http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/5649612

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Forwards

Chad Johnson (club: Cincinnati Bengals) — Wide receivers seem like a natural to play forward. They are playmakers, with speed and size to challenge any defender the opposing team throws out there.

Could you imagine Johnson with a list of World Cup defenders that he's going to beat like the one he had last season for cornerbacks he faced?

Game 1 - Marek Jankulovski and Tomas Ujfalusi of the Czech Republic ... check
Game 2 - Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta of Italy ... check
Game 3 - John Mensah and Hans Sarpei of Ghana ... check

Terrell Owens (club: Dallas Cowboys) — The fun of having Johnson and Owens playing together at forward, besides the fact that there just wouldn't be enough ball to go around, would be the creativity of each of their goal-scoring celebrations. Think the Sharpie would warrant a card?

Midfielders

Kobe Bryant (club: Los Angeles Lakers) — Bryant played a lot of soccer back in his youth, which means the transition from court to pitch would be smooth. However, some have considered Bryant to be a bit of a ball hog. How would that translate to the pitch? This team has a lot of ball hogs. Great players want the ball in crucial moments in the game. That's the sort of athlete we want here.

Carl Crawford (club: Tampa Bay Devil Rays) — Crawford was once recruited to play option quarterback at Nebraska and point guard at UCLA. He now toils in Tampa, where he currently leads the big leagues in stolen bases. As arguably baseball's best all-around athlete (who also is a U.S. citizen), Crawford earns his distinction as baseball's lone representative on the starting 11.

Steve Smith (club: Carolina Panthers) — At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Smith would be the smallest player on this team. However, Smith still has height advantage over USA notables Donovan, Beasley and Bobby Convey. Seeing Smith work in the open field after he catches passes on the gridiron would indicate that he would have a knack for doing the same with the ball at his feet on the pitch.

LaDainian Tomlinson (club: San Diego Chargers) — On the gridiron, Tomlinson is able to run inside or use an arsenal of moves outside to embarrass defenders. The sort of skills that the NFL's most dynamic player possesses translate well to the pitch, where Tomlinson would be a nightmare to defend.

Defenders

Troy Polamalu (club: Pittsburgh Steelers) — Every soccer team worth its salt needs a player with goofy hair. That's where Polamalu fits in. Well, it's not just because he sports a long weave of black hair, but because he seems to be wherever the ball is at all times.

Joey Porter (club: Pittsburgh Steelers) — Somebody needs to get in the opposing team's head before game time. Porter would be seen on the pitch in Kaiserslautern kicking dirt on Italy's Francesco Totti. Think the 5-foot-11, 181-pound Totti is going to mess around with the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Porter? Now, 6-foot-8, 220-pound Jan Koller of the Czech Republic would be a better match for the meanest man in Germany.

Brian Urlacher (club: Chicago Bears) — The 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year does more than tackle opponents on a regular basis, he showed his athletic versatility in college, where also played some receiver and returned kicks. If by some stretch of the imagination a forward is able to beat these other defenders, Urlacher — one of the fastest linebackers the NFL has seen — will surely be there to eliminate a scoring threat.

Roy Williams (club: Dallas Cowboys) — Unfortunately, Williams' signature horse-collar tackle would earn him a red card. Still, even if Williams gets red carded, we don't think any forward is going to want to mess around with the aforementioned defenders.

Goalkeeper

Kevin Garnett (club: Minnesota Timberwolves) — At 6-11, Garnett would be the tallest 'keeper in the world. Throw in a wingspan of more than seven feet and the quick reflexes required to play in the NBA, and it'll be tough for even the world's best strikers to get a ball past him (that's given that they can even get by our Fearsome Foursome of defenders).

Bench

Forwards: LeBron James (club: Cleveland Cavaliers), Grady Sizemore (club: Cleveland Indians), Dwyane Wade (club: Miami Heat)

Midfielders: Tiki Barber (club: New York Giants), Reggie Bush (club: New Orleans Saints), Bill Guerin (club: Dallas Stars), Allen Iverson (club: Philadelphia 76ers), Derek Jeter (club: New York Yankees)

Defenders: Brian Dawkins (club: Philadelphia Eagles), Ray Lewis (club: Baltimore Ravens)

Goalkeepers: Elton Brand (club: Los Angeles Clippers), Ben Wallace (club: Detroit Pistons)

Coaches

Bill Cowher (club: Pittsburgh Steelers) — The head coach of the Super Bowl champion Steelers deserves this spot, but will need assistants such as Bill Belichick (club: New England Patriots), Phil Jackson (club: Los Angeles Lakers) and Bill Parcells (club: Dallas Cowboys) to help keep a roster loaded with flamboyant characters in line.

