re: This is why the US currently can't compete with the world's best

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It is the combination of great skills and superior athleticism that make Ibrahimovich, Balotelli and Ronaldo fan favorites.

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I don't see this at all.

Ronaldo seems less a fan favorite than Messi across the world and certainly no more than any other player who people would consider the best in the world at a given time.

Ibra and Balotelli are massive headline makers due to their entertaining personae.

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Spain didn't lose its technical skills over the past 4 years,

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In a sense they did. Xavi was the key to the effectiveness of Spain's and Barca's entire style and, while he's still a great player, his "skills" are not as sharp as they were 2-4 years ago and both team's struggles much more to do with adjusting to a different style of play without him than being beaten physically.

There were just as many great "physical" teams being run absolutely ragged by Xavi's midfield mastery when he was on his game.

The good news is that Jurgy understands the development system and what it takes to be great.

It starts with recruiting (which he was excelled at). If we can steal the Greens and Zelalems of the world, it will speed up the process.

Combine those guys with a budding youth system that is very much in its infancy, a growing domestic league, more fan awareness and demand - shite can come together and happen.

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Ibra and Balotelli are massive headline makers due to their entertaining personae.

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Nobody would care about their entertaining personalities if they weren't electrifying talents on the field.

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In a sense they did. Xavi was the key to the effectiveness of Spain's and Barca's entire style and, while he's still a great player, his "skills" are not as sharp as they were 2-4 years ago and both team's struggles much more to do with adjusting to a different style of play without him than being beaten physically.

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Xavi's skills aren't his problem. He just doesn't have the quickness or strength to win 50-50 balls or beat defenders one v. one like he could 4 years ago. And his lack of athleticism was painful to watch when Spain was on defense.

Yeah, most parents I imagine see soccer as an extracurricular activity (and there's nothing wrong with that). I'm sure parents in countries where futbol is huge look at futbol the same way parents in the Southeast US look at American football. They see extraordinary talent and they want to nurture it, and here in the US there are more resources to nurture American football skills than futbol skills. That can change with time.

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The quality of young athletes focusing on soccer in the U.S. is increasing every year. It is just a matter of time until enough of our best athletes receive the proper training and nurturing of a soccer skillset from age 5 til they go pro at age 18 for the U.S. to compete at the highest levels.

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FTFY.

You're welcome.

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Ibra and Balotelli are massive headline makers due to their entertaining personae.

Nobody would care about their entertaining personalities if they weren't electrifying talents on the field.

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Yes, but my point is that the key attributes that make them such media hits are

1) world class
2) characters

and not "athletic prowess"

If you subtract athletic prowess from the equation they are still huge celebrities as long as they have same personae even if they were world class based on skills and vision ala Totti for example...

The English put way too much emphasis on athletic ability, or pace and power as they say (which is a separate argument against having that kind of focus a priori). But interestingly their biggest media stars like Beckham, Rooney, Gerrard etc and certainly not the kind of exceptional natural athlete it would seem is being proposed.

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I'm saying they wouldn't be world class without the athletic prowess. It is essential.

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Just to be clear, what you were arguing is that they were bigger media darlings because they were the most athletic superstar players and not simply that they are stars with very eccentric personae.

My point, to repeat it again, was that the athletic factor may well be important to why they are great players but not why they are media darlings. If any great player, no matter how athletic, has or were to act the way they do, they have and would still make media headlines.


Also, your point about all athletic teams passing through the knockouts completely glosses over 2 of biggest favorites left in Germany and Argentina. Both are a lot more technical than athletic -- Germany's woefully unathletic backline + Ozil Goetze . . . Fernando Gago!!!! etc etc etc. . .

(not to mention that the past two WC champions, Spain and Italy, were among the least athletic sides to probably ever play in a WC in the modern era).