Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 5 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,568
Likes: 5
Dawg Talker
Offline
Dawg Talker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,568
Likes: 5
Quote:

There has also been increased attention played to soccer. Even though we aren't the top league in the world in Soccer...the MLS has some visibility, and having big names like Beckham, and Thierry Henry, and Freddie Adu...even off the top of their game...we have guys who bring eyes to the sport. The visibility and star power of guys like Messi, Ronaldo, Dempsey, Donovan, Ronaldinho (a few years back), Neymar, David Villa (a few years back), Muller, Van Persie, Klose (although some of them are only visible during the world cup) have popularized the sport with their celebrity.

Also...the concerns of football, and the push for healthy kids, have driven people to the sport of soccer.




To add to your list, Kaka is signing with the Orlando expansion MLS team tonight.


[Linked Image from img.photobucket.com]
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 18,869
Likes: 964
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 18,869
Likes: 964
Quote:

Kaka is signing with the Orlando expansion MLS team tonight.






And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
- John Muir

#GMSTRONG
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18,204
C
~
Legend
Offline
~
Legend
C
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18,204
He'll be over in 2015. I'm happy for him to go where his heart contends after he's helped out AC Milan so much in his career. But he'll also be 35 when he starts playing in the MLS, so it's basically like Beckham on steroids. MLS is basically screwed until they get rid of the salary cap like in Europe. There also needs to be an Americans Champions Cup for all the best teams in America. Speaking of which, is anyone going to the Champions Cup when they play in the U.S. this year?

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
C
Legend
Offline
Legend
C
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
Quote:

There also needs to be an Americans Champions Cup for all the best teams in America.




You mean like this?

CONCACAF Champions League

cfrs15 #887785 07/01/14 12:50 AM
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18,204
C
~
Legend
Offline
~
Legend
C
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18,204
No, to be more specific, I'm talking more about the UEFA Championship league. Say we do that with both of the America's sports teams. So it'd be the best of the MLS, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and so on and so forth. It'd make fair competition with most of South America's talent being up and coming or average players and MLS being average players. Would help MLS's brand, especially if they can win the cup. Just biding our time until we can face off with the premier leagues in Europe.

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
C
Legend
Offline
Legend
C
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
Right. But they all play in the same European confederation. South America and North America don't.

cfrs15 #887787 07/01/14 01:09 AM
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18,204
C
~
Legend
Offline
~
Legend
C
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18,204
Yes, this would need to change too.

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,568
Likes: 5
Dawg Talker
Offline
Dawg Talker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,568
Likes: 5


Kaká has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Orlando City that runs through the end of the 2017 season, according to a post on owner Flávio Augusto da Silva's Facebook page.

Orlando City officials declined to comment on terms of the deal. A source confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel the deal is guaranteed through the end of 2017.

Kaká was greeted Monday night at Orlando International Airport by more than 100 Orlando City fans. The Lions planned to announce his signing as the franchise’s first MLS designated player Tuesday morning. The team will also introduce Kaká to fans during halftime of the U.S. men's national team World Cup game against Belgium at the Wall Street Plaza. Television coverage starts at 4 p.m. and Kaká will likely greet the crowd shortly after 5 p.m.

The 2007 Ballon d'Or winner and 2002 World Cup champion is one of the highest-profile signings in the history of Major League Soccer.

The Brazilian midfielder had played for AC Milan and Real Madrid, once commanding one of the highest transfer fees of all time.

Kaká will go on loan to his home club, São Paulo, through the end of 2014. He will join Orlando City for preseason workouts in January ahead of the Lions’ debut season in MLS.



Email at [Email]ptenorio@tribune.com.[/Email] For more soccer news, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/OnThePitch or follow @oslions on Twitter.



So he will be joining the team in January. He just turned 32 so he will actually still be 32 when he starts playing here and turn 33 shortly after the season starts. Link

Last edited by ~Con~Artist~; 07/01/14 12:35 PM.

