The Best US Athletes

Discussion in 'Soccer in the USA' started by ForumCluber, Jul 2, 2006.

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  1. Brendaninho

    Brendaninho New Member

    Jun 2, 2006
    Tampa
    That's a good example. Music and dancing is another one. You either have rythem or don't. Can sing or can't. Sure classes will make you better, but it is something you are born with.
     
  2. mh81

    mh81 New Member

    Jul 11, 2006

    Well Chad Johnson (Pro-Bowl WR for the Bengals) in the most recent ESPN Magazine (or maybe it was an SI) says that he loves soccer and played both soccer and football and excelled at both but when he hit HS had to choose and went with football. Says he loves Ronaldinho.
     
  3. mh81

    mh81 New Member

    Jul 11, 2006
    This makes no sense. Most football coaches (and a lot on the college level) force or at least encourage their players to run track.

    I agree speed isn't everything, and regardless of what some people think Football isn't just about speed and strength. If that were the case then guys like college track star Xavier Carter would have been successful at football. Guess what--he was just fast, not football fast, and he wasn't a true football player. So he quit and will likely be showing up in the Olympics pretty soon. Some people here act like american football doesn't have "artistry."

    And what would you expect Deion Branch to say? I could easily play pro soccer?
     
  4. krayzie

    krayzie BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Dec 13, 2003
    Paris, France
    Few years ago I saw a video of him wearing a Liverpool jersey... I was really wondering why ??? (since soccer is not popular in US)

    But now it makes more sense to me...

    What you said explains what I've said for years, if the most talented athletes don't play soccer, it makes impossible to produce great players ...
    Would Brazil produce so many great players if the best brazilians athletes were playing basketball and Football ???
     
  5. Brendaninho

    Brendaninho New Member

    Jun 2, 2006
    Tampa
    Well, it is direct from Branchs mouth. Fact that track stars can play and get paid to play pro football with very little training, and not growing up playing the sport shows that it is a great deal about size and strength. Zero track stars that took up the sport a few years ago playing and getting paid to play pro soccer, in the entire world, zero. Tons of football examples. And the fact that Chad Johnson likes soccer, played in high school,(new flash, fast kids with little skill can excell in high school, they even can make MLS, they just can't come close to competing with the rest of the world)

    The brazil example above by Krazie makes no sense. All the soccer is the only sport countries are just like Brazil, why are they all not as good as Brazil under your theory.

    The only part of this argument that makes sense is that if more kids stayed with soccer, there would be greater numbers, and maybe those gifted soccer players, those gifted with great natural touch and smoothness, might surface out of pure statistics. But not just the best athletes the best natural soccer players.

    I have posted the following story before, and those that understand soccer understand the post, those that don't, just don't understand yet. Long story short, I have two sons, one a fantastic traditional athelete, stronger, faster and more coordinated that his peers and excells at all sports, but loves soccer and excells at that. He has a good touch, great techinique, one of the best players in the large region he plays in. My other son, two years younger, is half the athlete, but his ability on the ball is so natural, so smooth, he can do whatever he wants with a soccer ball, he is going to be the better player. You can see it. Even though he is not as fast, the whole game is so easy for him, his touch and skill gives him a ton of time on the ball, it is like he is in fast motion and everyone else is in slow motion when he has the ball. He also plays two years up on his brothers team. In races in practice against the kids two years older he gets blown away. On the field, he runs though entire teams, all the way to the goalie, like they are still, and flicks it in the corner.

    You see, soccer is about natural skill that is then trained properly and then maybe combined with the right amount of athetic speed, strength and endurance to compete on the highest levels. For some reason, more brazilians are born with it, with that rythem, flow and skill. They call it Ginga. It is not because they are great athletes, not because it is the only sport they play, they are born with it.

    So, maybe if more kids stayed with soccer, we would find more that are born with it and the team would be better, but the fact that we have great NFL, NBA, MLB players is completely irrelevent and does not translate.
     
