Josh Wolff may have earned the U.S. a penalty kick versus Poland with his "acting," but few new fans. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Early in last Sunday's U.S.-Poland game, Yank striker Josh Wolff used an exaggerated flop in the box to earn a dubious penalty for the Americans. And guess what ESPN2 commentator Marcelo Balboa said during the replay?

"That's a good dive right there. He did not get touched!"

A good dive? Really?

Just to make sure we knew he was serious, Balboa added: "Finally at home we are starting to get calls like that, and that's great to see."

Great to see? Really?

I'd use some different words to describe Wolff's full layout. Words like shameful, disgraceful or the old-fashioned unsportsmanlike. (Yes, there was minimal contact, but nothing deserving of the show Wolff put on.)

If there's one thing that unites American soccer fans and soccer-haters, it's an aversion to diving. Phantom fouls, exaggerated logrolls, feigned agony: It's all the same. The haters use diving as evidence that soccer is a sport to be mocked. The fans, meanwhile, can only shake their heads in embarrassment.

Trust me: this is one area where the U.S. does not want to compete with the rest of the world.

The whole idea of sanctioning cheating is ludicrous anyway. (Keeping things in the U.S.-Polish realm, could you imagine a boxing commentator describing Andrew Golota's chronic groin punches of Riddick Bowe with "That's a great low blow!" Me neither.)

Americans just won't tolerate diving. Maybe that's because it goes against everything we've ever learned about perseverance, about earning your success. Whatever the reason, it's safe to say that a heavy percentage of U.S. fans weren't too bothered when Polish goalie Artur Boruc stuffed Brian McBride's penalty kick after Wolff's pratfall. After all, there was justice in that.

In defense of Wolff (who's normally an honest forward) and Balboa (who has potential as an analyst), the incident was an aberration on both of their parts. Diving, on the other hand, is becoming an all too common occurrence on the American soccer scene, and it's harming the reputations of MLS's top players.

Take L.A.'s Carlos Ruiz, for example. The 24-year-old Guatemalan is the most dangerous striker in league history, and he's leading MLS in goals (again) with nine. But his diving is out of control. In Saturday's win over Colorado, Ruiz fell to the ground just outside the penalty box, as if his foot had been caught in a beaver trap. Replays showed that the Rapids' Nat Borchers hadn't touched Ruiz, but referee Abiodun Okulaja called a foul anyway, and Ruiz scored on the set piece.

Ruiz isn't the only offender, either. This week, eight of the 10 MLS coaches responded to my survey asking them to name the three worst divers in the league -- and the player (from another team) who does the best job of staying up. The results:

MLS's Worst Divers (minimum two votes) Player Team Votes Carlos Ruiz Los Angeles 7 Landon Donovan San Jose 4 Jose Cancela New England 3 Amado Guevara MetroStars 3 DaMarcus Beasley Chicago 2

Opinion was nearly unanimous on Ruiz. Here's a sampling of what three different coaches had to say:

"Ruiz doesn't respect the game and the players he's playing against."

"I've gotta compliment him because he's the best goal-scorer in the league. But in terms of diving he's the most notorious player in the league. And he's a nasty mother------, a cheap-shot artist who wants to hurt people."

"It's stupid. The f------' guy's nickname is The Fish -- because he flops! How can he get away with it? It's cheating. Everyone's sick of it, and something needs to be done. It encourages players to fall down every time they get in the box."

Some other intriguing points:

Several coaches pointed out that Ruiz proved he can play it straight (if he wants to) with his May 8 goal against Dallas, in which he was laid out by Burn keeper Scott Garlick, only to bounce up and fire the ball into an empty net.

One coach found it amusing that Donovan recently ripped Ruiz for diving: "That's the kettle and the pot right there."

One coach even linked diving to MLS's rampant parity: "People are trying to find any advantage they can because the league is so tight."

Ruiz himself didn't respond to my interview request. (Perhaps he saw what Diego Serna said the last time I tackled this subject four years ago.) But Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid did take the time to defend his player: "Carlos has a reputation for diving, and we've talked to him about it, but it's something that he's doing far less than he did in his first year in the league. Sometimes it's difficult to determine: Is it a dive or is he getting hit?"

Perhaps. But sometimes it isn't. Serna's diving only abated after he earned a series of yellow cards, and maybe MLS referees are catching on. Ruiz himself drew a yellow for flopping in Colorado on Wednesday night.

MLS's Most Honest Attackers (minimum two votes) Player Team Votes Taylor Twellman New England 2 Brian Ching San Jose 1 Jeff Cunningham Columbus 1 Chris Klein Kansas City 1 Jason Kreis Dallas 1 Damani Ralph Chicago 1 John Wolyniec MetroStars 1

Coaches had a harder time answering the second question (presumably because it didn't involve complaining or supporting their own player). But Twellman, who found the net twice for the Revolution on Wednesday, got more plaudits than anyone else. As one coach said, "He gets kicked as much as anybody, and he just goes and takes it. He's never cheap or trying to sell something."

Now that's what I call "great to see" -- not just for Twellman but for American soccer. Let's hope more players start following his lead.

PSV closing in on Beasley

The Dutch club PSV Eindhoven is only "a matter of days" away from finalizing its purchase of Chicago's DaMarcus Beasley from MLS, PSV's manager of scouting, Hans Gillhaus, told me on Wednesday. Instead of listening to the usual stonewalling nonsense from MLS headquarters, I picked up the phone and called Gillhaus, who has been following the 22-year-old Beasley's career since the 1999 under-17 world championship.

"We're looking for a left-footed winger, and they're very rare, especially those who have speed," Gillhaus said. "DaMarcus will need time to adjust, but if he plays like he can he'll be a starter for us."

