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What American Athletes Would Have Been Great Soccer Players?

MaybeACoordinator

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8682

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On 6/29/2018 at 6:09 AM, Bevo VIII said:

Ken Griffey Jr.


I think the best goalies would come from baseball, thoughts?

1) First thought is Ken Griffey Jr. would have made a good striker. His base stealing speed would have translated to sprinting past the back line to hook up to a looping ball over the top.


2) Baseball players would generally make shit goalies, because...

 

On 6/29/2018 at 6:40 AM, Fudge Nuggets said:

I'm sure the footwork required on a double play would make some middle infielders pretty salty as well.


3) Most middle infielders are 5'5" to 5'10" and Goalkeepers need to really be 6'1" at the shortest, but preferably closer to 6'2" to 6'4".

(There are exceptions in baseball and in soccer, but in general baseball players would suck at soccer.)


4) The best keepers from a different sport would be LOCK DOWN WING DEFENDERS IN BASKETBALL.6'2" to 6'5" with cat-like reflexes and quick feet. 

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Napoleon

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2 minutes ago, Captain Ron said:

That's because the IOC will let you play for just about any country. FIFA is a little more strict about it.


Unless Hakeem played on a U-17 or U-20 team before he left to come to the USA for college ball, he would have been eligible to play for the USA and he would have played for them, because the endorsement money would be better.

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shnsajax

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3) Most middle infielders are 5'5" to 5'10" and Goalkeepers need to really be 6'1" at the shortest, but preferably closer to 6'2" to 6'4".
(There are exceptions in baseball and in soccer, but in general baseball players would suck at soccer.)

4) The best keepers from a different sport would be LOCK DOWN WING DEFENDERS IN BASKETBALL.6'2" to 6'5" with cat-like reflexes and quick feet. 


I don’t really know why people think NBA centers/power forwards sitting 6’8” or taller would make good goalies. Slow to get anything low and slow to get back up. Someone like Darrell Revis back in the day maybe.
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futureman

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7 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

formation: 4-2-3-1

 

GK- Calvin Johnson

RB- Earl Thomas

CB- Kam Chancellor

CB- Aaron Donald

LB- Jalen Ramsey

CM- Russell Wilson

CM- LeSean McCoy

RW- AJ Green

CAM- Antonio Browm

LW- DeAndre Hopkins

ST- Patrick Peterson

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

4-3-3

 

GK- Dwyane Wade

RB- Kawhi Leonard

 CB- Draymond Green

CB- Andre Drummond

LB- PJ Tucker

DMF- Marcus Smart

LM- Chris Paul

RM- Steph Curry

LW- John Wall

RW- Dennis Smith Jr

ST- Kevin Durant 

good lord,  every single selection is wrong.  and not just wrong but stupid.   how is it even possible.  did you try to do that?

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futureman

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On 6/29/2018 at 1:43 AM, Spartan52 said:

We have a similar discussion in Australia re AFL, Rugby League, Union - it is a sad fact that because our elite sportsmen focus on other sports that countries like USA and Aus will probably never make it further than the Rd of 16, but we can dream....

I’ve done this with friends plenty of times (for union).  without going through a full lineup I’ll say that adrian peterson in his prime running inside center would have been a fucking nightmare on the defense.  lawrence taylor in his prime playing 6... I could go on

Edited by futureman
derka drinks his own pee.
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Goo Punch

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Going by actual US athletes who could have legit played soccer had they trained their whole lives:

Every boxer below the heavyweight division

Base stealers/athletes like Ricky Henderson or Billy Hamilton

Playmakers in space like Tyreek Hill and Antonio Brown

Smaller DBs like Earl Thomas and Deion Sanders

Super quick PGs like Chris Paul and TJ Ford

Smaller, smarter QBs like Russell Wilson and Drew Brees

 

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wood

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On 6/30/2018 at 11:59 PM, Napoleon said:

3) Most middle infielders are 5'5" to 5'10" and Goalkeepers need to really be 6'1" at the shortest, but preferably closer to 6'2" to 6'4".

(There are exceptions in baseball and in soccer, but in general baseball players would suck at soccer.)

Yeah I don't think that's really true anymore, esp in pro baseball. There are there pretty tall and still amazingly fucking athletic middle infielders out there these days, esp at SS.

ETA: Average MLB SS height in 2016 was over 6' 1"

ripkenchart1_whcz4j0s_zisft6ks.jpg

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Pathetic Shark

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Just because someone is athletic from the standpoint of speed and strength doesn’t mean it will translate to being a good player.  Theo Walcott comes to mind;  he’s lightning fast but often leaves the ball behind.  Messi isn’t fast or strong but is brilliant on the ball. The US needs kids out in the street playing for hours every day and growing up loving the game and also watching it to learn from the best.  Right now the sport in the US is viewed more as a way to get a college scholarship rather than a game that kids just love playing.  How many keep playing after college?  I’ve played in men’s leagues in Houston and Austin for many years; the majority of players are from other countries

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Huckleberry

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Actually, the United States should embrace a more direct style of play specifically because we don't have our best athletes living life with a ball at their feet the entire time. We need to embrace our national profile and use speed and strength, raw athleticism, in the most effective way possible. We will never have the most skilled players in the world with the ball at their feet. There is a chance, though, that we could have the most athletic soccer team in the world if we focused on that.