[Linked Image from img.photobucket.com]
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Well it looks like everyone else it too deflated to post anything ... Tough Loss.

When we missed that chance from about 10 feet out at 92 mins, I thought that was ball-game for us.

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
C
Legend
Offline
Legend
C
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
The future is bright.

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,221
Likes: 212
Hall of Famer
Offline
Hall of Famer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,221
Likes: 212
So why don't we play like we did the last 10 minutes of extra time for the whole game?


Don't blame the clown for acting like a clown.
Ask yourself why you keep going to the circus.
Jester #887792 07/02/14 01:58 AM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
C
Legend
Offline
Legend
C
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
Because we had to throw everyone forward and used all of our energy on offense. No team can commit that many players forward for the whole game.

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,608
Likes: 89
Hall of Famer
Offline
Hall of Famer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,608
Likes: 89
Quote:

Well it looks like everyone else it too deflated to post anything ... Tough Loss.

When we missed that chance from about 10 feet out at 92 mins, I thought that was ball-game for us.




Deflated is right. We had some opportunities there at the end.

Loss or not, Tim Howard gave an effort for the ages. Guy played out of his mind. His reactions are so quick it's amazing. He would be diving one way and in a fraction of a second, while still moving with his dive, shoot a foot or hand in another direction to deflect a shot.

Truly fun to watch.


How does a league celebrating its 100th season only recognize the 53 most recent championships?

#gmstrong
cfrs15 #887794 07/02/14 07:57 AM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,221
Likes: 212
Hall of Famer
Offline
Hall of Famer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,221
Likes: 212
Well keeping everybody back didn't do much to stop shots on goal. And in doing so that allowed Belgium to be in attach mode all game. We scored on a significantly higher percentage of our shots. They just outshot us by so much.

The best defense is a good offense. We never put consistent pressure on the other teams goalie.


Don't blame the clown for acting like a clown.
Ask yourself why you keep going to the circus.
Jester #887795 07/02/14 08:45 AM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,887
Hall of Famer
Offline
Hall of Famer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,887
Had we attacked the whole game Belgium would have won 5-1. The reason the game was close was because of our defense. It was a great strategy against a superior team and we had a few opportunities we just didn't execute.

Had we attacked to aggressively all it would have taken is one off pass Belgium intercepts the ball and they would have been attacking us and without our defense set they would have scored.

We are getting their despite Soccer being our 4th/5th sport (Football/Basketball/Baseball and arguably Hockey). This World Cup we lost to #2 Germany, #4 Portugal scored a goal with 27sec left to tie us and we lost to #11 Belgium in extended time. All of those team have far superior talent and a deeper squad than the USA team. I'm proud of what those men did this World Cup.


[Linked Image from mypsn.eu.playstation.com]
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 51,494
Likes: 728
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 51,494
Likes: 728
I dunno.

Our goal keeper was playing the game of his life, but let's be real, that many shots on goal means our defense was getting man handled. That whole game iwas sitting on the edge, SCREAMING at them to just get the damn ball. We keep playing not to lose, and that bit us.

Every time we actually push the ball down the field Belgium was on their toes. Fabian Johnson's injury actually bettered us, but my god I'm trying to figure out Michael Bradley was allowed to play the entire game, let alone start. He's been trash ever since group.


“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

- Theodore Roosevelt
Swish #887797 07/02/14 10:51 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,608
Likes: 89
Hall of Famer
Offline
Hall of Famer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,608
Likes: 89
Quote:

I dunno.

Our goal keeper was playing the game of his life, but let's be real, that many shots on goal means our defense was getting man handled. That whole game iwas sitting on the edge, SCREAMING at them to just get the damn ball. We keep playing not to lose, and that bit us.

Every time we actually push the ball down the field Belgium was on their toes. Fabian Johnson's injury actually bettered us, but my god I'm trying to figure out Michael Bradley was allowed to play the entire game, let alone start. He's been trash ever since group.




