Jim Norris Columbia S.C. Why doesn’t MLS get involved in the video-game market? I’m sure that a MLS video game or inclusion in the FIFA soccer games would bring in revenue for the league and help sell it. The FIFA games are big sellers and kids seem to always buy into the sports games. Ridge Mahoney: According to the MLS office, three games should be ready for launch in late October/early November, although contracts are still in negotiation. 1) FIFA/MLS. Pick a team of MLS players and compete against national teams in a World Cup. By EA Sports. 2) MLS. League teams and players. By Konami America. 3) Backyard Soccer. Soccer version of backyard game. Youth players of different ages and genders can play with MLS players, whose current skills and shortcomings are re-created in youthful versions. By Humongous Entertainment. Also, the Alexi Lalas International Soccer game has just been released. Produced by Take 2 Interactive, in the Playstation format, the game features “sophisticated tactical options, and customized formations with 28 positions.” Edward Fajardo Frankfurt, Germany Can one of the editors explain why the general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy had been so eager to dump Zambrano for almost a year before doing so? I think it’s rather dumb to alienate a Hispanic market by dumping the most successful coaches, who happens to be Hispanic, in MLS. Scott French: When new ownership took charge of the Galaxy last October, Tim Leiweke — the incoming Galaxy president — took a look at all aspects of the organization. He talked with players, with coaches, with MLS officials from around the league, and with key figures in the U.S. and Southern California soccer communities. One of the people he talked with was Sigi Schmid, whose name has been linked with the Galaxy since Lothar Osiander was hired in the franchise’s infancy. Schmid had been considered for the San Jose Clash job last fall, but he made it clear he wouldn’t leave the Los Angeles area until his youngest son was in high school, which wouldn’t be for another four years. The new owners were interested in Schmid, whose window to accept an MLS job was only open so far. He said he could not accept a job if the timing of the hiring would disrupt UCLA’ soccer program. The new management was concerned with reports it received about Octavio Zambrano’s rapport with his players — several players were not fond of Zambrano — but announced last fall that, after a thorough investigation, that Zambrano would lead the team. The concerns remained, and Zambrano’s decision to jettison Dan Calichman and Martin Machon — both key players in the Galaxy’s success, neither favorites of Zambrano — raised eyebrows. When the Galaxy, clearly missing Machon in midfield, started poorly, they were faced with a decision: 1. They could wait and see (and hope) things turned around. If things didn’t, they couldn’t be sure they were going to get their No. 1 choice — Schmid — to take charge. 2. They could dump Zambrano, much as Osiander was dumped in 1997, and get Schmid now. They believed taking Schmid was the right choice. Zambrano’s departure hasn’t helped with the Latino communities of Southern California, but because he is Ecuadoran — and the Ecuadoran community is only so big in L.A. — it hasn’t, and can’t, have the impact of a, say, Mexican coach getting canned. Where it hurts most is in the Galaxy’s presence in the Spanish-language media. Zambrano is bright, well-spoken and approachable, and he was often available for Spanish-language talk radio. Schmid’s roots are German, but he’s lived in the South Bay region of Southern California since childhood and knows the L.A. soccer community as well as anybody. If he succeeds — if the Galaxy starts scoring goals and winning — the fans will surely return. More problematic than the coaching change has been the dumping of foreign Latin players. Only Mauricio Cienfuegos and, now that his Mexican campaign is done, Carlos Hermosillo remain, and neither will be around forever. Jorge Campos was a fan favorite, although sending him to Chicago was the right choice in terms of team chemistry and getting Kevin Hartman onto the field. Letting Machon go, I believe, is why the Galaxy has struggled so much this season. And getting rid of Ecuadoran midfielder Wellington Sanchez — who looked superb by the end of last season — hasn’t helped matters, either. The addition of Costa Rican Roy Myers may help here, but I’d like to see the Galaxy pick up a good, Mexican star, like Toluca’s Jose Manuel Abundis, perhaps. Keich Hepburn Evanston, Ill. Why doesn’t the MLS have a system where each team could designate two or three players as franchise players and pay these players what ever amount without it counting against the salary cap? This would both bring and keep more star players in the MLS. Ridge Mahoney: The whole idea of the salary cap is to keep player costs down. Two or three franchise players per team would blow the league out of its financial constraints, and it’s unlikely teams could purchase enough players at top-market prices to make up the astronomical costs in ticket sales. Only if big TV money comes into the league could it make that financial commitment, and of course, the conundrum is, the league will have trouble charging huge rights fees without star players to draw viewers. Ticket prices would have to double or triple to pay for a large influx of star players, and it might take years for those players to attract the huge followings and thus pay for their salaries. TV might jump in, but then again, it might not. Expecting advertisers and fans to pay World Cup prices for MLS games would be a financial tightrope walk — without a net. Joe Howe Wilson, N.C. Why have we not seen Jason Kreis in the national team picture? He seems to one of the most productive American players in MLS. Pete Bailey: Kreis made several appearances for the U.S. in early 1996, when Steve Sampson was looking at younger American players. He appeared in all three losses at the 1996 U.S. Cup, starting one (SA rated him with a 5 against Peru, a 4 against Mexico and a 3 in the 4-1 shellacking at the hands of Denmark), and also in a loss and tie on a tour of China. Like a number of players (Tampa’s Steve Ralston comes immediately to mind), Kreis was then pretty much out of the U.S. picture for the remainder of the Sampson era, and he suffered through a pair of disappointing seasons with Dallas after his brilliant ’96 campaign. He has looked great so far in 1999, and probably deserves a look from Arena, who has made no bones about the fact that MLS performance is very important in determining who plays for the USA. In fact, Arena was asked about Kreis in his media press conference this week and his response was “He has proven throughout his career and in MLS that he can score goals. I am not sure what position he fits into with us, but if he continues to demonstrate that he is one of the outstanding players in MLS we will bring him in at some point. There are a lot of players that we would like to bring in, but we are limited to the number of players in each training camp.” So if Jason continues his torrid scoring pace, I think he’ll get a callup in the near future. Scott Russell San Jose, Calif. A question was recently asked about using the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y., as a U.S. national team training site. What ever happened to the facility they had in Mission Viejo, Calif.? Ridge Mahoney: The site was handed over to the City of Mission Viejo upon the team’s departure. The fields are used by local teams for practices, games and tournaments, and the clubhouse is used for office space and senior citizen activities. The U.S. national teams and youth national teams still hold plenty of training camps in Southern California, but they now use the ARCO Training Center in Chula Vista.