Correction: In a January Q&A session, we stated that Justin Stoddard (currently with the A-League’s Rochester Rhinos) and Myles Stoddard (presently with the Nashville Metros) were brothers. Although both are from the Seattle area, they are not related. We’d like to think Natasha Stoddard, who is Myles’ cousin, for alerting us to this fact. Tom Shenk New York City In the friendly against Ecuador, the U.S. fielded what was reported to be an all-MLS lineup of players. Has Chris Henderson moved to Nottingham Forest, as was reported several weeks ago? Was this deal speculative or is it just on hold for the time being? Are any other MLS players, besides Ramiro Corrales, likely to move as the European leagues start their respective seasons? Pete Bailey: There will be some player movement, but it won’t occur until after the season. Henderson is set to be reunited with former Rapids coach Bob Houghton, who’s now an assistant at Forest, upon completion of the MLS season, if he is able to obtain a work permit. Corrales will still be loaned to Anderlecht, but will stay with the Clash through the rest of the ’97 campaign. Kansas City defender Richard Gough is reportedly leaving MLS for Torino of the Italian Serie B in October. Look for some players to play with Mexican clubs during the MLS offseason. Jorge Campos (Cruz Azul) and Damian Alvarez (Chivas) are two definites. Mike Wyomissing, Pa. If Eddie Pope is valued at $1 million by the Dutch, will, and should, MLS keep him? A million dollars could nearly wipe out a whole team’s payroll. However, Pope is possibly the best U.S. defender and not one to lose. A somewhat close call, but I’d say keep him. Do you agree? Mike Woitalla: Transfer fees are the amount that clubs pay each other for soccer players who are under contract. This differs from American sports, where teams usually trade players or draft choices. If you check recent issues of Soccer America (Aug. 11 and Aug. 18) you’ll find transfer fees for players moving around in European Leagues. You’ll find that in countries like Germany, England, Spain and Italy, a $1 million transfer fee is common. (Brazilian Juninho moved from Middlesbrough to Atletico Madrid for $20 million.) My point being: estimating Pope’s value at $1 million is realistic. I think Pope should perhaps play in Europe, because it would be excellent for his development. Also, being a defender, he isn’t really a huge crowd draw, so MLS wouldn’t be hit hard by his departure. And it would probably see him return later in his career. It is my hope that MLS isn’t inclined to balance its books by selling stars like Jaime Moreno or Marco Etcheverry. (By the way, according to Sunil Gulati in the July 7 issue of SA, MLS did not receive an actual, direct inquiry from Feyenoord about Pope.) Randy Pritchard Blackville, S.C. Why is it that so many Division I and especially Division II college soccer teams are made up of predominantly foreign players? Should there not be a limit to foreign starters on a college team? Paul Kennedy: It’s not likely, because there is really no way to legislate such restrictions. Many coaches feel they get better players for the money with foreigners. Steve Brown Omaha, Neb. I have heard it said that soccer programs in most NCAA Division I colleges are not good for the development of world class players and that true “players” would be better off playing overseas or in Project-40, etc. My question is: What exactly is the problem with college level soccer? What could they do better? Mike Woitalla: There are several problems. A short season limits players’ game experience, as does the NCAA’s ban on players playing with clubs in the offseason. Perhaps most importantly, college soccer differs from the international game in the way it treats players during the crucial ages of 18 to 22. In other countries these players play with adults, often seasoned pros. In college, for instance, a 21- or 22-year-old player is playing with and against players who are mostly younger than he is. Since players learn more from other players — teammates and opponents — than from coaches, keeping them in age-group soccer when they are young adults surely stifles their development. Again, your question is about potential world-class players. There are thousands of very good players for whom college may be fine, if not as prepartion for the pros. It’s a shame that college players can’t play adult club ball in the offseason to test their potential. Lifting this ban would help players who want to attend college but also play a sufficient amount of time. Tim Olson San Francisco I’ve noticed that Steve Sampson seems to play the guys that he thinks are the best players, rather than playing the best players at a certain position. For instance, the U.S. currently employs one natural left footed player (Jeff Agoos). I can’t remember the lineup against Mexico, but it seemed like Agoos had to play the entire left half of the field due to this. I seem to recall Harkes playing out in a wing role in one recent match, but he kept drifting into the middle of the pitch, something that is to be expected from someone who usually plays center half. So my point is that I think Sampson needs to get the best U.S. players for a given position on the field instead of just concentrating on playing the best US players. I can see two reasons why he has not employed this strategy at this point. The first would be the simple reason that he’s not used to having a pool of talented people to choose from. Secondly, it seems if he is reluctant to bench seasoned players. It took forever to get rid of Caliguiri and Burns, Jones and Lalas (I’ll admit that he did have a good game against Mexico) are still fixtures on the national side. These guys are complacent! Get some fresh blood in there. Competition for spots is only going to make the team stronger. I’d like to see Harkes removed for some sort of combination of Reyna (I’m sorry, but the guy is not a forward. Sampson should have watched how Patrik Berger did when he was moved to forward at Liverpool), Mason, and Dooley. Harkes isn’t playing as well as he once was. Make him fight for that spot. I know that Harkes can play much better than we have seen recently. So, I guess my long winded question is why is Sampson not taking a strategy similiar to this? What’s wrong with bringing up someone like Hejduk and getting him in? I know he’s way too temperamental for the international game at this point, but if you want him to play, you’ve got to teach him what to do. Duncan Irving: Because he’s looking at players that can get him to France, at the expense of building for the future. Frankie Hejduk did himself no favors earlier this year and Sampson dropped him for the team. As for Harkes, you’ll get your wish against Costa Rica. Team chemistry is also key and I’m sure there is a lot of outside influence exerted on Sampson to retain long-standing players who aren’t playing particularly well than to take a huge gamble with a new face. For every Eddie Pope, there are three David Wagners, I’m afraid. Should the U.S. qualify, expect the competition for rosters spots to be fierce and a little ugly. Ian Jones Medina, Ohio Offside or not? During a recent game our right winger was able to break away from the last defender and head toward goal. As she reached the outside corner of the 18, the goalie came out and cut off the angle. Our center forward was trailing the play and the winger made a drop pass to the CF. The CF immediately shot and scored. The referee blew the play offside, and said that the CF was offside. How can this be possible. The pass was a drop pass not a forward pass. The RW was on the outside of the box and after the pass was no longer in the play. Could you please clarify this for me? Mike Woitalla: You were robbed.