On Friday, I will be interviewing Bryan Namoff for the podcast. If you have any questions you would like me to ask him, please post them below.
Oh, for a second there I thought you had asked whether it made you more or less viscous... and I thought that was particularly appropriate when quizzing a defender KGDG Come On United (States and DC) www.screaming-eagles.com Reading comprehension issues since '96
- After you dribbled several Chivas defenders last Thursday, did you say to yourself "What the hell was that, I'm Bryan Namoff, not Christian Gomez"? - Now that you're the "old guard" in defense, what's your responsibility in bringing the younger defenders along and helping to improve their game? - Why do the central defenders get all the glory? - What really happened back under Hudson when you got sent down to Richmond Kickers (IIRC)? Do you think it improved your game? Why wouldn't Stokes go? And do you think that hurt his prospects?
Is BryanNamoff.com too far off? Or is he teaming up with BC, Olsen, Simms, Erpen and Perkins for Theguyswhomakebobbylookgood.com? Does he truly realize that he's only behind Olsen and Moreno in terms of years of service to DC United? Does that have any affect on him? Responsibility to instill 'the United culture' on younger players? Who does he get stuck with as a roommate on the road?
Follow-up. Do YOU pronounce your name NAM-off? Had you just given up trying to correct people? (Freddy pronounced his name A-du in a commercial, ('A' as in 'hay'))
Are all the defenders given free range to move forward, or are some of you encouraged to stay back? Which defender spends the most time on his hair? From your USMNT experience, is Piotr Nowak different in his role there than he was at United? (tip of the hat to Sundevil9) ... Which new rookie would you least like to room with? Will you score a goal this year?
Which MLS forward you most like to tackle with both feet from behind, if you knew that there would be no foul called?
You guys realize that all of these snarky questions will either not be asked or heavily re-worded, right?
Marriage is not snarky. It's beautiful. And noble. I will, however, couch my question in different terms. Do you approach the game (matches and practices) differently mentally, now that you're older? Also, is it tougher now physically?
Your first one, for example. I'll gladly ask him about stepping forward into the attack, but I would never phrase it the way you did. It's more the wording than any specific topic, although hair questions will not be asked. I do plan on asking him about the spell in Richmond in 2002, so it's not like I'm looking to cover up difficult times. Namoff is really cool about things like that. Last week I congratulated him on finally getting a cap and said that, when he, Carroll and Mapp were on the field for the MNT, that I was thinking that Hudson was probably shitting himself. Namoff's response was, "I hope so."
I would say that type of question is more of a "ice breaker" joke style question, if that's not your style then no biggie. I'm totally curious about his spell at Richmond and such. I know for a fact that Trask didn't rate Namoff as a player. I'm not sure about Hudson, but there is a lot about that era that didn't make sense.
I had planned to ask about issues regarding the 2002 season. It turns out that the interview has been moved to tomorrow after practice instead of Friday, so you only have a few more hours to get your questions in.
Question: Bruce Arena has said that last year in the playoffs their defensive strategy was to have someone stay on Boswell and make the distribution out of United's defense come from yourself and Facundo Erpen because they felt this was a weakness of DC United's. Despite a significantly inferior lineup in terms of talent, Red Bull kept the series close in part because of that strategy. What did you do over this offseason to improve this aspect of your game so that New York won't be able to focus on that this season?
Question: What aspects of your game did Bob Bradley emphasize and encourage the most during the USMNT camp this winter?
Question: You spent a lot of time as an attacking midfielder in college and your best year in terms of assists was by far your first season at United when you were in a more forward role. Would you prefer playing on the outside of a 4-man backline which would allow you to overlap and get forward on the pitch much more often than your current position within the three man system?
Question: The channels around the penalty area can be a defensive weakness in a 3-5-2 if the midfielders are caught upfield in a counterattack. What do you as a unit focus on in practice with Coach Soehn to limit the opportunity for a cross to come in as it did in the Chivas game that can result in a goal?
Question: It's no secret that DC doesn't have a lot of experienced depth in their backline. How are the less experienced players coming along in training and will you have the depth to maintain a consistantly high level of play throughout what may amount to over 50 games this season?