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TheFlyingBoat

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"4) The best keepers from a different sport would be LOCK DOWN WING DEFENDERS IN BASKETBALL.6'2" to 6'5" with cat-like reflexes and quick feet. "

 

I know he's a little tall for the role at 6'6" (granted if that's his combine measurement he probably is 6'5"), but I think Kawhi Leonard would be a good goalkeeper. Huge hand, 7'3" wingspan, fast, and a lockdown defender.

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FondrenRoad

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16 hours ago, Pathetic Shark said:

Just because someone is athletic from the standpoint of speed and strength doesn’t mean it will translate to being a good player.  Theo Walcott comes to mind;  he’s lightning fast but often leaves the ball behind.  Messi isn’t fast or strong but is brilliant on the ball. The US needs kids out in the street playing for hours every day and growing up loving the game and also watching it to learn from the best.  Right now the sport in the US is viewed more as a way to get a college scholarship rather than a game that kids just love playing.  How many keep playing after college?  I’ve played in men’s leagues in Houston and Austin for many years; the majority of players are from other countries

This thread always starts with "if US kids played soccer."  That's why I think someone who is super quick and also has excellent footwork would be the best bet as a forward. Like Barry Sanders, as well as any of the other smaller shifty runners.  PGs and DBs would be more suited for defense and midfield. It isnt like someone like Boateng is dancing down the field like Messi either. He just needs to engage both Messi and the ball, and read passing lanes. Out of all the positions, you could probably take a defensive minded PG or a Safety and have him playing adequate defense in a year or two without even growing up with the sport. 

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FondrenRoad

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It works the other way too. Deion ran fast for 8 seconds. Then stood there for 30. Ran 8 again. Did that a few times and then sat there for 20 minutes. 

Altidore, who is big and fast in short spurts, would have been better at American football had he played it. In spite of a lifetime of training and conditioning, he could never really run for 90 minutes. 

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naija

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Out of all the positions, you could probably take a defensive minded PG or a Safety and have him playing adequate defense in a year or two without even growing up with the sport. 

Adequate defense in what? The local rec league?
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gsoda3

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It works the other way too. Deion ran fast for 8 seconds. Then stood there for 30. Ran 8 again. Did that a few times and then sat there for 20 minutes. 
Altidore, who is big and fast in short spurts, would have been better at American football had he played it. In spite of a lifetime of training and conditioning, he could never really run for 90 minutes. 
Jozy's just lazy. He'd be the WR who gives up on a route or the TE who missed his blocking assignment.
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MaybeACoordinator

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Sidetracking this a little, I grew up in the '70s, playing backyard sports daily. Football from late August to January, basketball from January to March, Baseball or wiffleball from April to August. I also played league soccer from second through fourth grade, but that seemed more like a class or a hobby to me. And I also played league baseball, football, and basketball up to high school, but I was only able to do so and excel at those sports through muscle memory I learned in countless hours of freeform play in backyards and driveways. 

And that's the problem with American soccer. Until our kids forfeit one of the big seasons to play soccer in backyards, we will never have the creativity or innovation of South American, African, or European nations. You can't just be taught the game in clinics and leagues and at camps -- you have to learn to feel the game when the only ref is the biggest kid on the field. 

That's what Klinsmann was trying to say, and that's why Dempsey was one our greatest players. 

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naija

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8 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Sidetracking this a little, I grew up in the '70s, playing backyard sports daily. Football from late August to January, basketball from January to March, Baseball or wiffleball from April to August. I also played league soccer from second through fourth grade, but that seemed more like a class or a hobby to me. And I also played league baseball, football, and basketball up to high school, but I was only able to do so and excel at those sports through muscle memory I learned in countless hours of freeform play in backyards and driveways. 

And that's the problem with American soccer. Until our kids forfeit one of the big seasons to play soccer in backyards, we will never have the creativity or innovation of South American, African, or European nations. You can't just be taught the game in clinics and leagues and at camps -- you have to learn to feel the game when the only ref is the biggest kid on the field. 

That's what Klinsmann was trying to say, and that's why Dempsey was one our greatest players. 

These airy takes on how to develop soccer players doesn't really jibe with reality. There isn't one way to develop good soccer players. Some countries do it with the poverty stricken kids playing in the dirt under lampposts and some do it with kids put into those clinics and leagues and camps quite early that you talk about. Eventually, even those poor kids find their way into clinics/clubs. 

