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re: I know it’s cliche, but our best athletes would dominate Soccer.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:28 am to _Hurricane_
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:28 am to _Hurricane_
Field players, I don’t know. But to me there’s absolutely no way we should ever suck at goalie. There’s no shortage of 6’5” freaks with soft hands and short area quickness that couldn’t quite cut it in the NFL. US youth sports culture, you put your best player at shortstop or scoring all the goals or mom will get mad and put them on another team that will.
This post was edited on 7/7/26 at 9:31 am
1
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:28 am to WestCoastAg
quote:
I just think it's funny this thread is full of these comments when it's like....this is the example of the point
I don’t understand your point here. Are you suggesting 1 outlier proves your point? That if the US loaded up on basketball sized players we’d dominate because Haaland?
I’m not saying you’re wrong about LBJ if he trained at soccer his whole life and poured his passion into it like he did basketball but he’s an extreme outlier in basketball. This does not explain why other elite basketball players from Europe did not or chose not to focus on soccer. Or why most of the other elite players are not over 6’5”. If having players over 6’5” was the key to dominating those soccer playing countries would have figured it out a long time ago
!
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:31 am to Patton
quote:
Wish more smaller stud athletes in the US played soccer instead of riding the bench in sports where size makes a huge difference.
When soccer starts paying like the NBA and NFL, maybe they would.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:31 am to WonPercent
Did anybody watch the Landon Donovan video? Right now it's about pricing kids out of the game.
The emphasis should be on access and getting kids to play. Build the base of the pyramid by increasing U8 and U10 numbers with a focus on participation and development over travel and winning.
As the players reach their teen years, have academies (or similar structures) set up to take over the technical development of the best players identified. Where he says is the real issue is when these players hit age 16-20 and getting their development finished off.
Every development issue I've read here are the exact issues that USA Hockey has identified and dealt with over the last 20+ years up to and including playing in small spaces (small area games). USA Hockey overhauled their development program by introducing the Athlete Development Model (ADM) over 20 years ago. The system of developing that the soccer people are talking about has already been created by USA Hockey.
Perhaps USA Soccer should have a meeting with USA Hockey and learn a few things.
The emphasis should be on access and getting kids to play. Build the base of the pyramid by increasing U8 and U10 numbers with a focus on participation and development over travel and winning.
As the players reach their teen years, have academies (or similar structures) set up to take over the technical development of the best players identified. Where he says is the real issue is when these players hit age 16-20 and getting their development finished off.
Every development issue I've read here are the exact issues that USA Hockey has identified and dealt with over the last 20+ years up to and including playing in small spaces (small area games). USA Hockey overhauled their development program by introducing the Athlete Development Model (ADM) over 20 years ago. The system of developing that the soccer people are talking about has already been created by USA Hockey.
Perhaps USA Soccer should have a meeting with USA Hockey and learn a few things.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:34 am to H-Town Tiger
quote:I mean
Are you suggesting 1 outlier proves your point?
This post was edited on 7/7/26 at 9:34 am
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:39 am to Kankles
quote:
Field players, I don’t know. But to me there’s absolutely no way we should ever suck at goalie. There’s no shortage of 6’5” freaks with soft hands and short area quickness that couldn’t quite cut it in the NFL. US youth sports culture, you put your best player at shortstop or scoring all the goals or mom will get mad and put them on another team that will
Another good example. A lot of athletic 6'4" guys are middling baseball pitchers instead of playing soccer.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:41 am to Kracka
quote:
When soccer starts paying like the NBA and NFL, maybe they would.
Guys that are not the top players in the world still make $15 million a year playing soccer
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:55 am to Tiger in NY
quote:
Another good example. A lot of athletic 6'4" guys are middling baseball pitchers instead of playing soccer.
Or hanging around the D-league and/or coming off the bench in the Euro basketball leagues
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:57 am to Kracka
quote:
When soccer starts paying like the NBA and NFL, maybe they would.
Sounds like a chicken or the egg debate.