An MLS source said PSV's latest offer for Beasley was in the area of $2.5 million.

Gillhaus was just back from Chicago, where he attended the U.S.'s 1-1 friendly tie with Poland on Sunday. "DaMarcus didn't play particularly well, but we've seen a lot of his games and know he can grow," Gillhaus said. "His potential is there."

A burgeoning star in the U.S., DaMarcus Beasley appears destined to make waves overseas with PSV Eindhoven. Greg Fiume/Getty Images

When Gillhaus says potential, he really means it. PSV takes pride in being a stepping-stone to superstardom, and they see no reason why Beasley can't be the next in line. "We have a long history of finding talents, having them adjust to the European game and then going on to bigger things," Gillhaus says. "Players like Romario, Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy. And now Arjen Robben."

Robben, the 20-year-old Dutch winger who's moving from PSV to Chelsea, is the player Beasley would replace. It's a potentially career-making opportunity for the Fort Wayne, Ind., native, and it comes with some bonuses in addition to a hefty salary increase: 1) PSV will be competing in the Champions League this year, and 2) PSV coach Guus Hiddink is said to have a good relationship with U.S. coach Bruce Arena and shouldn't provide any static when it comes to national-team duties.

Time to sign up for KLM's frequent-flier plan, DaMarcus.

Salt Lake City counts down to 2005

No big surprises from the all-smiles press conference on Wednesday announcing next spring's debut of an MLS expansion team in Salt Lake City. Clearly it's a coup for the league to bring on board owner Dave Checketts, the well-regarded former GM of the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz, and the public reception in Utah was vocal and positive.

Among the highlights:

Checketts vowed that a new soccer-specific stadium will be built in Salt Lake--and that private funds will be involved in paying for it. Whether the pricetag will include partial public financing remains to be seen. (For now Salt Lake will play on Field Turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus.)

The new club will announce its name, logo and colors in August. A general manager will also be named next month, with a coach to follow in late August or early September. Early speculation on coaches includes MetroStars assistant Mo Johnston, former U.S. coach Steve Sampson, U.S. assistant Mooch Myernick and former Dallas Burn coach Dave Dir. Recently retired players might also be in the running. (John Harkes anyone?)

	MAILBAG Grant Wahl will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Checketts announced that ticket prices will likely range from $8 to upwards of $20 for choice seats, which is a good sign that Salt Lake won't make the same mistake the late Miami Fusion did in '98 by overcharging from the start.

Though the Utah Blitzz claims it will continue as a second pro soccer team in Salt Lake--and even move up to the second-division A-League next year -- that sounds like a bad, bad idea. The pie just isn't that big, guys.

Through-balls

MetroStars coach Bob Bradley doesn't want to hear any more criticism of ties in MLS. "We may have a stretch where we'll have two or three ties out of five games, and now we act like that in and of itself is bad," Bradley says. "I watch games all over the world. Not every game is high-scoring or artistic. There are a good number of ties, especially if you look at games between the top 10 teams of a league. I still think our game is better than people give us credit for."... All hail Hristo Stoitchkov as the new Bulgaria coach. The former Bulgarian great remains one of MLS's chief enigmas, having produced some highlight-reel goals (when he wasn't injured) and having played a role in the development of players like Beasley. On the other hand, Stoitchkov provided some of the league's uglier moments, including his gruesome leg-breaking tackle of American U's Freddy Llerena in an exhibition game ... While New England's Twellman and Brian Kamler saw their first action back from injury last weekend, Joe-Max Moore's rehab (of a right knee sprain) is not going well ... Columbus has converted its last 16 penalty kicks, setting an all-time MLS record (a stat which will no doubt jinx the Crew's next spot kick) ... Kansas City coach Bob Gansler has his Wizards rolling, and with Preki and Igor Simutenkov on the way back from injury soon you'd expect big things from the Wiz. That may be why Gansler warned his team in practice this week about the post-All Star letdown KC has had the past two years. "We'd take a break, and rather than come back refreshed, we'd come back on the sluggish side," Gansler says. "I spoke to the team about it this morning." ... Can Metro boss Bradley get off the schneid against Chicago? With two straight games coming up against the Fire, Bradley can finally get a W after going 0-5-2 against his former team the past two years. Bradley's next win will be career victory No. 100 for MLS's all-time winningest coach ... An MLS source says the league wants to buy Landon Donovan's contract outright from Bayer Leverkusen, adding, "You may see the league break the bank." ... Things you learn from taping games and freezing them: Strangely, the face of Sir Alex Ferguson is pasted into the group of live Manchester United players (including Tim Howard) in Thierry Henry's most recent Nike ad. With Man U leaving so many players home from its upcoming U.S. tour, maybe the team will have to try the same tactic, putting cardboard cutouts of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and friends on the field and hoping nobody notices ... One MLS coach calls the inclusion of Freddy Adu as a commissioner's pick for the All-Star team "an abomination." That may be true from a soccer perspective, but from a ticket-sales standpoint, nobody should be surprised ... Anybody else see that 10,622 fans showed up in Portland, Ore., for Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup match between the A-League Portland Timbers and the San Jose Earthquakes? (The Quakes won 3-0) ... With John Spencer, Mark Chung and Pedro Peguero heading back into the lineup for Colorado, coach Tim Hankinson wants fans to be patient with the Rapids offense. "Just because a player is cleared to play, it doesn't mean the quality resurfaces right away," he says. "In the final 15 games we should get back going, and our scoring should pick up closer to playoff time."

That's all for this week. We'll get around to answering some Mailbag queries next time around, so make sure to give me a shout.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl keeps you up to date with the world of U.S. soccer at SI.com.