What if America's best atheletes played soccer?

[ham city]

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

and all this talk about its a thinking game and ur not just going to "out athlete" a guy, why do i sound crazy when i say no soccer player can match the athleticism of an nba or nfl player(which is very true.)

because it's an incredibly broad blanket statement that makes you look like a complete idiot.

do you realize you're saying that no soccer player, no matter how athletic, can match the athleticism of an nba or nfl player, no matter how unathletic?

it's rarely good to speak in absolutes but are you %*%!#@% serious? do you not understand how embarrassingly ignorant that is?

edit: you got me. i remember you from last time, shouldn't have wasted my time.

 

[o fenomeno]

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

u guys...

really?

if lebron and patrick willis acquired the skills of a soccer player, who is going to be better?

and all this talk about its a thinking game and ur not just going to "out athlete" a guy, why do i sound crazy when i say no soccer player can match the athleticism of an nba or nfl player(which is very true.)

this dude gets erect off the same ole jim rome soccer quips. you can't even believe that trash you typed...can you?

 

[nawlinsjunkie]

Originally Posted by HAM CITY

do you realize you're saying that no soccer player, no matter how athletic, can match the athleticism of an nba or nfl player, no matter how unathletic?


Dude  hasn't seen dudes like Drogba playing before.

On top of that, athleticism doesn't equate to being huge/muscular, there's alot of ways to define it. For example long distance runners are skinny as hell but are far more athletic than the average dude who only works out his biceps 5 days a week (not saying that NBA/NFL players are like this before anyone tries to use this against me 

 )

 

[scotthallwithapick]

Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

I would continue to not watch it.

 

[ryanbbn23]

im so serious. i feel like a man on the moon.
what soccer player is capable of this?

 

[o fenomeno]

what does jumping high have to do with soccer? headers? one aspect of the game?

what basketball player is capable of this? clown. 

 

[noskey]

^ Man stop arguing with that clown. I swear he's just trolling for the sake of it.

 

[abovelegit1]

Uh, none. But this thread is about soccer, so who cares about a vertical. We get it, there are quite a few athletes in the NBA who are the best of the best in the world in terms of their physical gifts. But to say they would automatically make great soccer players because they are athletic is foolish.

Being great at soccer involves a lot more than athleticism. And even if an athlete like LeBron grew up playing soccer, there is no guarantee that he would make it to the highest levels of the sport. Why? Because elite soccer players have a variety of skills, such as incredible balance, creativity, ball control, foot/leg dexterity, vision, reaction time, natural instinct, endurance, etc. Notice that none of these qualities involve having a high vertical, brute strength, or an explosive first step.

 

[ryanbbn23]

that soccer player ran fast. i see that. just imagine what chris johnson would look like out there.

 

[ryanbbn23]

Originally Posted by abovelegit1

Uh, none. But this thread is about soccer, so who cares about a vertical. We get it, there are quite a few athletes in the NBA who are the best of the best in the world in terms of their physical gifts. But to say they would automatically make great soccer players because they are athletic is foolish.

Being great at soccer involves a lot more than athleticism. And even if an athlete like LeBron grew up playing soccer, there is no guarantee that he would make it to the highest levels of the sport. Why? Because elite soccer players have a variety of skills, such as incredible balance, creativity, ball control, foot/leg dexterity, vision, reaction time, natural instinct, endurance, etc. Notice that none of these qualities involve having a high vertical, brute strength, or an explosive first step.

every D1 WR and corner possess a great amount of these qualities. 

 

[truthgetsbusy]

ok ok I see dudes point about Lebron...


I HOPE he's saying that if you take a superior athlete and develop their skills growing up then they would be better. It makes sense and you can't argue that.

player A- normal guy with great soccer skills
player B- super fast explosive guy with great soccer skills

Player B should be better.  Kinda like if John Wall had Steve Nash's skills.  He would be better than Nash right?  This isn't to take anything away from soccer players tho.  Imagine Lance Armstrong and his V02 max or whatever with soccer skills!

 

[knockoutned]

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

that soccer player ran fast. i see that. just imagine what chris johnson would look like out there.

 

[noskey]

Originally Posted by TruthGetsBusy

ok ok I see dudes point about Lebron...


I HOPE he's saying that if you take a superior athlete and develop their skills growing up then they would be better. It makes sense and you can't argue that.

player A- normal guy with great soccer skills
player B- super fast explosive guy with great soccer skills

Player B should be better.  Kinda like if John Wall had Steve Nash's skills. He would be better than Nash right? This isn't to take anything away from soccer players tho. Imagine Lance Armstrong and his V02 max or whatever with soccer skills!

If that's the case, then still no. Not better at soccer, just better at pushing people off the ball. Same skill = same talent level. Bigger body = more space to move. So Wall wouldnt be better than Nash, he'd just be able to keep Nash off the ball more often, but not every time.

Kind of hard to explain.

I guess... having more body mass doesnt help you in soccer beyond holding the ball easier, and you still need to rely on your footwork more than your body, because there's no rule for reaching in in soccer.


edit:
Here's a good one. Totti's not that big, but his footwork and body positioning are top notch. If Wall played soccer, he'd need to have this kind of footwork for his body to be useful.



There's plenty more reasons that athleticism isn't all you need to succeed. But I'm not getting into it that deep.

 

[ham city]

 

[abovelegit1]

every D1 WR and corner possess a great amount of these qualities. 

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If by great amount, you mean two or three, then you're right.[/font]

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ok ok I see dudes point about Lebron...


I HOPE he's saying that if you take a superior athlete and develop their skills growing up then they would be better. It makes sense and you can't argue that.