Yup. That many legitimate shots on goal means they were getting through our defense and getting the ball in position for a shot. We could have easily gotten thrashed had our keeper not been having a game for the ages. Now that it's been a day and the emotions are gone, I think it's a wonder we went to extra time and only lost by 1.


How does a league celebrating its 100th season only recognize the 53 most recent championships?

#gmstrong
Jester #887798 07/02/14 11:20 AM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Quote:

Well keeping everybody back didn't do much to stop shots on goal. And in doing so that allowed Belgium to be in attach mode all game. We scored on a significantly higher percentage of our shots. They just outshot us by so much.

The best defense is a good offense. We never put consistent pressure on the other teams goalie.




Easier said that done ... the biggest reason we had so much going on late in the game was because Belgium took their foot off the gas. They were up 2-0 and just went into prevent defense.

It wasn't like we weren't trying to go forward. Every time we tried to push the ball up, our midfield would get stripped of the ball and the defense was scrambling to recover. That's part of the reason why they had so many shots on goal, we couldn't keep possession when we tried to push it, and Belgium countered so effectively.

You could just see the technical difference between them and us. While our athleticism and skill has improved by miles, you can still see these countries who have played soccer their entire lives still have much better ball skill. They can string passes together and hit their guys. When the ball comes to them on the receiving end, they have a great first touch and don't kick it 10 yards in front of themselves. It's pretty hard for us to push things on offense when the majority of the time, we're missing passes to open guys or the guy taking the pass flubs the ball and gives it right back to the opposition.

That said, we've been producing world class keepers for years now!

Really proud of our guys though! We got out of the group of death and held our own against 3 of the top teams in the world. We should continue to improve with the number of kids going through soccer programs these days. Looking forward to this new Copa America 2016!

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
The difference between our ability to control the ball and some of these other teams ability to control the ball is like watching Tony Romo and Peyton Manning run an offense... Romo looks good in practice and against average opponents until he stands toe to toe with Manning....

The Belgiums and Germanys of the world, their passes are just crisper and more on target, their knowledge of where their teammates are is better but perhaps what stood out to me the most is this... their ability to take the ball and just make a guy miss and beat him one on one is on a whole other level than ours.

As my daughters soccer coach I get all of these e-mails from the league, one of them had an article by a famous European coach (whose name I can't remember) and he said the single biggest problem the US has in mens soccer is lack of creativity with the ball because we don't teach it (or let it happen). We spend all of our time teaching our kids to play a position and pass the ball around... the minute you get defended, pass the ball. What we should be letting them do is work on beating the guy in front of them with the ball.. go one of one. He said he doesn't work on passing or positions until they are about 11 or 12 years old.. everything before that is, if you get the ball take it as far up the field as you can until somebody either takes it off of you or you get a shot. Having watched a bunch of international and American soccer since I read that, it is painfully true. Even our World Cup players very seldom just tried to face up a guy, make him miss and go around him... yet other teams did it to us repeatedly.


yebat' Putin
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Mike and Mike this morning were talking about what the next step in American soccer needs to be and the point came up that we need a Messi level player to emerge to get people even more excited... even though he would probably go play in Europe, he would be an American that the kids could follow... then they wondered where that player would come from. They offered up the usual excuses that guys like Lukaku from Belgium is 6'2, 220.. that guy would never play soccer in this country.. to which I say, Messi is 5'7".. or that Tiger is 6'1", 195.. could have been a point guard or a cornerback but instead plays golf... I don't buy the argument that the best athletes play other sports any more.. used to be the case, not any more. Plus with all of the kids starting soccer and ONLY playing soccer from about the age of 5, you never know which one is going to be 6'2", 220 by the time they mature.

