Derek Gores Tampa, Fla. Why is there no blackout for MLS games on TV like in other pro sports leagues? I am thrilled to see more MLS on TV but this surely keeps local people from filling the stadiums. Ridge Mahoney: This is a good point. In its first year, the league wanted as much exposure as possible, so some teams had all their home games as well as away games on television. The Univision games last year often hurt crowds in Los Angeles and Washington, so you notice this year that few games played in those cities are on Univision or ESPN/ESPN2. By virtue of its contracts with Univision and ESPN/ESPN2, the home markets cannot be blacked out. I agree that perhaps too many home games are being televised by New England, the MetroStars and D.C. United, and those teams should consider cutting back next year to increase attendances. Joshua Kachner Brea, Calif. I am currently 15 years old, and I am very interested in soccer. When I get older, I want my career to somehow involve the sport. I am wondering how you got to be where you are today as editors of a great magazine. What can I do now as a sophomore in high school to lead into a possible career in soccer journalism? I currently am keeping track of soccer through the Internet and your magazine. I am keeping an archive on current United States professional soccer teams. My questions are: what classes should I take now? What type of college should I go to? What should I major in? How do I get a job when I graduate? Mike Woitalla: I would try to get a well-rounded education, because good journalists should have a solid background in several fields, in addition to a few specialties. Any good undergraduate education at a decent college should serve you well. Obviously, classes that require plenty of writing would be conducive to preparing you for a career in journalism. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend an undergraduate degree in journalism — successful journalists have a variety of degrees, although you’ll find a lot of English and history majors. When job-searching, you’ll find most employers are interested in your experience in the field — more so than what degrees you have — so I recommend working on school newspapers, community newspapers or your yearbook. (I also recommend reading a lot in your free time.) Also, foreign language skills are very helpful in all fields of journalism, especially soccer. Gregory Pierko Arundel, Maine The attendance in the first few weeks of the MLS season was very disappointing. Do you think it will get better as the season goes on? Ridge Mahoney: Yes, I think attendances will rise, but I don’t know if they will match last year’s average of 17,400. Last weekend, we did see 26,000 in Foxboro for the Revs’ home match against D.C., and 20,000 were at the Galaxy-Tampa game. Rick Ramsey Collinsville, Okla. What do you think of the U.S. strengthening the defense up by putting John Harkes at outside back in place of Mike Burns? And what about putting Cobi Jones or Ernie Stewart at the back? They both have the speed that is needed at the back and they don’t have the touch to play in the midfield! Duncan Irving: Put a mop in a bucket at outside back and it’s an improvement on Burns’ last couple of outings. The captain for life is supposed to be an all-purpose, ball-winning and playmaking midfielder, sharing duties with Claudio Reyna. That’s an experiment that hasn’t really come off for either player in qualifying. Outside back probably wouldn’t please Harkes, but it wouldn’t hurt, provided you find someone to fill his spot in midfield. Better still have a midfield that relies upon and utilizes players’ strengths rather than forcing them to face their weaknesses. Jones’ form is pitiful at the moment, so he’s not a realistic option and I think while Stewart would be effective in that type of role, it doesn’t necessarily maximize his strengths. One thing Sampson may want to consider is using either Michael Mason or his flavor of the year, Eddie Pope, and seeing how they do. Tom Hill Boxborough, Mass. Isn’t it a tad bit ironic that the same owner/investor group that ran the Colorado Rapids will be in charge of the Chicago Rhythm? To be fair, these folks seem to have righted a few wrongs in Year 2, but the overall ineptness they showed last year (alienating everyone in sight, from youth soccer to the Latino community) would make it seem that they would hardly be worthy of another shot at building a team from scratch. And am I the only one who finds it troubling that now two pairs of teams will be owned/operated by the same groups? I can accept the Hunts’ situation, since they were instrumental in the league as a start-up, but I find this to be a potentially dangerous precedent. Then again, money talks, and Philip Anschutz IS a very rich man. And where did they get that ridiculous name, anyway? Ridge Mahoney: Anschutz had his eye on Chicago all along, so he’s just as entitled as Hunt to have another team. So, too, is John Kluge, who owns expansion rights to Long Island. And if Anschutz hadn’t come into the league, MLS would not have got off the ground, so he and Hunt are equally important. They did give the boot to Rich Levine and Bob Houghton, so perhaps they’re on the right track. Let’s face it, if more billionaires wanted to invest in soccer, we wouldn’t have people owning more than one team. As per nicknames, who can figure? This is MLS, beholden to whatever bizarre designs and obscure nicknames those outfitters can conjure. Among the other candidates are Marauders, Wind (!), and Fire. Why not throw in Earth as well?