Rob Blankenship Seattle, Wash. Besides Roy Wegerle and Frank Klopas, have any other ex-NASL players appeared in MLS? Are any ex-NASL players active still? Mike Woitalla: Great question, Rob. And one of the answers can be found in your city of Seattle. But first of all, Frank Klopas never saw any NASL action. He did sign with the Chicago Sting as a 17-year-old and played for it in the Major Indoor Soccer League for four seasons (1984-88). Roy Wegerle, who played MLS ball for Colorado, D.C. United and Tampa Bay (1996-98), played for the NASL Tampa Bay Rowdies in 1984 at age 20. He scored nine goals in 21 games. The only other player who played both NASL and MLS was Hugo Sanchez, who scored six goals in 23 games for the Dallas Burn in 1996 at age 38. Sanchez, the great Mexican goalscorer who led the Spanish League in scoring five times, played for the NASLÆs San Diego Sockers for two seasons (1979 & 80) before becoming an international star with Real Madrid. Sanchez launched his career with Mexico City club UNAM Pumas in 1976. Before leaving for Spain in 1981, he came north during the Mexican break twice and scored 13 NASL goals in 19 games for San Diego. He was 21 when he debuted in the NASL. HereÆs a quote from Sanchez about NASL: ôInstead of taking a holiday after the Mexican season ended I played in the NASL. It was great that in two months I made more money than a year in Mexico. And the leagueÆs great players attracted the worldÆs press and helped draw interest in me from Spain and Europe.ö (The days of a U.S. league paying more than the Mexican League are, of course, long gone.) As for NASL players who are still active. I know of Paraguayan Roberto Cabanas, who came to the U.S. at age 19 in 1980 and played three seasons with the New York Cosmos. He is playing in the Colombian First Division for Cartagena. Cabanas, who played for Paraguay in the 1986 World Cup and played in Colombia and France after leaving the Cosmos, celebrated his comeback at age 39 on Aug. 20 with two goals in a Cartagena tie with Pasto. Bernie James announced his retirement after playing the 2000 season with the A-LeagueÆs Seattle Sounders. James is 41 years old. He played for the NASLÆs Edmonton Drillers (1980-82) for three of his 22 seasons in professional soccer. He spent the rest of the 1980s in the Major Indoor Soccer League. James, who played high school ball in Seattle and spent seven seasons with the Sounders, remains with them as an assistant coach. Rob, I canÆt think of any other former NASL still active. (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.”)