I think that as our kids programs improve, travel opportunities improve for kids to play against better competition, kids coaching improves from the early years all the way through college... that rising tide of talent is just going to make everybody better and it won't be too long before this country puts out a world class player..


yebat' Putin
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
I think soccer is going to have some really, really good stars coming from it in the next few years. And it mostly comes down to youth soccer. If the kids play it, you're going to reap the benefits down the road. Although many people don't want to admit it, American football is going to have some serious issues down the road due to head injuries. Parents aren't going to want to put their kids into something that's going to cause long term problems. Flag football leagues are already gaining a ton of steam because of this, but soccer leagues are also gaining a lot of momentum as well.

Like you mentioned, the coaching is drastically improving as well, because we're starting to get people who've actually played the game before in as coaches. I think a "star" player could very well be in the works sooner than we know it.

The media always expects some sort of "overnight" change with soccer. It's never going to happen that way. 50-60 years ago ... Boxing, Horse-racing and Baseball were the undisputed sports of America. Now, only one of them barely crack the top three. If I were a billionaire, I'd probably seriously consider buying an MLS team. People talk about how Donald Sterling is going to make billions of dollars because he bought the team decades ago when the NBA wasn't as huge as it is now ... I think that's a possibility years down the road with one of these MLS franchises. It's just not going to happen overnight.

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,761
D
Hall of Famer
Offline
Hall of Famer
D
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,761
jc

As an European, having played soccer my entire life and being a huge soccer nerd when it comes to tactics, this thread is both fun and nice to read.

Soccer seems to gain popularity in the US, but I have to say that I was very disappointed when I saw the US roster for this WC. I expected better players and more development from past WCs, but to me the roster was more of the same.

When your best players and "stars" are AVG players in mid to upper level European league teams, getting as far as you did was already an accomplishment.

The game yesterday should have never gone to OT. Belgium at one point had like 30 to 5 shots on goal, that's the equivalent of 12 to 2 hits in baseball, so reaching the OT was already a wonder, though Belgium carelessly wasted most of their chances and a magnificient Howard did the rest.

The US team lacks a lot. No striker, no playmaking midfielder, speedy crossers from the wings. Pretty much everything enabling to score. They're at their best disrupting the opponent's game and fighting as a team, though not much talent on that side of the ball either, a bunch of overachievers. The US team simply lacks a lot of talent and when Howard is going to retire, there will be another big need to fill.

Good luck going forward. I really hope the MLS gets better and more competitive as the young US players need to play against better competition in order to develop properly or they have to go to European Clubs. Over here, the MLS is still viewed as sort of a retirement home of past and washed up heroes from Europe, collecting their last big paycheck.

I think the MLS has to start adding (younger) players from other countries instead of chasing hyped and washed up European league players in order to improve their competition. They should add players from South and Mid America at a young age, it's a huge and talented market and Europe is all over it too, but the MLS should have both the money and the advantage of being closer to home for those kids, which is often a huge issue with 20yo players arriving in Europe.

Anyway, hopefully in 4 years the US roster looks much better. The potential to be a top team is there considering the huge population.


#gmstrong

"Players come along at different points in time" - Ray Farmer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
It only made a ripple in the news cycle but just a couple months ago MLS signed a TV deal with ESPN and Fox for less than $1 billion (don't remember the exact number) for the next 8 years... this will infuse a lot of money into the league and do wonders for its ability to market itself and attract (and keep) better players... it's pocket change compared to other leagues TV deals but I bet 8 years from now, when it's time to renew, that price tag is significantly higher... and that's what the MLS needs, more money to attract players and gain exposure... I mean Renaldo is making $23 million/year in Madrid, it's going to be a while before the US can afford to pay even it's best player anywhere near that...

The Durham Bulls are a pretty big deal as a minor league baseball team around here and they drew about 7k in average attendance last year, the Carolina Railhawks, the minor league soccer team drew almost 5k and have gone up every year for the last 5 years.


yebat' Putin
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850
N
Legend
Offline
Legend
N
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850
also, as much as the $$ is good, having ESPN have a stake in your league is important to it's success. just ask the NHL what happens when ESPN $$$ is not tied to your ratings.