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Not necessarily. 
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[rtz13]

at these clowns saying Lebron, and other cats. I bet they think Brock Lesnar's strength, athleticism and size would translate into soccer as well.

 

[truthgetsbusy]

Nobody is saying athletic ability> soccer skills. It's obvious u need the skills.  If you have 2 players that have equal skills and soccer IQ the better athlete makes the difference. 

Nobody is saying throw Lebron on the field tomorrow because that's just stupid and disrespectful to the sport.

Imagine Barry Sanders as a soccer player

 

[xtapolapacetl]

Originally Posted by ScottHallWithAPick

Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

I would continue to not watch it.

And soccer would continue not giving a damn about you not watching it while being loved by the remaining 90% of the world. Don't you worry, soccer won't have sleepless nights from these kinds of statements and the laughing emoticons that follow it.

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

Originally Posted by abovelegit1

Uh, none. But this thread is about soccer, so who cares about a vertical. We get it, there are quite a few athletes in the NBA who are the best of the best in the world in terms of their physical gifts. But to say they would automatically make great soccer players because they are athletic is foolish.



Being great at soccer involves a lot more than athleticism. And even if an athlete like LeBron grew up playing soccer, there is no guarantee that he would make it to the highest levels of the sport. Why? Because elite soccer players have a variety of skills, such as incredible balance, creativity, ball control, foot/leg dexterity, vision, reaction time, natural instinct, endurance, etc. Notice that none of these qualities involve having a high vertical, brute strength, or an explosive first step.

every D1 WR and corner possess a great amount of these qualities. 

None of the skills they posses can compare with the skill of dribbling a soccer ball at the highest level, which is the essence of the game. It looks simple, but if you try it you'll learn that it's anything but simple... Which is why soccer has so many haters. Most of the haters probably tried to play soccer and after failing to handle the ball, they never tried again and proceeded with hating. All the athleticism in the world won't help you if you can't controll the ball. So unless "What if America's best atheletes played soccer?" is the same as "What if America's best atheletes started playing soccer when they were kids?", then the question doesn't really matter.

I'll continue with mentioning the example of Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan, who haven't played basketball until they were in their teens. They turned out to be the best players ever at their positions. You simply won't find examples such as this in soccer. At least not among attackers and midfielders. Soccer is a skill you have to grow up with, almost like learning to walk and learning your first language.

 

[dgk3188]

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

easy, we would blow out every international soccer team put together.

 soccer players can no way match the athleticism of pro NBA and NFL players.

this clown

 

[dgk3188]

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

that soccer player ran fast. i see that. just imagine what chris johnson would look like out there.

dude you're a clown. its not just running fast. imagine running at that speed and you still need to control the ball.

try it.

without looking down. and also dodging opponents. you also have to score at the end of that sprint.

do it my dude

 

[ajiiiplatinum]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

 

I'll kindly disagree.  In soccer, especially at the highest level, everything is split second and on the fly.  In football there's the same sort of split second decisions, especially for a QB, but there's also the ability to anticipate what's coming from the defense or what the offense is going to do as a MLB.  You literally have to think 2 passes ahead at the next level or you're %$$*#*.

There's also the fatigue factor.  That !#%@ ain't easy to continue stringing 1 and 2 touch passes together, make the right runs, anticipate the run of a forward, etc in the 80th minute.  Takes alot of mental stamina and concentration.



^^^THIS

A defensive back in soccer uses QB skills plus a ton of other skills to be succesful.AI defensive back like a QB has to make long passes to his strikers to setup runs (perfectly timed). In essence strikers are acting like wide receivers but instead of using their hands they have to use their feet to "catch" the ball. 
  

Passes like these





 Some of you are arguing that these guy would be the best soccer player in the world if they played soccer

 

[ryanbbn23]

Originally Posted by dgk3188

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

easy, we would blow out every international soccer team put together.

 soccer players can no way match the athleticism of pro NBA and NFL players.

this clown

i dont get how u guys dont see that.

especially when some people are saying great athleticism isnt needed  for soccer.

 

[downyboy]

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

Originally Posted by abovelegit1

Uh, none. But this thread is about soccer, so who cares about a vertical. We get it, there are quite a few athletes in the NBA who are the best of the best in the world in terms of their physical gifts. But to say they would automatically make great soccer players because they are athletic is foolish.

Being great at soccer involves a lot more than athleticism. And even if an athlete like LeBron grew up playing soccer, there is no guarantee that he would make it to the highest levels of the sport. Why? Because elite soccer players have a variety of skills, such as incredible balance, creativity, ball control, foot/leg dexterity, vision, reaction time, natural instinct, endurance, etc. Notice that none of these qualities involve having a high vertical, brute strength, or an explosive first step.

every D1 WR and corner possess a great amount of these qualities. 

the one they lack, ball control, is the one necessary to actually be good at this sport.

 

[adrian1221]

Originally Posted by ryanbbn23

im so serious. i feel like a man on the moon.
what soccer player is capable of this?

one guy, how many other NBA players can do that?�

Fine,�athleticism, if lebron or any big�athletic�guy outside soccer tried to go one on one with any of these THEY WILL GET MURKED�

Number 9, zatlan

the list goes on

You want to think that "oh what if america had its best�athletes�play soccer"? you can make an�argument�that the US can be a little better, but you fail to realize that some of  the WORLDS best�athletes play soccer.�As big a football/basketball fan that i am, i know soccer is the most popular sport in the world.�

If the roles were reversed, and soccer was popular in the US and the rest of the world played football or basketball, Im sure basketball or football would have more peyton mannings, chris johnsons, lebrons etc since there are more people out there playing the sport.�

 

[dland24]

Without running the risk of sounding like I am agreeing with ryanbbn....but dont you think LeBron could have made an great goalie if he started young? I do.