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You never see measureables listed for soccer players. I wonder what Beasley, EJ or Donovan would have in 40yd dash or 20yd shuttle run. I'd bet their first 10 yards are as good as NFL players. McBride has a good vertical leap.

We've started seeing more athletic players for USA lately. The speed and size of US players scares some folks. The world's greatest fear is that America's best athletes start playing soccer. Just not going to happen until it's a big-time scholarship sport.

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What if our best athletes played soccer?

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They do.

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They do.

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Really? Go to any highschool and find the best athlete at the school. Now tell me what sport he plays.

He runs track.

Ours always played football. I'm sure many other schools' best player is a basketball player.

what Holden said!

typically the best athlete ends up playing football in texas and if you dont believe that you are just lying to yourself

actually, back when I was at SA Taft in the early 90's, ouch, our best athlete probably was a soccer player

Jimmy Glenn, he played at Clemson & in the MLS for a bit

That article is ridiculous. Let's see a 6-8 guy like Kobe try to control a ball with his feet against a guy a foot shorter. It's like PG's with the ball 1 on 1 against a center.

[This message has been edited by Syd_X_Barrett (edited 6/6/2006 1:14a).]

You don't think that Garnett would make a badass keeper.

depends on how fast his reflexes are

again, let's see him change direction when some fast as hell, and 5-9 changes the ball foot & jukes 2-3 times, not to mention the little necessity that he could kick/punt a ball 70-80 yards with accuracy

But, hey any guy that can jump and run a little can dominate any sport, huh? Look at Jordan, I wonder when Cooperstown is going to be graced with his presence

Hell, why aren't these failed NBA 7 footers not winning gold medals in every swim comp? Hell, they already have 6-8 inches advantage, and they are so fast, quick & powerful

Why doesn't some washout RB go win millions in the Tour De France? Hell, with their leg strength, quickness, power it shouldn't be a contest

Why was the greatest high jumper ever only 6-3? Why was Ed Mccaffrey a posession receiver when he was the fastest receiver on each team he played for & ran down Deion Sanders on a kick return?

Simple, we have been programmed to believe that guys that are flashy, run fast 40's in shorts & t-shirts, and can jump through the roof when they get to gather themselves & not have an elbow in their side are the worlds "greatest" athletes.

You see dunk contests & equate that with great athletes, meanwhile these inferior guys have started to whip their arses

I'm not a huge soccer/futbol fan, but arguments/rants like the one in that article are ignorant & flat stupid. Have the results in Olympic basketball not opened people's eyes. We aren't alone in producing great athletes. A great athlete isn't defined by 360 dunks, and catching 20 TD's in a season.

It was hilarious listening to Jim Lampley filling in for Rome today & bashing MMA fighters & claiming any boxer would wipe the mat with them in 2 minutes, and that boxers were "real" athletes. I guess all these accomplished wrestlers that make up 1/2 the Pride/UFC ranks aren't worth a damn. Obviously, Lampley is just pissed that boxing ratings/popularity are sinking & that affects his paycheck, or maybe it's because we are programmed to think that a handful of athletic talents = a great athlete.

That's one reason I love watching MMA. The flashy guys are the ones that get whipped. When, you take the rules/limitations that cater to certain athletic abilities away, and some other athletic abilities in to the picture, suddenly the "American athlete" isn't so dominant. The best fighter in the world is a Ukrainian, and I dare ANY boxer to get into a ring with him sans 16 oz gloves & just go man to man.

Just like us losing in international bball when our guys can't pull playground moves & have to play by the same rules as everyone else. Likewise, our soccer guys ARE very good athletes, but guess what, the rules are the same as everyone else.

It's just that everyone else has the advantages we have in everything else. Training, coaching, facilities, etc. That is what will get us to the top in soccer, if we want it, not taking guys destined as basketball, football players in the system. They aren't built, designed, have the skill set to match.

i thought this article was stupid

it's all comparing apples and oranges

how did you end up at MMA? and what is MMA?

The article is saying America should send its "real" athletes, meaning NBA, NFL stars, as if the world cup team are a bunch of guys with 2 left feet.

There was a similiar argument today that boxers are real athletes, and if boxers went into an MMA (mixed martial arts, PRIDE, UFC, etc.) they would dominate.