Need to start having these large paydays to get the top athletes, but you also need these top athletes that are choosing NBA & NFL to start getting eyes on the sport to generate the interest for the money to start flowing
Posted on 7/7/26 at 9:59 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
We have so many athletes of the typical soccer build playing college sports at relatively high levels. We see these kids every year in college football and college basketball. There are so many WRs, CBs, Ss, PGs, SGs, etc. playing for shitty football/basketball teams with no chance of going pro. Hell, even if we just limited the pool to 1AA and D2, we'd have an incredible assortment. Then add in all the amazing high school players who don't even get those shots for being 5-7 - 5-10.
These college players who are successful show you they have the proper mentality to develop as an athlete. The discipline, coachability, effort, etc. shows they can be trained.
Now the high school pool obviously doesn't show the same level, but that population is so large you'd probably get even more out of it.
And we wouldn't need all of them. 10% of that population being steered towards soccer probably sets us up as elite. 20-25% and we're France, capable of producing multiple elite squads.
It's a numbers game, and we have the potential numbers, sports culture, money, etc. to do something on a level soccer hasn't seen.
This is a solid argument as opposed to "Lebron James would be better than Haaland!" I think I agree with you.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:00 am to Weekend Warrior79
I remember the 70's when the soccer revolution was imminent because some kids played in St. Louis.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:06 am to Bunk Moreland
quote:
I feel like we just misplayed a couple of crosses (which could happen to any athlete) and all of a sudden we are a country that has a flawed developmental program, doesn't use its best athletes, etc. Seems like overreaction, but whatever.
The misplayed crosses were because a 38 year old who should have been put to pasture 2 WC's ago was out there having not missed a game (minus the Turkey game) in the last 2 WC's. If we had a better developmental program then Belgium is properly marked, at least on the second score. Better development means we aren't trotting out a goalie who brain freezes and gives up the kill shot.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:10 am to Sterling Archer
Man except you see elite football players pop up at 14-15 all the time.
Soccer is super unique. It is so technical that the truly elite youth have to be plucked out and cultivated at a very young age.
Baseball is honestly the only other team sport I can think of that compares. It’s also a very technical sport. Latin countries are doing national youth baseball academies as we speak with a lot of success.
Soccer is super unique. It is so technical that the truly elite youth have to be plucked out and cultivated at a very young age.
Baseball is honestly the only other team sport I can think of that compares. It’s also a very technical sport. Latin countries are doing national youth baseball academies as we speak with a lot of success.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:20 am to okietiger
quote:
Man except you see elite football players pop up at 14-15 all the time.
You see elite players pop up in the NFL after having never played a down of football. Besides players like Jimmy Graham who come in and play TE or WR where you can cover a lot of technical deficiencies, Jordan Mailata became an all-pro LT where technique is majorly important.
quote:
Soccer is super unique. It is so technical that the truly elite youth have to be plucked out and cultivated at a very young age.
Spot on. Soccer is destined to always be a supplemental sport for the large majority of this country's elite to above average athletes, which will limit our upside. I hate it, but accept it. What we need to do is to make sure that the exceptions are given the right coaching and avenues to achieve maximum success. Even if 5% of the US population plays soccer as their first sport, that is roughly 15m people to develop from, which would be in the top 15 most populated countries in Europe, above counties like Belgium and Portugal and right behind Netherlands.
ETA: Richards and Freeman, and Weston to a lesser extent because he moved to Germany at a young age, are great examples of what SFP talked about. All of them are from football obsessed states (Alabama, Florida, and Texas respectfully) but went into soccer instead. All are roughly 6'1 to 6'2 and 180-200 pounds, and all have been recorded running 21 MPH or more in game which puts their estimated 40 yard dash times at 4.4-4.7. Not elite WR or safety numbers, but good enough to play FCS or G5 football.