  6. Brendaninho

    Brendaninho New Member

    Jun 2, 2006
    Tampa
    please read
     
  7. JohnR

    JohnR Member+

    Jun 23, 2000
    Chicago, IL
    My kid's soccer coach is a 5' 5" white guy who was probably a better forward than any player in U.S. history, since he was good enough to earn several caps for Brazil.

    Ironic in that the mostly unspoken heart of the argument that the U.S. needs to get better athletes in its soccer pool is that if we are starting short white guys at the national level, we must of course be choosing from terrible athlets.
     
  8. bbsbt

    bbsbt Member+

    Feb 26, 2003
    You are making an erroneous assumption here... that Brazil's best soccer players are also its best athletes.

    In other words, you are wrongly assuming that Brazil's top athletes are the ones who ended up being Brazil's best soccer players.
     
  9. USvsIRELAND

    USvsIRELAND Member+

    Jul 19, 2004
    ATL
    This is hilarious.

    You completely missed his point. It went about 3.4 miles above your head. :D
     
  10. leg_breaker

    leg_breaker Member

    Dec 23, 2005
    Being a good athlete doesn't make you good at football. What were Maradona's atheletic abilities? Or Romario's? Or Garrincha's?

    You can run around as fast as you want and lift as much as you want, but America's problem is they aren't producing players with enough skill. If Donovan was faster and stronger, he wouldn't be much of a better player. But if he could pass, dribble and shoot more accurately...
     
  11. krayzie

    krayzie BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Dec 13, 2003
    Paris, France
    But it helps....

    Those players dominated the game what 15, 25 or 35 years ago ???
    The game has well changed since then... :rolleyes:

    Always the same stupid argument...


    Meaningless again...

    You can be the most skillfull guy on earth, but if you are fat and slow, NOWAY you'll succeed...

    If Donovan was faster and stronger he would be more dominant obvioulsy.

    Many players in Europe dominate thanks to their athleticism or/and size I can say In France David Trezeguet is a good example...
     
  12. krayzie

    krayzie BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Dec 13, 2003
    Paris, France
    OF COURSE THEY ARE, ARE YOU ASSUMING THAT RONALDINHO, ADRIANO OR RONALDO AREN'T THE BEST ATHLETES ???


    SINCE SOCCER IS THE KING SPORT IN BRAZIL, BRAZIL HAS NO PROBLEM TO FIND TALENTED KIDS BECAUSE ALL THE BEST TALENTED KIDS IN THE WOLE COUNTRY PLAY SOCCER.

    IF ALL THE YOUNG AMERICAN KIDS WERE PLAYING SOCCER, YOU WILL FIND TONS OF AMERICAN PRODIGIS

    IF SOCCER WASN'T THE KING SPORT IN BRAZIL, BRAZIL WOULDN'T PRODUCE AS MANY TALENTS...
     
  13. JohnR

    JohnR Member+

    Jun 23, 2000
    Chicago, IL
    Faster, hell. Landon doesn't need faster.

    If you changed nothing at all about Landon except that you gave him 5 inches of height and another 30 - 40 pounds, he'd be Didier Drogba. Actually, I think he'd probably be better.
     
  14. krayzie

    krayzie BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Dec 13, 2003
    Paris, France
    Who talks about "white" guys ...

    To me Beasley is a terrible athlete and he is black...

    Seems to me that there's a "racist" overton in this thread...
    We are talking about better athletes no matter what "race" :)rolleyes:) they are...
     
  15. JohnR

    JohnR Member+

    Jun 23, 2000
    Chicago, IL
    Odd in that he played in two World Cups primarily because of athleticism, work rate, and desire.

    Not that he was bad with the ball back when he had his confidence, but he wasn't a technical marvel, either.
     
  16. Brendaninho

    Brendaninho New Member

    Jun 2, 2006
    Tampa
    Don't waste your breathe, they just don't get it.
     
