And I don't believe America suffers because "our best athletes don't go into

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Jun 12, 2019
5:46:51pm

JmThms Walk-on

And I don't believe America suffers because "our best athletes don't go into

soccer" either. That makes sense in part because most of our "best atletes" are the likes of JJ Watt and Lebron James, athletes who would be elite soccer players anyway based solely on their physical size. There is not as much overlap in physical/physique requirements. And I don't think that an NFL defensive back or NBA point guard would necessarily ascend over Jozy Altidore or Tyler Adans or Christian Pulisic in our soccer development system. The qualities of "athleticism" required in traditional American sports don't fully translate to soccer.

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JmThms

Bio page: JmThms
Joined: Jul 4, 2012
Last login: Dec 19, 2020
Total posts: 13,784 (11 FO)

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Messages

Author

Time

Here is a something to consider

YSMACK

6/12/19 3:59pm

^^^^^outstanding post^^^^

rotorhead

6/12/19 4:03pm

Uruguay is such an incredible story in world soccer. They churn out elite players year in and year out,

mik3

6/12/19 4:08pm

Cue the RM contingent...

777

6/12/19 4:16pm

Spot on. Tho I would imagine Bangladesh top sport is Cricket. But the point

2018grad

6/12/19 4:09pm

We have both problems

Incentivize

6/12/19 4:17pm

Sure, having more of our best athletes has to help, but it isn't our big problem

YSMACK

6/12/19 4:22pm

Define 'athletic'.

Mises

6/12/19 4:22pm

Good point. And just look at Usain Bolt's recent attempts to become a

JmThms

6/12/19 5:52pm

We'll yes, because he lacks SKILL. They're not the same thing

Dissenter

6/13/19 9:21am

Right. I was just giving an example to counter those that assert that the raw

JmThms

6/13/19 9:30am

Exactly. For those who don't know, here is a pic of Thomas Muller

NOCAL_YFAN

6/12/19 4:25pm

And look at Luca Modric. He looks like that starving little waif you see in

JmThms

6/12/19 5:54pm

You would think with many Latin American immigrants we would have a better team

DazeofBlue

6/12/19 4:28pm

It's in a better place now and keeps improving, but a significant barrier has been that a lot of those

mik3

6/12/19 4:32pm

Thats the bottom line problem: the bizarre youth soccer system

DazeofBlue

6/13/19 11:49am

They can’t play soccer from a Japanese internment camp. Trump is killing soccer

CougsBeatU

6/12/19 4:34pm

Has to be a joke of course.

JmThms

6/12/19 6:17pm

But when our elite athletes do go into soccer we beat countries like Thailand 13-0. Really makes you think.

shimmy

6/12/19 4:39pm

I don't follow soccer but aren't there a lot of players from Africa who

ChiCityCoug

6/12/19 4:50pm

Negative. The overwhelming majority of the French WC-winning squad was born in France.

mik3

6/12/19 4:56pm

But the implication is that they were African French, not Gallic French.

Supercoug

6/12/19 4:59pm

Right, but the poster was advancing the argument that perhaps the French were stealing the best

mik3

6/12/19 5:03pm

Right. #FIFARules

Supercoug

6/12/19 5:04pm

Got it. Like I said I don’t follow soccer so I was wrong ablht

ChiCityCoug

6/12/19 8:43pm

Iceland’s recent success backs up this point

4mack

6/12/19 4:51pm

I'm not sure we know what Iceland means. Their success seems to be somewhat isolated to that team.

Supercoug

6/12/19 5:01pm

Their development process has been chronicled.

JmThms

6/12/19 6:20pm

2018 is the only WC they've ever qualified for, and bounced at the group stage.

Supercoug

6/12/19 6:36pm

They are a small country that has developed a soccer development culture that

JmThms

6/12/19 9:58pm

I would humbly submit that this is changing fast.

Supercoug

6/12/19 5:14pm

Yeah. I just wish that it was happening

RSL

6/12/19 5:17pm

That's why I say we are not going to be where we need to be until 2026.

Supercoug

6/12/19 5:18pm

I think that is a great point.

YSMACK

6/12/19 5:19pm

And kers think about this while the current senior team depresses us.

JmThms

6/12/19 6:24pm

I'm torn on the issue.

RSL

6/12/19 5:16pm

Totally agree with that.

YSMACK

6/12/19 5:19pm

Good post, YSMACK.

RSL

6/12/19 5:17pm

One thing I liked about Klinsman is his recognition of this

D.T. Survivor

6/12/19 5:36pm

Stephen Szymanski in his book "Soccernomics" goes way into this.

JmThms

6/12/19 5:38pm

What is the “MLS Model?” How is it different?

lefty

6/12/19 5:46pm

You know, the single-entity, closed franchise model.

JmThms

6/12/19 5:47pm

I don’t know actually. But I’m curious. What is a closed franchise?

lefty

6/12/19 5:50pm

Most domestic soccer structures around the world are characterized

JmThms

6/12/19 6:10pm

And I don't believe America suffers because "our best athletes don't go into

JmThms

6/12/19 5:46pm

Yep, I’ve seen the Lebron argument

D.T. Survivor

6/12/19 6:09pm

Peter Crouch was pretty good. Zlatan is 6'5". But no,

JmThms

6/12/19 6:12pm

I mean, LeBron would still be a basketball player if he were from Brazil

Dissenter

6/13/19 9:25am

Possibly on Westbrook. But not 100%. Again raw athleticism doesn't have as much

JmThms

6/13/19 9:35am

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