#gmstrong
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,391
Dawg Talker
Offline
Dawg Talker
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,391
Although its probably not fair to say all of the best athletes play other sports, it is very fair to say that MOST of the best athletes play other sports. Or, at least, have the desire to play the other sports.

I'm a father of 2 young boys. Both have played soccer. American kids grow up watching stars on American TV. ESPN. Sunday NFL Football. Even golf to some degree (Tiger). They see the big money contracts and paydays. These guys are on television commercials and talk shows. Soccer players don't have this level of visibility. My 10-year old son could name 30 athletes in Football, Baseball, Basketball and probably even a handful of golfers and NASCAR drivers. But i'm sure he couldn't name 1 soccer player.

I don't know of any kids in our community that start with soccer at age 5 and only play soccer. Parents rightfully expose the kids to all kinds of sports at different ages. And from what i'm seeing, the best athletes eventually bail on soccer and choose one of the other sports to concentrate on. A very small percentage of the best athletes might stick with it, but overall...the talent pool for soccer is much lower than other sports.

Quote:

I think that as our kids programs improve, travel opportunities improve for kids to play against better competition, kids coaching improves from the early years all the way through college... that rising tide of talent is just going to make everybody better and it won't be too long before this country puts out a world class player..




I would like to see this actually happen, I really would. But people have been saying this same thing for the past 20+ years. Even with the formation of the MLS in 1996, the real talent pool for soccer hasn't increased where some hoped it would.

At least the US team is decent, competitive and respectable...which is a far cry from where it used to be. But hey....we are Browns Fans! Winning 1 out of 4 games is pretty good for our standards!


------------------------------
*In Baker we trust*
-------------------------------
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Quote:

Although its probably not fair to say all of the best athletes play other sports, it is very fair to say that MOST of the best athletes play other sports. Or, at least, have the desire to play the other sports.



Then I will say something that may or may not be fair also.. Soccer is still a middle to upper middle class suburban sport in the US and most of the best athletes don't come from that demographic... kids who are playing for a way out of poverty will work harder than kids playing because they want to.. and they will chase, as you say, the sport with the most notoriety and the biggest pay checks... I'm not disagreeing with any of that.

But in a country of 320 million people, we need 23 to make a World Cup team.. how hard can it be? Soccer is going to have to find a way to do what baseball hasn't found a way to do and that is to grow into inner cities and develop that pipeline of players. The MLB is, by a wide margin, the richest baseball league in the world, which is why the best Latino and Asian players all want to come here. American kids playing at the highest level all dream of playing EPL... it's not going to change over night, it's not going to change because of one world cup.. or two... or three...

Quote:

A very small percentage of the best athletes might stick with it, but overall...the talent pool for soccer is much lower than other sports.



Those other two sports are football and basketball, that's it. But I agree with what others have stated, I think the whole injury concerns with football may help some in shifting that just a bit. And like I've said, I don't anticipate soccer to compete with football but in a country this size, it shouldn't really have to for us to still be really good at soccer.

Quote:

I would like to see this actually happen, I really would. But people have been saying this same thing for the past 20+ years. Even with the formation of the MLS in 1996, the real talent pool for soccer hasn't increased where some hoped it would.



Every major soccer event like a good showing in the world cup or the Olympics and there is a band of people who pronounce it as the "arrival" of soccer and there is another group that dismisses the idea as if it could never happen... and both are wrong. Soccer has continued to grow in popularity, it has continued to grow in participation, professional soccer has continued to become a more viable product.. Most of the MLS teams have about the same average attendance as the bottom third of MLB.. granted they play a lot fewer games but these games are drawing on average about 20K people.. so it's never going to take some giant leap, even if we win the world cup, but I don't see it stopping in its growth either.


yebat' Putin
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,391
Dawg Talker
Offline
Dawg Talker
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,391
Quote:

But in a country of 320 million people, we need 23 to make a World Cup team.. how hard can it be?



Yes, this is the part that baffles me sometimes too. But it makes more sense when you consider that other World Cup countries probably have their very top athletes playing that sport (everyone from all economic classes). They don't have any competition for the athletic talent.