MMA, like soccer, is a sport that has been historically more popular outside of the US, but is starting to take fans away from boxing. Soccer hasn't had the same popularity spike, but it doesn't help with the constant berating it gets from US media outlets. I think you'll start seeing the boxing community do the same tactics. They have already lost the licensing battles with PRIDE now coming to the US. So, I think the next move will be media bashing like Lampley today, & guys like Rome & the above writer do with soccer.

Boxing is hurting, when title fights for the heavyweight belt are in Hamburg instead of Atlantic City, and the best fighter is a 145 lb guy that has no competition. But, like our Americanized pro stars, they are "real" athletes.

Typical American, Sportscenter only, opinion. If Americans don't dominate, it isn't a real sport. How many "Is Lance Armstrong an athlete?" articles/sports show topics have we heard? Meanwhile, golfers are great athletes according to the same guys. ????

Boxing was dominated by American fighters for so long because the rules were changed to cater to certain athletic strengths. The days of longer rounds, 15-20 round fights weren't done away with soley because of interest in the fighters health. It was done to cater to American TV audiences.

That is the typical American sportswriter/caster argument against soccer. It isn't flashy enough. 'there is NO way that some Brazilian guy could score on Kobe or KG' It's really hilarious.

I used MMA-boxing as an analogy, because it is a pretty balanced representation. The top fighters come from all over, and have many different styles. There aren't as many limitations that cater to guys that bob their heads a little faster & have a tad better hand speed. Those abilities help in MMA, but make or break you in boxing. Take the limitations of not being able to grapple, kick, submit, etc away & those boxers don't do too well.

Much like being long, rangy & skilled to shoot make or break you in basketball for the most part. Those skills DO NOT make you a better soccer player. In fact, being long is a detriment if you can't move laterally. Alot of great Keepers are taller (6-3, 6-4), but being any taller is a liability if they have to control the ball.

The popular American sports have been tailored and altered to benefit athletes with certain skill sets. That's why our guys are beaten in international bball tournaments when they can't take 3 steps everytime & can't drop their shoulders & can't carry, etc. Worldwide soccer has stayed relatively the same for 100 years, and there isn't one type of athlete/country of origin that is head and shoulders dominant.

The system hasn't been in place for Americans to win at the highest levels, and it will take time to do that. It has been happening, and our world cup team is FAR superior to those of even 5 years ago. We don't need future basketball/football stars to win, that wouldn't do it anyway.

I am not trying to play devil's advocate or come off as bashing our American bravado. That is what makes us great, but also can get us embarassed like we have in basketball lately, the little baseball tournament experiment, and how about that hockey showing (I know it isn't a real American sport, but still we got a slap in the face)

Similiar to us as Texans & football. About time we won a title with our guys from a team in our state. It just sucks that it had to be those b@st@rd$ in Austin

Support our great soccer players, they are great athletes. They have better talents/abilities for their sport than Lebron James EVER would have.

Oh, and BJ Penn would whip Mayweathers arse






[This message has been edited by Syd_X_Barrett (edited 6/6/2006 1:45a).]

I just wished the media would stop dumbing down the game. They use other sports cliches, other sports positions to compare to soccer (a basketball pointguard is like a mid-fielder *I puke everytime I hear that*).

It does no good to write these things. It reminds nonsoccer fans of how 'different and forign' the sport is, while at the same time for soccer fans, it's like nails down a chalkboard.

And yes, I realize Lance is an American, but it is a sport that is basically shunned in this country until a Lemonde, or Armstrong come along

The fact of the matter is that these guys wouldn't be the 6' 200+ 4.5 running freaks if they played soccer. With all the running and other training that's involved there's not as much time for the same type of strength training that their sports demand. For example, with all of the soccer skills being equal, I don't think there would be that much of a difference b/w Eddie Johnson and Reggie McNeal if both grew up focusing on soccer.

I see yalls point but you have to believe that if soccer was as popular in america as it was in any other country then we would probably have a much better team...im not saying it would be filled with kobe and KG or anything but there would probably be some better players.

by the way the whole KG goal keeper thing doesnt work out because there are athletic lanky dudes in every country yet almost every goal keeper is more compact...the top goal keepers in the world arent lanky at all except for maybe van de sar and he isnt KG lanky

I would put money down on LaDanian Tomlinson being an amazing soccer player. Of course you'd have to give him 10 years to learn how to play soccer but with that vision in a game that moves so fast it would be fun to watch guys like that. I think its hard to compare athletes like that but as with most things the best end up where the money is.

