimore, Md.: Piggybacking on the question about the defensive depth - do you think there is an attitude that people down the bench will be more valuable as opposed to last season when the coaching staff seemed to freeze certain players out of contributing to the cause?

Steve Goff : Yes, I think Nowak will rely heavily on his bench. He seems to have confidence in most of his reserves.

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Washington, D.C.: That game very easily could have been 4-1 DC United. Did you get any sense from the Earthquakes about whether they were surpised by DC's talent or did they consider themselves flat?

Steve Goff : Kinnear said his team played fairly well and could've been in a position to win the game. He said Moreno had a big impact and that DCU was well-organized and attacked well. United's ability to handle Donovan certainly altered San Jose's game plan.

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Washington, D.C.: Steve:

Went to the game and I was surprised that United did so well offensively. Convey missed two easy shots that would have been almost certain goals as the Goal Keeper had come out. In fact a majority of the game was played in front of the Quakes goal. Is this difference more due to personnel or has the change in coaches had a real effect?

Also... freddie did seem slower out there than I expected... is this temporary or is he slower than the pros?

Steve Goff : Freddy is quick, but on Saturday he seemed tentative. Perhaps his nerves had something to do with it. I noticed before the game started that his body language was a little different than usual.

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Arlington, Va.: I don't get people complaining about not being able to buy tickets for Saturday's game. Tickets were on sale for a couple of months prior to the match. If people can't be bothered to buy a ticket until the day of the game then maybe we don't want or need them in the stadium.

Steve Goff : Payne said one of the reasons they decided to stick to the downsized capacity was to reinforce the idea of buying tickets in advance. Some people were upset about that approach, but I think the message got out: Don't wait to buy tickets.

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Washington, D.C.: Is United looking to make any further player acquistions/trades?

Steve Goff : At the moment, no. The biggest preseason issue was whether they had the talent to score goals consistently. As long as Moreno and Eskandarian are playing well, I can't imagine the team will make any changes.

Keep in mind that, in order to add a significant player, the team would have to get rid of at least one player because of the salary cap.

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Washington, D.C.: Steve - thanks as always for your incisive writing on United.

Staying away from the obvious bigger stories of the game, were you as appalled as I was at the referee's performance on Saturday? The two blown advantage calls that potentially robbed DC of two goals... the two red cards, neither of which were justified in my mind by comparison to Ian Russell's two-legged slide into Namoff in the 1st half... this was dreadful even by MLS officiating standards. Do you know if anything is being done by the league to address this ongoing issue?

James

Steve Goff : That Russell tackle seemed far worse than the two red card infractions. In general, MLS refereeing has been criticized every year and will continue to be. It is an issue with the league office but I don't know if there's much they can do at this point, other than hope the USSF improves the referee pool.

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Anonymous: How do you think we match up against the Metros this season?

La Barra Brava salutes you for your great coverage of United.

Steve Goff : Gracias, Barra Brava!

MetroStars got off to a good start. If they find a consistent scorer, they could be a vastly improved team.

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Baltimore, Md.: Steve:

Were there any reports of great civil unrest because of no walkup tickets being available on Saturday?

Steve Goff : Our reporter outside the stadium said it was peaceful.

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Boston, Mass.: What's up with Jamie's jersey number 99? Matt

Steve Goff : He can't wear his old number (9) because Adu grabbed it before Moreno rejoined the team, so he went with two nines (99).

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Auburn Maine: Steve,

Earnie Stewart seemed to play a lot of defense in the game vs the Quakes. Are you confident that the 3-5-2 gives us enough cover at the back or are we going to have to see a lot of Stewart (and other midfielders) helping out the back 3.

Joe

Steve Goff : Seemed to work well Saturday against one of MLS's top attacking lineups. We'll see what happens this weekend against Ruiz, Kirovski and Co. in L.A.

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Washington, D.C.: Saturday's game reminded me of the D.C. United of old. It's nice to be able to get excited about them again -- and doubly nice to see them get actual decent coverage in both print and television media, even if most of it was about Freddy.

On the limiting of tickets -- I too was unable to go because I waited to buy tickets. While I wasn't happy, I actually agree with what they are doing. Let's face it, the team and the league can only stay in business if they make money through ticket sales. Too many of us are used to waiting until game day to buy tickets. If the weather isn't good, we don't go. If we buy season tickets or at least buy tickets in advance of the game we are more likely to go in spite of weather, and even if we don't go the team still gets the money. All United is trying to do is get us out of the habit of being fair weather fans and get us to support the team (and US Soccer generally) monetarily whether we go to the game or not. I don't begrudge them the attempt at changing our behavior. And it worked. I'm buying season tickets today.

Steve Goff : I'm sure Kevin Payne will be happy to hear your comments!

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washingtonpost.com: Adu Ready to Debut (Video, washingtonpost.com, April 1)

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Silver Spring, Md.: Will soccer (football in the rest of the world) ever become a "big" sport here in the US? The answer with or without Master ADU is, "NO"!

While football, aka soccer, is popular in among the youth of this country, those football players when they grow up are stolen by the "other" sports - American football, basketball, baseball, and increasingly golf.

Football is a passion and Americans just don't get it. Case in point, when MLS was initiated as a byproduct of the US hosting the World Cup in 1994, there was discussion of making the goals a little bigger to promote scoring. Americans are all about the end product - goals.

