Juan Romero Silver Spring, Md. Recently I have noticed that the D.C. United goalkeeper Tom Presthus has been rushing forward after he receives the ball with his hands in the box. My question is if there is a limit of steps a goalie can take with the ball in his hands in the MLS? Mike Woitalla: Indeed, Juan, goalkeepers are now limited to six seconds with the ball in possession but there is no limit on the number of steps. The reason it seems like it’s an MLS rule change is because MLS received permission to implement the change before its official start date July 1 — because MLS was the first league to kick off after the FIFA decision. And it wanted to avoid a midseason rule change). It’s a worldwide change that we’ll see everywhere next season. The six-second limit had already been in place, only the removal of the four-step limit is new. When I talked to MLS referee boss Joe Machnik about the change, he speculated the four-step limit was taken out because it was so rarely enforced. Plus, it’s somewhat superfluous if we already have a time limit. From my view, I like the small change. I have noticed that some goalies in MLS have been adept at taking advantage of it to improve their distribution and launch attacks for their team. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)