re: If these stars were USA soccer stars

Just read the first paragraph. The guy is joking around and wanted to put photoshopped athletes in USA jerseys. He may very well be making fun of the concept entirely.

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I have come to love soccer over the last 5 or so years. I follow the PL moderately closely and watch games every weekend. The reaction to this thread shows how pretentious and insufferable American soccer fans are.

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I get what you're saying, but I think most of us are just g-d tired of trying to refute this stupid fricking argument for the millionth time.

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I'm fully aware of how silly it is. It's a half serious hyopthetical someone came up with. Do you think the author seriously thinks JJ Watt would be good?

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In most cases, I would say yes, yes they do. And the people writing these articles are usually ignorant to the realities of how players are developed at home and abroad, and how even if those players played soccer in this country from a young age they probably would be no better than our current players.

The best player of all time is 5'7, in cleats, and probably 150 lbs soaking wet.

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I get what you're saying, but I think most of us are just g-d tired of trying to refute this stupid fricking argument for the millionth time.

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This.

Athletes that large and explosive are really built for a different game. The bigger guys probably wouldn't actually make it even if they did play from a young age. Sure, a guy like OBJ would have fit at 6'0 and hyper athletic or even Westbrook possibly, but someone like Lebron would just be unfit for many positions outside of keeper. Your NBA guards and skill position guys in the NFL would fit better, but the games require much different forms of athleticism, as well. There are tons of guys more athletic than Messi whose lack of his skillset, similar build, and slight autism leave them on a lower playing field than him.

At that size and with that frame, the destruction of the body from not only the amount of running but the type of activity it is. It forces you to go from a light jog to dead sprint or vice versa throughout 90+ minutes. For those larger athletes, they'd have trouble maintaining fitness and they'd see injuries a lot. Actually, Lebron with his current routines, diets, etc. would be one of the only guys at that size that I could see maintaining a higher level of play.

Sure, we may have a few more super athletic guys in the pool, but honestly, they just don't fit well to many positions in the game. For the same reason that you'd want someone with Lebron's size and skillset for basketball (or American football), a 5'8-6'0 guy with smaller frames, high pace, and a wide bottom for a lower center of gravity is seemingly prototypical for a world-class forward in football. Other people outside of it can find success, but that size just seems to fit.

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Odell Beckham's favorite and best sport was soccer in his youth actually and he was extended an invite to the USA academy

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he was asked to try out for the youth set up at 13 like thousands of other kids

not invited to the USA Academy

dont make stuff up even so chances are not high he would have made it.