We need to field 23 athletes with the leftovers from the 1600 in the NFL, 360 in the NBA and whatever contribution the US is making to MLB these days. Granted, not all of these guys are soccer material but the point is obvious.

I agree that it can (and should) get better but we won't be putting out our best until something dramatic happens to one of the other sports. Until then, we are stuck in World Cup mediocrity.


------------------------------
*In Baker we trust*
-------------------------------
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,887
Hall of Famer
Offline
Hall of Famer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,887
Can you imagine what our team would look like if guys like Lebron James, Calvin Johnson & Colin Kaepernick played soccer and only soccer since they were kids?

It just a fact that our top athletes look at other sports first. There are more high profile scholorships to more universities in Football, Basketball and Baseball than soccer. I graduated in 1998 and back then not every school had a soccer team, but pretty much everyone has a basketball, baseball and football team.

Kids like CC Sabathia get drafted out of High School and get a 1.3 million signing bonus.

Those are the reasons our top athletes look at other sports first.


[Linked Image from mypsn.eu.playstation.com]
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Quote:

We need to field 23 athletes with the leftovers from the 1600 in the NFL, 360 in the NBA and whatever contribution the US is making to MLB these days.



That's not exactly the problem.. remove those who end up making a professional career from the equation... it's hard to argue they should have played something else...

Now go back into college and look at all of the kids who are pretty good football and basketball players but not NFL/NBA good who will never make a dime even though they devoted 15 years to that sport.. take those kids and get me the 20 best athletes to start playing soccer when they are 6 and I'll still build a damn good world cup team.

Or look at it another way.. there are what, 4500 division 1 college basketball players on the mens side and probably 4 times that many football players (and I'm just talking RBs, WRs, DBs, guys with more of a soccer build)? 75 of them might fashion a career in the NBA? and maybe several hundred in the NFL? That leaves literally THOUSANDS of our best athletes falling short of professional sports when it's there for the taking for many of them if they would commit to a different sport... kind of staggering when you think about it.


yebat' Putin
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Quote:

Can you imagine what our team would look like if guys like Lebron James, Calvin Johnson & Colin Kaepernick played soccer and only soccer since they were kids?




But I don't know that you need a "top athlete" like that to really have a super-star in soccer. Look at the best players in the world right now. Lionel Messi is 5'7 and a buck and change in weight. It's not like he would of gone into football or basketball. Cristiano Ronaldo is 6'1, 175 ... he's not some huge hulking athlete. Garreth Bale is 6 foot, 165. Suarez is 5'10, 180. Rooney, 5'10, 170. Soccer is all about footwork and technique, not necessarily size and strength. If any sport is hurting the influx of athletes into soccer, it's probably baseball.

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40,398
Likes: 280
Soccer isn't nearly as specialized as football but you still need guys with certain skills.. one of those skills is controlling balls in the air, being the target on corners, etc.. to have a Calvin Johnsonesque athlete in the middle to air for on corners would make that job quite easy.

Plus, it becomes a numbers game... the more top tier athletes you have playing the game from a young age, the better your chances of one of them turning into an elite player.

I still maintain that those guys you listed are that good because they have played since they were weeeeee little kids against the other great athletes that the country has to offer... You could be a great athlete and interested in soccer but if you spend your first 4 or 5 years of soccer playing against overweight suburban white kids who would rather be home playing Pokemon, you are only going to get so good.


yebat' Putin
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,761
D
Hall of Famer
Offline
Hall of Famer
D
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,761
Quote:

Can you imagine what our team would look like if guys like Lebron James, Calvin Johnson & Colin Kaepernick played soccer and only soccer since they were kids?




I'd argue that they most likely would suck at it.

Soccer does NOT need athletes, get that out of your minds asap.

