right, I mean obviously US Soccer is doing just fine without Steph Curry, Allen Iverson, Odell Beckham, Deion Sanders, Russell Westbrook, etc. Those guys wouldn't have been any good at soccer, obviously.

Allen Iverson could have been a pro athelete at any sport he grew up playing. He could have played in the NFL. If he grew up in Germany he would be an elite soccer player.

and yet England still surely has 10 CBs the US would be very pleased to start against T&T

soccer has corner backs?

This is such a silly take and I am puzzled a lot of you keep making the assumption that athleticism translate into elite at whatever sports you pick so easily. If Allen Iverson grew up in Germany he'd have tried soccer and he may or may not have become elite at it. The biggest reason for why he'd become one has got nothing to do with his athleticism.

How many times have you seen a player lightning quick but just wasn't skilled enough/low sports IQ and didn't make it into the game. Soccer is a whole package where intangibles and technicity matter a ton.

Hell I play basketball in Europe with people who are insane athletes and have higher vertical leaps than some NBA players, doesn't mean they'd make it in NBA if they wanted to

Of course I agree with the main point that if all of the US athletes were interested and exposed to soccer and are taught soccer in the same way that they are taught in Europe, USA would dominate just because due to larger sample size the odds of having a greatly skilled player on top of being a good athlete are susbtantially better (assuming there is no negative correlation between athleticism and ability to learn skills) but to say that X player could have played Y game just because he was a sick athlete is wishing

England has centre backs who start for Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea. All three are very good and you'd have to think for a while to come up with 25 better CBs.

right, when I think of AI, I definitely think, low sports IQ, poor skill.

https://twitter.com/DreCordero/statu...71229213433857

edit: fired him off an email

LOL Twellman on ESPN calling for 'fundamental change' to US Soccer. Isn't that what Jurgen was trying to do??? Then you run him out of town after a small downswing??

This.

If he ever heard you say that he'd hit you over the head with a chair.

Yes, they're called fullbacks.

Lol @ 2:00 800m not “making” ur hs track team. No credibility bro.

Carl Lewis ran like a 47 s 400m in high school. Dude could easily do a 2 minute 800m if he felt like it.

Also that estefo guy's HS track team had one hell of a 4 by 800 meter relay team.

This should’ve happened right after the match on Tuesday. It’s pathetic that Gulati won’t step down and is even running for re-election

jfc really dude?

Yeah, ummmm, the argument is so easy to refute and you **** it up. AI may not have become an elite soccer talent for any number of reasons. "lack of tenacity" and "heart" certainly are not among them.

God dammit now you have me doing it. This is the first real chance I've had to get bombed since the T&T match. I will probably end up crying tonight. **** this ****. It's like you were told your best friend has cancer and has 6 months to live, and then on the way from his Dr. appointment he gets hit by a car. You know ultimately he's gonna die in a pretty awful way, but you're just not ready for it yet.

So the reason a professional athlete became a professional athlete had nothing to do with the fact that he was a really good athlete?

Kind of an odd argument to make.

I agree that maybe Allen Iverson would not have made a decent pro soccer player, but I also think it is ridiculous not to understand that, had Allen Iverson played soccer from a very young age, that he wouldn't have had a vast advantage over 99.9 percent of the world's population in that sport, or really any sport, due to his ridiculous athleticism.

the discussions about what athletes in other sports could have done are so far beside the point (lot of the surrounding arguments are also terrible).

edit: that said ldo bolt can run a 5 min mile wtf.

In this case it is relevant, however, because the problem with US Soccer is that the current system of player development totally favors kids who can afford it rather than the kids who might actually turn into good players.

Thinking that US soccer can become competitive while running development programs that ignoring virtually every decent athlete in the country is beyond ridiculous. I mean, honestly, is Michael Bradley ever playing any professional sport other than soccer or golf?

ya Messi & Maradona def GOATs due to being extraordinary physical specimens that USA#5 couldn't ever possibly hope to match

people are discussing prototypical athleticism, but how often is the usmnt outclassed in this regard? what fraction of elite soccer players possess athleticism comparable to american athletes who excel in the major sports? if the top tier usa athletes played soccer we would obv be better, but i think we'd be in here ranting and asking "why do we keep losing to athletically inferior teams?"

The argument seems to be that in the US the best young athletes play other sports. The rebuttal is "well in soccer being a great athlete isn't a big advantage." I've never played soccer but I'd think speed, agility, quickness and hand(foot)-eye coordination would be very important.

that seems like a mischaracterization, but maybe i missed some posts. the point isn't that athleticism isn't needed or preferred or that having better athletes would not improve the team. i am saying you could put those athletes through the usmnt developmental program and we would probably still not compete with top tier teams imo

Doesn't Messi have elite speed and quickness? He and Ronaldo are both consensus best players in the world but if they grew up in USA#1 they would have played football and basketball. Yes Messi is too small for either pro league or even college but he would have been a high school football star for sure.