Dishing on the Champions League, the U.S. and MLS

	Kaká's brilliant performances this season are one reason AC Milan is a step away from its seventh European Cup trophy. Courtsey of adidas
	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:

Who do you like in the Champions League final (ESPN2, Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET): Liverpool or AC Milan?
-- Jon-Claud Nix, Hartford, Conn.

In what would be an appropriate end to 12 wild months for Italian soccer, I like Milan. For starters, Kaká has shown that he brings the goods when it counts (unlike fellow World Player of the Year candidate Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United), and not even the tactical genius of Rafa Benítez -- or the bite of Javier Mascherano -- should be able to slow him down.

What's more, while Kaká may get most of the attention, I can't tell you how impressed I've been with Milan midfielders Clarence Seedorf and Rino Gattuso. Granted, Gattuso is no surprise -- he's an absolute pit bull who'd have to be one of your first picks if you were starting a team from scratch -- but Seedorf has been unstoppable, an underrated two-way threat who's gotten far too much criticism over the years for a guy who has won so much European silverware.

For the neutral's sake, I'm hoping Benítez goes with two forwards from the start. I don't really care if it's Peter Crouch or Craig Bellamy; I just want to see someone up there alongside Dirk Kuyt so that the 'Pool can at least force sometimes-shaky goalkeeper Dida to make some stops and deal with some crosses in the box.

Assuming that Steven Gerrard will play in the center and not on the wing (please, Rafa, not on the wing), I figure we'll see Jermaine Pennant on the right wing and (if his bum ankle is healthy) Bolo Zenden on the left.

(Granted, this would mean the hapless Zenden might be the worst player ever to start in a Champions League final. But consider the alternative: Harry Kewell, who might have the stamina to play, what, 35 minutes?)

I realize I'm picking against history here, considering Liverpool never loses European finals and Milan is dealing with the supposed psychological baggage of its choke-job against Rafa's boys two years ago. Beyond that, I also realize there's a temptation for the neutral to pick the team that's more entertaining to watch (Milan) in hopes of seeing a memorable final.

But in what should be a classic South American battle (the Brazilian Kaká vs. the Argentine Mascherano) I think Kaká will be able to conjure a moment or two of magic and bring the European Cup back to Milan. (Let's just hope the ESPN broadcasters pronounce the guy's name right; the accent's on the second syllable, guys. Rhymes with macaw. The soon-to-be World Player of the Year deserves as much.)

All right, let's get a little more rapid-fire here ...

Given the changed salary rules in MLS, what other internationals should we expect to see over the summer besides David Beckham and Cuauhtémoc Blanco? Is Zinédine Zidane thinking of making a move?
-- Michael Waechter, Chicago

Right now I just don't foresee any other blockbuster signings coming to MLS in July. MLS deputy commish Ivan Gazidis told me last week that it's possible, but my sense is that we're more likely to see the arrivals of U.S. internationals like Kasey Keller or DaMarcus Beasley. (As for Zidane, I haven't heard anything yet that gives that possibility any real credence.)

I'll tell you what, though: MLS has to be happy with the way Becks and Blanco are playing these days. Beckham has been huge lately during Real Madrid's stirring run to the top of La Liga, and Blanco is thriving for Club América, which is still alive in both the Mexican Liguilla and the Copa Libertadores. Who said these guys were washed up anyway?