Tiger in NY

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the training and culture improved to compete with the best of Europe, then Russell Westbrook vs Weston McKennie might matter

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Bingo.

I would also add that even with the exact same level of training I bet Ed Reed would be better thhan Tim Ream at defending.

Kobe was very modest. If he said, "

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 I would have moments of doing something crazy that really wasn't done on purpose. I'd pull off a nice move that was unintentional

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then I suspect he may have had a little more soccer talent than he is letting on.

Regardless, the point is not that Kobe or Lebron as specific individuals would be the ones to make it. The point is that the US has a huge pool of elite athletes like that to put in the bucket and see who rises to the top.

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Or at least the same level of coaching until they go to Europe for finishing.

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Sure, identify the kids by 10 years old and send them off. Fine. If this happened with all of the Jamarr Chase, DK Metcalf, and Dylan Crews type athletes in the US...

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No, this thread clearly is about our best athletes choosing soccer. The genes aren't the issue. We do this every four, and you dumbasses never stop. Yall are causals that refuse to listen to people that actually follow the sport.

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You don't get to jump in here and dictate what this thread was about. It absolutely was based on the premise that America as a whole went "all in" on soccer; and therefore, it is NOT only about superior athletics. It is about the total athletic pool in combination with the assumption of elite coaching.

And no one gives a shite that you are some self proclaimed expert on soccer while the rest of us are bumbling idiots. You sound like a doofus.

Good for them. We shite the bed, they get to dance on our graves.

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I can fix US soccer, using Cape Verde as the template
they went out and found players that had a tentative connection to their country
all we need to do with us soccer is Target the 15 and under players and other countries offer their parents a chance to immigrate

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We already do that genius. Half the US team speaks in a British accent.

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Soccer is VERY popular is France AND Africa and its not even close.


Still think its pure athletic ability and NOTHING else?

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Of course not, which is why the first few pages of this thread established that this hypothetical was based on soccer being the #1 sport in America. That would imply that we were investing in the best training and coaching, and that the culture supported it. You are the one ignoring that.

This thread has absolutely NOTHING to do with where America actually is in soccer today.

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That IS what you're saying. Thats EXACTLY what you're saying.

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For the record, I already acknowledged that the coaching and program needs to change. We have flaws in that we do not coach up skill, the youth programs just coach team play.

This thread assumes we would invest in that. You morons want to turn it into an examination of where we are at currently because you are too dense to grasp the nuance of a hypothetical.

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Baseball guys are some of the least athletic people to be honest (extraordinarily coordinated though).

I think people conflate athleticism and coordination way too much.

LeBron is an insane athlete no doubt, but would be good at baseball? Idk, maybe.

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Baseball guys are generally well rounded enough to jump onto any other court or field and play at a recreational level at least. Any baseball guy can run a route and catch a football, shoot a 3, or kick a soccer ball. You ever see these athletes from other sports try to throw a baseball? They look literally retarded.

I have seen finances brought up a number of times in here, and I just want to point out that there are well over 150 players in the world making over $12 million per year with the highest salaries up in NFL QB ranges ($40-70 million). Additionally, there are another couple hundred that make $2-10 million. Even the top 25 players in Britain's minor league (Championship) make ~$3-5 million per year.