What if our best athletes gave up football before their senior years and picked up soccer?

If I understand your question correctly, it would push college soccer in the wrong direction. Still happy to wish young Miller the best of luck.

 

You believe what you want. You work your side of the street, and I'll work mine.

 

What wrong direction?

 

A comprehensive answer would take more time than I have, but college soccer does not have a shortage of athletic players, nor of 'good-sized' players. It does, however, have a shortage of players with elite skills (and of coaches who can coach as well as {they} recruit). It also has a three-time defending champion that uses the rules of the game to push its own brutish style of play.

The problem is - and this is not unique to college soccer - you can win many games (and even championships) merely by being physically dominant, particularly if the (rules and) referees are lenient.

What we need more of - at all levels of soccer in the US - are players who come to the game early, not late, who develop skills and learn the subtleties of the game, formations, tactics, etc. And yes, to compete successfully, these players will need to be fast and strong, tough and competitive - in a word, athletic.

 

The player in question was not athletic?

 

No, he was too athletic. I teach remedial reading, by the way, in case you're interested.

 

Ah, "too" athletic. Of course -- why would we want athletic athletes?

 

My offer still stands, but first I would encourage you to read the original article ...

 

I did already.

Do you feel that engaging in personal attacks will hide the emptiness of your argument?

 

What personal attack?

 

Still empty.

 

You said it!

 

C'mon college soccer. You can't come soon enough.

 

But what if our best accountants all played college soccer?

Shouldn’t that be discussed?

 

No. Kentucky Christian is not NAIA in soccer. The athletic program only plays NAIA in football. They are a member of the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Division II. Which means they can only participate in NCCAA DII and they do not give athletic scholarships.

Not sure if you are tied to this individual or not, but KCU is not a high level soccer program.

 

You cannot "switch" to soccer in High School and become great. Soccer skills are taught at a young age and if you do not have those technical skills at a young age you cannot develop them in high school no matter how much you try.

Give me one example of a professional soccer player who "picked up the game" beyond 13 years old.

Lacrosse and Football are games you can pick up in high school. Not soccer.

 

Many young soccer players "switch" to a different sport after 6-8 years of soccer training when they face the reality that one of their other sports (baseball, basketball, and wrestling in my direct experience) requires too much time to allow full-time soccer training as well. One of those players could drop the other sport in favor of soccer later in high school and do well.

Our local club provided both competitive teams from U8 to U20, and also a recreational program from U6 to U19 (August to November only, limited practice time and game schedule, unpaid coaches, cost about $120/yr with unlimited scholarships). The best player in the rec program had been recruited for years by the competitive program coaches, but his father was a former MLB [player and he had the kid on a year-round baseball training program in which soccer was just for conditioning and social life.

 

In my view, strikers and keepers are born...if you are a top striker you play soccer.

If you could be a very good midfielder or back, there isn’t a lot of glory...not a lot of pub in the school paper (assuming they still have any) and not a lot of chances to have your name in the box score.

What I have seen, across several players and sports, is soccer is a lot harder as you get older and it isn’t that much fun to run 6 miles in a game when the only people who appreciate what you do are a handful of knowledgeable folks.

There are a lot of knocks and pain in soccer and only a few subs...it is a lot of work and commitment if it isn’t your primary sport or you aren’t a ‘player’

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-kyle-rote-jr-americas-first-soccer-superstar

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/03/17/11/36/get-to-know-danny-cruz

 

Perhaps the ‘asker’ shouldn’t have said “show me one”...but the point is still valid.

The game is too deep for any volume of players to succeed on sheer athleticism.

Cruz isn’t a great example, his game was one dimensional...nobody ever said he didn’t give it 100% every minute but he lacked creativity.

Having watched him with the Union, I now understand why he wasn’t more successful.

If I could find the fan comments on his play in Philly they would be largely explained by his lack of fundamental development and a reliance on running fast and looking committed. Sound and fury.

That those attributes put him on the U17 team is more of a reflection on the selection process.

 

Sandon, you got me. Danny Cruz is the one example. I'm glad you went back to 1972 for the 2nd example. Even he played soccer with a youth club however. So, it is possible, but extremely unlikely and rare.
I don't see that having kids switch sports to soccer in high school as a valid strategy to help our National team or even a way to get college scholarships.
Mu point still stands; we need to develop our kids starting at 4-5 (playing various sports as well), in order to help develop our best players.
Thank you for the Danny Cruz story however.