 

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dogbreath

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Have been listening to the Bennett podcast American Fiasco and what is the difference between the players on the American team that played in the Copa in 1996 versus the players on the American team that played in the Copa in 2016?  The 96 team made it to the semis in Uruguay and the 16 team made it to the quarters in the US.  The 96 team would go on to finish last in the WC and the 16 team would fail to qualify for the WC.   Was the 96 players' quality better?  Were they less entitled?  Were they better coached?  They surely didn't come from a soccer culture. And the few that did were no more than the Germericans on the 16 team.   The 96 players had confidence borne from adversity while the 16 players had confidence borne from coddling and ego stroking.

My kid played futsal for a number of years and he was just an average player who played hard all the time.  But there were futsal kids who were treated like royalty by the staff and dominated the local scene.  Then there was a tournament where the house team played a Brazilian team and all the stud players on the house team acted like shrinking violets and the strivers looked just fine.  Very disappointing, but those kids got to see how far away they were from real futsal players.  The house team played some more Brazilian teams in the next few years and they began to compete and win a few games. 

The advantage of the young players going to Europe or elsewhere is the challenge of going against better players.  Talented youth players need to play up.  If it's too easy then go to a level where it's harder.  Not every one is cut out for it being harder.  Heard a story of two players going to Europe together and while one was considered a higher quality player, he went home after six months while the other one stayed.  This one learned the language and started to get more success on the field.  The one who went home is best player on a semi-pro summer league team, but no where near where he should be.

 

 

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Vic Mackey

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On 7/6/2018 at 8:26 AM, Captain Ron said:

The only upside of the World Cup ending is that the non-fans will go away and this thread will bury itself 3 pages down.

Do you guys pat each other on the back for following soccer year around? I have noticed that with soccer snobs that are friends with me. Every time the World Cup come around, they let it be known they follow soccer year around. Newsflash, no one really cares. Soccer is not a major sport here in this country. So yes, casual fans will show up for this tournament. It's 1 month every 4 years. Y'all guys are equally as bad as the "non-fans". It's like the guys telling us they used to listen to a band years before they became mainstream. 

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Captain Ron

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23 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

Do you guys pat each other on the back for following soccer year around? I have noticed that with soccer snobs that are friends with me. Every time the World Cup come around, they let it be known they follow soccer year around. Newsflash, no one really cares. Soccer is not a major sport here in this country. So yes, casual fans will show up for this tournament. It's 1 month every 4 years. Y'all guys are equally as bad as the "non-fans". It's like the guys telling us they used to listen to a band years before they became mainstream. 

As a matter of fact we do pat each other on the back. And I forgot to today, so everyone that really follows this sport - great job, keep up the good work being everyday soccer fans.

Frankly, I don't give a shit that this event brings out casual soccer fans. I love it, the added discussion is pretty good as a whole. And hopefully a few of you will catch on and start watching more regularly - because as fun as the World Cup is, the good European leagues are a thousand times better in terms of quality and things you see happen. Plus when you know who these guys are on a regular basis, the World Cup becomes a much more interesting event.

What I do find dumb is THIS specific discussion that pops up every World Cup year. One because it always is prefaced with the reminder that soccer is (allegedly) a 5th rate sport that no one cares about. And two is never a discussion had about other sports. I don't see this discussion on the football, basketball or baseball boards (ok there was that time when MJ decided to try his hand at baseball). But the casual fans always want to remind us that there isn't the type of exposure in the US that other countries have and our best athletes always go play other sports. This is what I'm snobbish about.

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MaybeACoordinator

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3 hours ago, Captain Ron said:

As a matter of fact we do pat each other on the back. And I forgot to today, so everyone that really follows this sport - great job, keep up the good work being everyday soccer fans.

Frankly, I don't give a shit that this event brings out casual soccer fans. I love it, the added discussion is pretty good as a whole. And hopefully a few of you will catch on and start watching more regularly - because as fun as the World Cup is, the good European leagues are a thousand times better in terms of quality and things you see happen. Plus when you know who these guys are on a regular basis, the World Cup becomes a much more interesting event.

What I do find dumb is THIS specific discussion that pops up every World Cup year. One because it always is prefaced with the reminder that soccer is (allegedly) a 5th rate sport that no one cares about. And two is never a discussion had about other sports. I don't see this discussion on the football, basketball or baseball boards (ok there was that time when MJ decided to try his hand at baseball). But the casual fans always want to remind us that there isn't the type of exposure in the US that other countries have and our best athletes always go play other sports. This is what I'm snobbish about.

Your insecurity is causing you to read way too much into my intent as the OP. I would actually prefer it if our very best athletes competed on the world stage in the planet's most popular sport. And if they did, we would be among the eight or so teams that had a shot to win every four years. 

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Zepol87

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Do you guys pat each other on the back for following soccer year around? I have noticed that with soccer snobs that are friends with me. Every time the World Cup come around, they let it be known they follow soccer year around. Newsflash, no one really cares. Soccer is not a major sport here in this country. So yes, casual fans will show up for this tournament. It's 1 month every 4 years. Y'all guys are equally as bad as the "non-fans". It's like the guys telling us they used to listen to a band years before they became mainstream. 


No issue with casual fans at all. It's the douches that talk out of their ass like they are experts that annoy the shit out of me
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