Yes, you need "specialists", but the best soccer players are "soccer smart", they know how to play the game with their head too. Tactics isn't just a word, it's essential in soccer. Tactically smart teams and coaches will almost always beat athletic, but tactically dumb teams.
Best proof are African and some eastern European teams: blessed with talent, athletes etc, who play in top European Clubs, but they fail every time because of that lack of chessboard ability.

With that said, I'd argue that the biggest reason the US can't develop 23 good soccer players is basically lack of understanding and thus TEACHING the game properly on a broader, national level. It's simply a cultural consequence and needs time and devotion to how to play the game. Soccer is also much more of a team sport than football or baseball due to its fluidity and even basketball due to being many more players on a much larger field. The psychological dynamics is much more important. If a football, baseball or basketball player "loses it", you simply bring in his replacement. In soccer, you get a red card and leave your team shorthanded. That's a game elemtn simply missing in US sports. You also can't replace as many as you like in soccer, especially when "weakness" or "passiveness" has infected half the team or more. The rules of the game simply make the game much more a "any given sunday" sports game than football.

If US sports are and work more like films, soccer is theater. In football you train plays over and over until perfected. Baseball is all about repetition. Soccer otoh, is live acting. You can and have to train certain situations, but every ball comes to you differently under specific circumstances and every player has many more choices where to go with the ball. Compared to US sports there are simply many, many more game situations. It's a different sport and needs approached differently, I honestly think that's the biggest hurdle.

People in the US have to understand that first instead of debating about stats (which are close to meaningless, soccer is the most anti fantasy game out there), athleticism, tools etc etc


#gmstrong

"Players come along at different points in time" - Ray Farmer
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18,204
C
~
Legend
Offline
~
Legend
C
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18,204
Looked like a prison brawl for this last game, but at least Brazil goes through.

Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 51,494
Likes: 728
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 51,494
Likes: 728
Win and rains it pure don't it. Germany treating Brazil like its a practice game. My wife is screaming in German right now. Lovin it!!!


“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

- Theodore Roosevelt
Swish #887815 07/08/14 04:28 PM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
C
Legend
Offline
Legend
C
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413
Likes: 501
WOW

Swish #887816 07/08/14 04:41 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,882
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,882
I think Germany is cheating. They set the difficulty setting to Semi-Pro. That makes sense because I score about 5 goals after 30 minutes with that setting too. On Rookie it would be 10-0.



[Linked Image]


“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 51,494
Likes: 728
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 51,494
Likes: 728
Quote:

I think Germany is cheating. They set the difficulty setting to Semi-Pro. That makes sense because I score about 5 goals after 30 minutes with that setting too. On Rookie it would be 10-0.






It's like an exhibition game out there. It's like the German team versus 11of us from this board lol.
They probably gonna put the water boy out there to score. Maybe even a make a wish kid. His game is over.


“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

- Theodore Roosevelt
Swish #887818 07/08/14 04:53 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,882
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,882
I saw the annimated GIFs of each goal here - http://www.cbssports.com/world-cup/eye-o...germany-preview

It's like the same afro Brazil player is flopping his arms after each goal (though I know the 2nd goal is a different guy). Just funny.

Yes, they've given up. It's over.

Dang, missing Silva and Neymar make Brazil look like a under-35 intramural after-work beer squad out there. 11 us from this board might be worse, but not much worse. Goodness Brazil!


[Linked Image]


“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
Swish #887819 07/08/14 05:48 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,032
Y
Dawg Talker
Offline
Dawg Talker
Y
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,032
Quote:

Win and rains it pure don't it. Germany treating Brazil like its a practice game. My wife is screaming in German right now. Lovin it!!!




Some people were just shooting off some fireworks not too far from here... haha.... Don't they know it's quiet hours!


#gmstrong
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
Offline
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Just to put it in perspective ... If you give 7 points for one score (sort of like American football), the final score would of been 49-7. Last year's Super Bowl blowout was only 43-8.

The last time Germany rolled over somebody like this, Paris got occupied.

Page 5 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum World Cup Thread

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5