John Max Mena St. Louis, Mo. Using the English league divisions, how would you compare the MLS quality? Do you know of any plans of any English team visiting the U.S for a friendly? Ridge Mahoney: A good question, but a tough one to answer, because the style and pace of play, weather conditions, and structure of competitions are so vastly different. If Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno had to play one-third of the season in sleet and mud, and play twice a week a lot, how would D.C. fare in the Premiership? The squad isn’t that deep, so a finish in the top half would be outstanding. I’d say the average MLS game is a mid-level First Division game in England, but again, that division (a tier below the Premier League) has a lot of rather crude, mostly physical teams, and so would be outclassed by skillful teams like L.A., D.C. United or Chicago. Miami, on the other hand, would be lucky to avoid relegation. Newcastle will be in the United States this summer to play Columbus, and could play another MLS team as well. Maybe Colorado or Kansas City. The Metros were trying to lure Man United (who isn’t?) or Leeds or Liverpool, but the management shakeup might derail that plan. (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.”)