If Bo Jackson or Neon Deion were put at forward, all you'd have to do is send the ball over the top. There wouldn't be a defender I know of that would beat them to the ball. It would be foul city and yellow cards galore. These guys ran 4.2 on a regular basis. And Bo being 220 lbs. at that speed would be unstoppable. Of course, he'd have to know how to play soccer, but that's why this is a fun thread.

syd-x, your opinions are just as stupid as the idealogy from the other side.

lebron isn't a great athlete in bball compared to donovan or mcbride? my God...you really hurt your case when you say things like this.

Interest has a lot to do with which kids play which sports. For reference, check out major league baseball, which, in the '70s, was dominated by African-American stars, but has seen their numbers dwindle significantly in recent years. The reason: black kids in America just aren't playing as much baseball.

If soccer was as ubiquitous in American playgrounds as it is in European playgrounds, we would produce a real juggernaught of a team. Might not be the best team every year, but it would be in the running.

My points are stupid? Yeah, we don't have a Ronaldhino in the US, but these guys aren't chumps. Jesus, did you read my point?

If Lebron was offered 100 Mill & had 3 years to train, he would not sniff an MLS roster. That's the point.

Articles bashing soccer because, some 5-10, 160 lb south american kid is great & the USA doesn't dominate are what I am getting at. You don't have to be a great bball player or football player to be a great athlete.

Speaking of that, outside of Charlie Ward, name a great 2 way basketball player? I can't think of one, and I am seriously curious if anyone else can. It's such a distinctive body type/skill set, that outside of volleyball, there aren't many other sports these guys can excel in. And please, no Peppers or M Bennett comments. I mean guys that are Brian Jordan, Bo Jackson, Dave Winfield, John Elway type athletes that have/did/could have been dominate in multiple sports.

Same thing with alot of these soccer guys. Being low to the ground, fast, very quick & having great hand-eye-feet coordination isn't something that can be coached at that level. Just like 6-8 & a 36 inch vertical can't be coached.

Appels and oranges

My condemnation is concerning the attitude of our media concerning sports we aren't the best at, and then the way they act when we are beaten at our own game. They play up the hot dog crap, and market it to the grave, but then play holier than thou when we go to Athens & get embarassed

there are a ton of athletes that are tall and lanky playing soccer that i've seen.

obviously soccer is a sport that you have to have grown up playing. you're handling a ball with your ****ing feet, but don't discout that our BEST athletes are playing other sports.

its starting to come around but its nowhere close...and yes, peppers is one of the most athletic specimans to grace any playing surface. 4.4 40 running down vick from behind @ 290?

paulas plays bball for duke and was a bluechip QB.

iverson was a blue chip recruit in football as an athlete.

tony gonzales was VERY athletic for cal.

many players have gone on the record stating that terrill owens would be a decent NBA player, including shaq.

i dont know much about soccer, but i watch quite a bit and there are guys built like bball players out there with great speed and vert.

you're seriously discounting the athletic ability of a ton of LBers, TB's, and bball players.

You guys are forgetting the Czech Republic has a 6-7 forward who is a monster. Also Michael Owen's running mate for at least the first game is also 6-7.

I agree with you Syd, but you gave a bad example. Dave Winfield played hoops at Minnesota and was drafted in 3 different sports. And there are other basketball players that have excelled at other sports, but it's rare.

Is a really, really big and strong guy that can throw a discus far an athlete? Absolutely

Are the 5-2 110 pound men that win marathons athletes? Yep

Are the mostly average sized guys that play baseball athletes? Yep

Is the All-American linebacker more athletic than the All-American swimmer? I don't think so. Just have different skills/strengths and America is more interested in football. No problem.

There are good baseball players from Italy and good hoops players from Argentina. Are they less athletic than more famous countrymen who play soccer? No. Would Argentina hoops and Italian baseball be better if more kids played those sports than soccer? Of course. To argue that point is silly. If talent pool for USA soccer was larger, we'd find faster/stronger/more coordinated players.

Even forgetting that...America still has one of most athletic teams in World Cup. We're big, strong, and fast. It's on the skill aspect that we fall behind, but we're closing the gap.

------Aggiebird. I do agree that "big mainstream media" dumbs down soccer. That's because they only cover WC games. What I like about watching a soccer game is that announcers don't dumb it down. They assume soccer fans are knowledgeable of game and talk intelligently throughout. (with occassional dumb statement of course)

Compare that to an NFL game. You can't watch one single replay without broadcasters dumbing it down. "You need two feet inbounds to be a catch". "Clock stops at 2 minute warning" And so on. Really? Did I just come down from Mars? Have I never seen a football game before? Why not explain why team is playing 2-deep zone instead of man coverage.