This post was edited on 7/7/26 at 10:31 am
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:27 am to SlowFlowPro
as it is, our infrastructure struggles to develop world class soccer players even when they're coached from youth
they cannot teach a 16 year old the technical skills to do anything. and our College soccer system seems to be a joke. I dont know about Europe but i doubt there are too many pros even in the lower pro leagues that touched a soccer ball for the first time at age 16.
they cannot teach a 16 year old the technical skills to do anything. and our College soccer system seems to be a joke. I dont know about Europe but i doubt there are too many pros even in the lower pro leagues that touched a soccer ball for the first time at age 16.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:32 am to Adam Banks
How is my comment "nerdy"? I hardly watch soccer at all. I've been around quite a lot of soccer players from all over the world (not pros of any level) and coaches, though, so my opinion is based on what I've seen and heard. Soccer in the US is for the people how have at least a comfortable income and can do the 'soccer' thing like baseball/softball/bball/etc. They send their kids to perfectly manicured fields with coaches and equipment fully supplied. Everything is fully organized. It's too pretty in the US. Kids in Spain are playing soccer in the street while they're walking to school or waiting on a bus, not just at practice. Soccer doesn't reach into the masses in the US the way it does in the rest of the world. Sure, IF our athletes were enveloped that way, then the US could be competitive on a world stage. But it doesn't, so we're not.
And you sound bitter. "Yeah, we'd kick your arse if our best athletes were playing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:33 am to Tiger in NY
quote:
Guys that are not the top players in the world still make $15 million a year playing soccer
That can compete with football money, but not the NBA.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:33 am to _Hurricane_
This may be a little off topic, but after watching that video of Donovan talking about kids being “priced out” of soccer, I am curious about travel baseball in this country (how expensive it has become) and how that will look in 20 years with some kids now possibly being “priced out”. I don’t even really have an opinion on it yet, it just got me thinking.
Back on topic, 2 observations from watching us versus top teams.
1) The way the top teams control the ball and how easy and accurate their passes are looks SO much better than our guys. Even the way they receive passes.
2) We need a REAL superstar. Don’t talk to me about Pulisic (sick of him). I mean like a Haaland, Mbappe, Kane, Ronaldo, or Yamal. Will that ever happen, I have no clue. Balogun is a gifted striker, but I am talking a true SUPERSTAR.
This is just an observation from a casual fan so don’t crush me soccer fans.
Back on topic, 2 observations from watching us versus top teams.
1) The way the top teams control the ball and how easy and accurate their passes are looks SO much better than our guys. Even the way they receive passes.
2) We need a REAL superstar. Don’t talk to me about Pulisic (sick of him). I mean like a Haaland, Mbappe, Kane, Ronaldo, or Yamal. Will that ever happen, I have no clue. Balogun is a gifted striker, but I am talking a true SUPERSTAR.
This is just an observation from a casual fan so don’t crush me soccer fans.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:43 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
We have so many athletes of the typical soccer build playing college sports at relatively high levels. We see these kids every year in college football and college basketball. There are so many WRs, CBs, Ss, PGs, SGs, etc. playing for shitty football/basketball teams with no chance of going pro. Hell, even if we just limited the pool to 1AA and D2, we'd have an incredible assortment. Then add in all the amazing high school players who don't even get those shots for being 5-7 - 5-10.
These college players who are successful show you they have the proper mentality to develop as an athlete. The discipline, coachability, effort, etc. shows they can be trained.
Now the high school pool obviously doesn't show the same level, but that population is so large you'd probably get even more out of it.
And we wouldn't need all of them. 10% of that population being steered towards soccer probably sets us up as elite. 20-25% and we're France, capable of producing multiple elite squads.
It's a numbers game, and we have the potential numbers, sports culture, money, etc. to do something on a level soccer hasn't seen.
Spot.
On.
Posted on 7/7/26 at 10:45 am to RelicBatches86
quote:
dont know about Europe but i doubt there are too many pros even in the lower pro leagues that touched a soccer ball for the first time at age 16
You dont need to know. The number is zero. There is no college or pro soccer player that didnt play until 16. Football is the only sport that happens in.
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