Q&A with the SA Editors: Feb. 20, 1998

Jake Ulvila

Herndon, Va.

D.C. United traded Raul Diaz Arce in order to meet the salary cap. Why did this happen? I thought that the single entity employment system and the assignment of top players (especially foreign and allocated players) would prevent such problems from arising. Also, will these actions have any bearing on the anti-trust law suit against MLS by the players?

Ridge Mahoney: The single-entity system, flawed though it is, is designed to maintain a competitive balance through player distribution; but when a team gives deserved raises to its players for winning championships, it will face the prospect of exceeding the salary cap. It is precisely because the league insists all teams meet the salary cap prior to the start of the 1998 season that D.C. United had to make roster moves. D.C. has yet to receive additional allocations, but it re-signed Marco Etcheverry, Jaime Moreno, Eddie Pope, Richie Williams, and several other players to new contracts at much higher salaries. It also has to pay Roy Wegerle for a full season; last year, a portion of his salary counted against Colorado’s salary cap. D.C. wanted to keep other players more than it wanted to keep Diaz Arce, and so raised their salaries. Diaz Arce did get a raise after the 1996 season; obviously the club chose to spend their money elsewhere for the 1998 season — Etcheverry, Moreno, Pope, etc.

Albuquerque, N.M.

What is the status of Gus Kartes, the young American who is training — and, one hopes, playing — with Olympiakos in the Greek First Division?

Paul Kennedy: Olympiakos coach Dusan Bajevic has high hopes for Kartes, though he doesn’t expect him to play in the first team this season. He is still just 16. It should be added that 17-year-old Ghanaian Peter Ofori-Quaye has made the first team.

Dublin, Ohio

As you know by now, the Crew will not be building a new stadium here in the Columbus area. Every attempt has been met with defeat. After the ’98 season, they will be kicked out of Ohio Stadium as the university plans to begin renovations. This leaves the Crew with two options: fold or move to another city. Please comment on possible new cities to which they might relocate and on the blow to the credibility of the league (and U.S. soccer in general) that one of it’s better franchises has done such a poor job of securing a playing facility.

Duncan Irving: Here are the possibilities that our local MLS writer, Craig Merz, came up with. Take your pick from: “(1) Gahanna, on the northeast side of the outerbelt near Port Columbus International Airport. Hunt chose the Dublin site over Gahanna in September. In retrospect, Gahanna was probably the better site because utilities and road improvements are already in place. “(2) Grove City Administrator Charles W. Boso offered two sites on the southwest side of Columbus. Both venues offer more than enough acreage to handle parking for up to a 60,000-seat facility, have the proper zoning and direct access to major arterial roads. “(3) London, Ohio, is a long shot, but nonetheless Hunt asked officials there to send him a proposal after they contacted him. London is a city of 8,000 residents about 25 miles west of Columbus. “(4) If the Crew decides to stay put, there are several options for next season. Foremost, of course, is having Ohio stadium ready by March or early April 1999. That is highly unlikely unless ground breaking can occur by mid-April. If the work begins later than that, MLS could put the Crew on the road the first two months of the season in hopes of having a stadium by late May or early June. “Other alternatives include playing on a short-term basis at a high school stadium or Cooper Stadium, home of triple-A baseball1s Columbus Clippers. The stadium seats 15,000 for baseball but more could be added for soccer. Hunt, however, does not think the stadium is feasible because of scheduling conflicts. Another drawback is the stadium1s artificial turf.” The word was that the addition of soccer to the earlier bid buried it, and probably didn’t help with this one either. The results of the referendum (59% opposition) are fairly damning. Soccer is still — I know, you’ve heard it before — a minor sport in this country. Yes, the Crew are popular in soccer terms, but not generally I don’t see that as being a particular blow to MLS or U.S. Soccer, just a reiteration of the status quo. Perhaps you can blame the league for bad-planning, but making soccer work in this country is a painfully slow process. Sometimes, we need the odd slap in the face to demonstrate to us how much further we have to take the sport.

Incline Village, Nev.

As a father of a member of the De Anza College men’s soccer team, which captured the Califonia Community College Championship in November, I am curious how the California JC teams rank against the rest of the country. How would a team like De Anza fare against national JC champion Yavapai College? Why are the California JC teams not included in the national JC polls?

Paul Kennedy: The top California teams would do quite well against NJCAA teams. MLS players like Marcelo Balboa and Jose Botello began their careers in the California JC ranks. California (and Washington state) schools are not part of the NJCAA — which explains why they are not in the NJCAA polls. The NSCAA (coaches association) does include players from these schools in their all-America teams, though.

Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Can anyone shed more light on the current status of Mike Sorber for the national team? A Spanish telecast of the Sweden game implied that there was more to him being dropped than just his playing ability. I’m a Mike Sorber fan and seeing John Harkes’ performance at defensive midfielder in the Gold Cup makes me think that Sorber should be reconsidered for the team

Ridge Mahoney: In addition to preferring a more direct style of play than Mike Sorber seems to be capable of, Steve Sampson hasn’t been impressed with Sorber’s allegedly arrogant stance that the team’s best results have come with him in the lineup. Supposedly, he came to believe a starting spot was his, and Sampson didn’t appreciate that attitude. True or not, Sorber will probably get another shot, and although I have great respect for the Telemundo announcers, they are certainly not averse to starting or repeating rumors. Sorber also complained about being singled out as the scapegoat for the Jamaica match at RFK; since then, the U.S. has tied Mexico in Mexico City and beat Canada and El Salvador, not to mention Sweden, Cuba, Costa Rica and Brazil, without him. Dropping Sorber for the Gold Cup was obviously a Sampson ploy for several reasons: 1) to assure Harkes he would stay at defensive midfielder; 2) to prevent Harkes from lobbying for a return to left wing; and 3) to teach Sorber a lesson. Neither is my ideal choice. Harkes is a much better tackler, but in Sampson’s system, he’s supposed to play the ball forward as soon as possible, and often makes bad decisions. Sorber is a weak tackler, but can settle the play. Can Sorber play a more aggressive, robust game to fit Sampson’s desires? We’ll see. I believe he’ll be on the World Cup team.