Dave Winfield was one of the best athletes ever, and yes, there are plenty of high school college guys that are good/great at 2 or more, but I'm talking guys that could play professionally & have good careers. Specifically, guys that are primarily bball players, not guys like T Owens.

Winfield, Elway, Brian Jordan, Bo were the first that popped in my head.

Thanks for the examples though, and the funny thing is I tried pointing out that I agree with the fact that we would have a good team, if we want to. That remains to be seen

There are some big, rangy soccer players, and it isn't out of the question that guys some NBA 2's & 3's IF they had grown up playing could be good, but that's about like saying a 5-6 PG might be able to make it in the NBA. Yes, there have been a few, but it is not common at all.

you've got me confused...

so you think if we expanded the pool size exponentially, our team wouldn't be any more athletic?

i'm sorry i just don't believe that.

First of all, I wanted to point out that the US basketball team didn't lose because they were playing street ball or because their skills didn't match those needed to play international ball. Sarunas Jasikevicius said it himself after his Lithuanian team defeated Team USA in the Olympics in 2004. He said that the Americans were still much better than everyone else, but the US team had very little experience playing together while the Lithuanian team had been playing together for years. The US could've taken the 2004 Detroit Pistons to the Olympics and they probably would've won the gold. In addition to that, you also have to understand how poorly constructed the US team was. With Duncan on the team, everyone knew that he would be doubled, creating plenty of three point opportunities, yet the team didn't have one pure shooter like Ray Allen or Michael Redd. On top of that, some of our best players didn't even play(Garnett, Shaq, McGrady, etc.). How often do you see World Cup teams have their best players refuse to play? These are the reasons why the US lost in the Olympics. The rest of the world has improved greatly over the last 15 years, but the US still has the majority of the great players. Oh yeah, and an American won the Euroleague Final Four MVP. His name is Anthony Parker and he played for Bradley. Trajan Langdon was first team All-Euroleague.

Canada produces great hockey players because that's the sport that the majority of Canadians grow up playing. Brazil produces great soccer players for the same reason. The majority of kids in the US grow up playing football and basketball. If more Americans played soccer growing up, then we'd obviously have a much better team just based on numbers. It's the same reason why most 5A schools would destroy most 3A schools in football. Think about all the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA football and basketball players that never gave soccer a chance. If soccer had been their only option, then invariably SOME of these players would've made great soccer players. With the sheer size of our country and the quality of raw athletes that we have, the US would have a great team if soccer was as popular here as it is in Europe. But the majority of American's don't play soccer, meaning that most of our best athletes are in other sports that Americans do play.

'robocrouch' is the lankiest guy in any major sport, and he's a damn good soccer player, (I like Dempseys after goal moves better, but the robocrouch is pretty damn cool).

Hakeem Olojuan (not worth finding out how to spell his name), was an incredibly gifted goalie in his home country before learning basketball at a very late age.

Check out the "robochrouch"-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b90gpqFp5Bw&search=robot%20crouch

this is a pretty good remix of the goal celebration AND him doing it at Beckham's world cup party-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aof4T_KKq1M&search=robot%20crouch

Obviously we'd have more talent if our pool were bigger. The one thing that makes me shake my head at articles like these is that they think that these athletes would remain at their same size if they were playing soccer at a professional level. If Lebron or Kobe were playing soccer they wouldn't be 240lbs. They'd be 180-200 pounds. I know some of you keep refering to Peter Crouch at 6'7", but he's 165 lbs.. If he goes up against Gooch he's going to get broken in half.

The US will dominate, when you can commercialize soccer. Soccer is a continuous game that does not suit well for commercials. Soccer will need the fan base first to bring commercial dollars to the sport. Money brings the players. Scholarships are for fun not building a sport. Rowing has scholarships. Pay the pros, and the talent will rise.

I think Syd_X_Barrett is missing the point. I think the article is saying that if these players on his list grew up playing soccer from the time they were 5 instead of football, then they would be superior. The article is not saying that if Chad Johnson quit football and started playing soccer next year that he would dominate. Because the current world cup players have the advantage of playing soccer their whole lives. Do you think Rinaldo would be a kick ass WR in the NFL? Maybe so, but it would take a lifetime of practice.

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So, while Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Eddie Johnson, Clint Dempsey and the rest of Team USA prepare to take on the world's best soccer players in Germany, let's consider an alternate universe where our nation's greatest athletes possessed soccer skill, grew up in the game, and eventually went on to represent Team USA against the rest of the world's best.

What if our nation's greatest athletes were soccer players? Here is a look at how our "Dream Team," comprised totally of star athletes outside soccer, would look ...

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