  17. Brendaninho

    Brendaninho New Member

    Jun 2, 2006
    Tampa
    What you don't get is that Brazil has the opposite problem than the US. They have such an abundance of soccer skill, skill they are born and raised with, that they now search for the best athletes, as they all basically have great skill. Watch the documentary Ginga and it shows a try out for a professional team, looking for athletes, as they all had great skill. In the US, we have an abundance of athletes. We need skill. Now, US, tons of athletic soccer players, weak soccer teams and players. Brazil, tons of skilled players, stong soccer teams and players. Hmmmmm.....
     
  18. Brendaninho

    Brendaninho New Member

    Jun 2, 2006
    Tampa
    And you can be the fastest strongest guy on earth, and without soccer skill, touch and talent, NOWAY you'll succeed.

    If Donovan was a more skilled, better shooting and finishing soccer player, he would be more dominant obviouisly.

    Many players in Europe dominate thanks to their skill or/natural talent. I can say In France, Zidane is a good example...

    Fact is, players with great skill, but not great atheltism can and have dominated the game. Riquelme is not fast or strong, but dominates at the highest level and he is slow and not a good athlete. Great athletes with little soccer skill have a hard time even playing professionally at all(except maybe in the MLS, :) , let alone dominating the game.

    Let's end this debate now. Riquelme is my example of an average at best athlete that dominates the game. Please enlighten us with the great athlete with little skill that dominates the game?
     
  19. krayzie

    krayzie BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Dec 13, 2003
    Paris, France
    :rolleyes:
    Hey, brazilian players are "naturally" skilled because the BEST TALENTED ATHLETES PLAY SOCCER...
    That's easy to find tons of "naturally" skilled kids since soccer is the number one sport in Brazil...

    Ask yourself why american soccer struggle to find talented and gifted young athletes...

    Hey, if all the kids in USA were crazy about soccer fans just like brazilians, you will find tons of talented kids easily...


    American playerss aren't athletic players, they are unsized and average fast compared to the top players in Europe, no american player can compare to athleticism of Cissé, Ronaldo, Henry, Eto'o, Torres.... American players aren't great ATHLETES...

    When a player is fast, everybody notices it...
     
  20. hasselbrad

    hasselbrad Member

    Jul 25, 2006
    Sugar Hill, GA
    Club:
    Atlanta
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Something occurred to me about this debate.
    Is it possible that some of our best soccer players aren't playing the traditional (football, baseball and basketball) sports?
    How many good soccer players have been siphoned away from the sport by extreme sports? When I see a kid on a skateboard, I always wonder how good he'd be with a ball at his feet.
     
  21. JohnR

    JohnR Member+

    Jun 23, 2000
    Chicago, IL
    Hey, you never know.

    The Charlie Davis story is an instructive one -- All-American wrestler, now arguably the #1 college soccer player. I never would have thought that those were overlapping sports. But athletic is athletic -- quick, strong, agile, coordinated. Those attributes are critical across so many different sports.

    I mean, did the guy in my high school who was All-American in football, All-State in baseball, and All-County in basketball practice all 3 sports so much that he beat the specialists based on extra skills? Of course not ... he played less in each of those sports than did the specialists. But he was a better athlete, thanks to the Lord and his parents.
     
  22. CVAL

    CVAL Member

    Dec 8, 2004
    Being a great athlete ( I am not talking size) will not make you a great soccer player but you cannot be a great soccer if you are not a great athlete
     
  23. Bird1812

    Bird1812 New Member

    Nov 10, 2004
    Probably most would agree; however, there is one person that would not - Laureano Ruiz who was a former coach at Barcelona and currently at Racing Santander. He seems to believe that an average athlete can succeed at the highest levels with the right nuturing.
     
  24. CVAL

    CVAL Member

    Dec 8, 2004
    I believe you posted this before but the proof is in the pudding. Show me one great player that was not a great athlete?
     
  25. Bird1812

    Bird1812 New Member

    Nov 10, 2004
    Yes, we've been through this before. Ruiz does name a number of well known professionals who he considered only average athletes (Maradona being among them). I will put a little more weight on his opinion than those who have never even come close to coaching at the same level.
     

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