In the rest of the world, there is appreciation for the delicate pass, the player that can breakdown a defender and then distribute the ball, the switching of feild of play to the open man on the other side of the feild.

Another example is that when listening to American commentators, they use statistics so heavily. Anyone that "know" football, knows that "average touches" don't mean a darn thing, that "goals per touch" don't mean a darn thing. This use of statistics demonstrates a lack of understanding of the game.

Unfortunately, the United States marches to its own drum and has decided that it won't join the rest of the world in its admiration for the art that is a fine football game. This is unfortunate!!

Steve Goff : Soccer is not part of the culture in this country, but that is slowly changing. Will soccer ever be as popular as the NFL, NBA and MLB? No. But there's no reason why it can't overtake the NHL, which is on the brink of a work stoppage.

Take Washington, for example. There is no college hockey here, there are only a handful of high school programs and the miserable Caps are incapable of filling a 20,000-seat arena without visiting fans. There is no reason why United can't overtake the Caps in terms of popularity in this area.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I thought Ben Olsen looked pretty good out there on Saturday -- what do you think his prospects are for being called up to MNT duty this year? And, was it my imagination or was that a rather poorly-refereed match -- two blown advantage calls? were either or both red cards merited in your opinion (I couldn't see what happened in either case).

Steve Goff : Olsen was very good and certainly remains in the U.S. national team player pool. If he continues to play well, I'm sure Bruce Arena will consider him for training camps this summer when World Cup qualifying begins.

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Baltimore, Md.: At the game on Sat I sat behind a bunch of people that spent most of the game on their cell phones waving at the TV cameras. They actually had their backs turned from the field at one point when DC scored. These people were there to see, as you say,an EVENT. Did you get any feel as to what % of the fans fit into that category? They probably will not come back.

Steve Goff : Go to any sporting event and you'll see "fans" on their cell phones waving to their friends watching on TV. It's rather pathetic...

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Baltimore, Md.: Steve:

Thanks for your continuing great coverage on soccer for the Post.

Two questions re the game:

1. As nice as the first goal was, why didn't the TV announcers mention that Agoos missed a header, just like he did in the World Cup!

2. How could ABC list Adu as 5'8"? He's not that tall, is he?

3. Will Adu be playing forward for DC United, or will he ever play midfield? His ball skills and size seem to make him better qualified as an attacking midfielder.

Steve Goff : Thanks for your kind words.

I pointed out in my story that Agoos got beat on the first goal. I can't speak for the TV people.

Freddy is a little guy, no doubt about it --- 5-7 is about right, I suppose. He can play midfield or forward....ideally, he would like to be an attacking forward/withdrawn forward in a central role.

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College Park, Md.: As a reporter, what do you really know about Freddy Adu? For example, Freddy claims he's only 14 years old. However, I teach people from east Africa and they tell me that records are not properly kept there, so he could be a lot older. If you look at his jaw, it seems very well developed for a young boy early in his teens.

Steve Goff : Sports Illustrated sent two reporters to Ghana last year and found no improprieties.

It would actually work to Freddy's advantage if he was older, because he would be off to Europe sooner.

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Burtonsville Md.: Bobby Convey! $100 move, $2 shot. I love him for his work rate, but the guy cannot finish. Is he just unlucky, or do you think he's a little overrated?

Steve Goff : Not a good finish by Bobby. Certainly didn't help his European aspirations.

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Arlington, Va.: What do you think are DC's chances of keeping Freddy Adu when he gets a little older and La Liga, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A, etc. come calling?

washingtonpost.com: With United, He Stands (Post, April 4)

Steve Goff : I would guess Freddy will play in MLS for three years, but who knows what will happen. If he continues to develop, he could leave sooner. If he doesn't do well in MLS, I can't imagine big European teams will offer big dollars for him.

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Washington, D.C.: Jaime and Alecko seemed to make a very strong statement about being United's starting forwards on Saturday. What are your observations on this? Aside from the desire to get Freddy on the field, I didn't think there was any real reason for Alecko to come out of the game. How did you think Bobby Convey performed on Saturday?

Steve Goff : Alecko has been bothered by a hamstring injury for several months, so that might've had something to do with it.

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Springfield, Va.: Why hasn't anyone questioned the logic behind DC United decision to essentially lock out fans from Saturday's opener by not selling tickets to the upper deck of RFK.

This decision only supports the club's goal to sell more season tickets....with their marketing strategy of forcing season ticket holders to buy passes for four none competitive matches as part of the season package.

Locking the fans out hurts the community, the fans and the sport. I can't believe members of the media haven't made an issue of this.

Thanks, Paul

Steve Goff : It was an issue in the newspaper last week.

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Arlington, Va.: Hi Steve, my question is about MLS in a worldwide context. Saturday, I watched the Arsenal - Manchester United FA Cup semifinal followed immediately afterward by the DC United - San Jose game. The difference in the level of play was extraordinary. If it came down to comparing the MLS to some of the leagues in Europe, where would you say it would land?

Steve Goff : Off the top of my head, I'd say MLS is probably the 12th best league in the world: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, England, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, etc., etc.

But considering MLS is in its ninth season and spends a modest amount of money on players, they've done well.

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Steve Goff : Thanks to everyone for submitting questions --- there were many I was unable to answer. Feel free to reach me directly at goffs@washpost.com and I will respond as soon as possible.

Cheers!

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