OT: If soccer was the #1 sport in USA

[yannisk]

There are good reasons to think that USA would be good in soccer if they cared a lot about it (size, money, infrastructure) . But I will give some counter-examples for the discussion

USSR was a sport superpower, they were successful in many sports and they earned a huge amount of Olympic medals still they were relatively unsuccessful in soccer.

England the inventors of the sport. Contrary to popular opinion there are rather unsuccessful, they have won one WC on home soil and they have not reached another final in neither WC nor European championships. This is a relatively big country, with people diversity great sport tradition and they love soccer.

But I will reverse the subject. The mentality of Americans is such that soccer would not be popular if there are not successful at it. If they have a success (and soccer is a game were the underdog has a chance) then it will start becoming popular feeding into more improvement. So I think USA has to become good before soccer becomes popular not the other way around.

[freestyler34]

Lol having best athletes doesnt make u good at soccer itsnt basketball, otherwise African nations would have dominated soccer just look at Spanish team they dont have elite athletes on their team but still one of the best teams.

[mtron929]

The US would be good. One of the best teams in the world, no doubt. But there is this notion amongst some that if the US becomes a powerhouse, they will bring something completely different to the game. That is, there will be this new breed of soccer players in the mold of Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Randy Moss, etc. that will fundamentally change the way we think about what it means to be a great soccer player. I just don't agree with this. I think it is most likely that the US will produce world class players but they will look a lot like the current best players in soccer. That is more like 5 feet 7 inches version of US Messi as opposed to some 6 feet 6 dude that revolutionalizes soccer.

How about Cristiano Ronaldo though he is a revolutionary player too, think of an Odell Beckham Jr. type of athleticism with Ronaldo's skill level.

But I would argue that C. Ronaldo (while an all time player) is not viewed as a completely different breed from other predecessors. I mean, in some sense, C. Ronaldo is not too different from the Brazilian Ronaldo if we compare them at their peaks and compare athleticism/skills etc. In these types of threads, you get all these people who seem to think that these 6 feet 6 inch+ type of players would dominate the soccer league and that the US soccer profiles more like the NBA all star team in terms of their physical attributes. Most likely, even if the US had really good teams, the main guys would look more like players with physical attributes similar to Tony Parker, Kyrie Irving, Steve Nash, etc. as opposed to Lebron, KD, KG, Kobe, etc.

[B-Ball Freak]

Lol having best athletes doesnt make u good at soccer itsnt basketball, otherwise African nations would have dominated soccer just look at Spanish team they dont have elite athletes on their team but still one of the best teams.

Africa doesn't have the half the resources that the United States have. If soccer was the number one sport in the US best believe all the kids would be playing soccer, there would be a soccer field everywhere, proper coaches all over the place, the strategy and gameplanning would be top notch....nothing like the African nations.

[Duke4life831]

We would be #1. The money, athletes and facilities wouldn't be matched by any other country. And for those saying he have a crappy youth system and culture when it comes to soccer. Well ya it's what maybe the 5th or 6th most popular sport in the country. If it was #1 our youth systems and culture would be elite as well. Just imagine if high schools down south weren't all about Friday nights and football, but were all focused on soccer.

[freestyler34]

Lol having best athletes doesnt make u good at soccer itsnt basketball, otherwise African nations would have dominated soccer just look at Spanish team they dont have elite athletes on their team but still one of the best teams.

Africa doesn't have the half the resources that the United States have. If soccer was the number one sport in the US best believe all the kids would be playing soccer, there would be a soccer field everywhere, proper coaches all over the place, the strategy and gameplanning would be top notch....nothing like the African nations.

Having best athletes doesnt give you a huge advantage like its basketball or NFL, look at Spanish team none of them elite athletes also most of the Africans playing in European leagues even from youth ages, some of the France born african players choose to play for their African countries .

[Brt19]

England breathes football, clubs are rich, facilities are there, gene pool is smaller compared to US but you could say it's similar and they're nowhere near #1

[freestyler34]

I think our American friends confusing soccer with Basketball and NFL just because u have best athletes it doesnt make you good directly.

[BasketMad]

As usual, Americans are cocky. No chance they become a dominant force in the next few decades until they build an internal structure where kids are as passionate about soccer as they are with basketball or American football. Like others have said, it has to be bred into the American culture and system for it to grow. China and the rich oil countries have tried throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into building up their country's soccer teams. It's not that simple.

[ManyaWarrior]

From a historically point of view i think this are the top 10 nations in football (soccer)
1- Brazil
2- Germany
3- Italy
4- Argentina
5- Uruguay
6- France
7- Netherlands
8- England
9- Spain
10-Portugal
These 10 countries are all very different in size, population, ethnics, economy, etc so its pretty clear that being good at soccer isnt a matter of genetics, its just a matter of popularity. The US with its population and resources would be among the best no doubt about it

[Lego Legs]

Sorry Americans, having a lot of people doesn't automatically mean you'd be the best at soccer. See China for reference.

You also don't have the culture or the youth systems of Europe or South America, even if you started now, you'd take 40+ years to catch-up.

I say this as a Brit, you can't just throw size at everything and automatically think it will mean it's the best.

[KF10]

Soccer (or futbol) is a sport where a pure athlete or the "size" of a player aren't as valued as in other sports. Sure, athleticism is important but not more valuable than skill.

In this year's World Cup, the heaviest player is somewhere between 205-210 pounds.

[monopoman]

If Soccer was the #1 sport in America wouldn't that mean that more kids would be picking up a soccer ball over a basketball or a football?

I mean part of why we have the greatest athletes in those two sports is because we put a huge emphasis on those two sports. There is no reason why America can't start grooming all-time great soccer players if the entire country cared heavily about soccer.

[TheGOATRises007]

US do care about Soccer.

Lol, compared to what? Curling?

No, they just care.

Don't be ignorant.

Can't be dominant in every sport.

[ken6199]

England breathes football, clubs are rich, facilities are there, gene pool is smaller compared to US but you could say it's similar and they're nowhere near #1

England is a special case. Their premier league is a cash machine filled with foreign talent who play key roles in their top level teams. In World Cup when all English national players are being counted on, they cannot pull it off. Their young talent simply lacks the opportunity to grow in their top flight games.

[ken6199]

There are also lifestyle. Tell me if soccer is the #1 sport in US, why would top African/Asian players want to play in cities like Liverpool or Manchester, instead of LA, New York, Chicago, Boston?

Plus, all the Latino talent will want to come to US because of more embracing culture. Now most of them play in Spain, but if they have a choice between Texas/California/Florida and Spain, they will prefer US in a heart beat.

[TheGOATRises007]

So many people here don't realize that being athletic in basketball/NFL will not translate to being good in soccer if their focus was on soccer from the start.

There's more to soccer than sheer athleticism.

Kids here constantly play. It's probably the most played sport up to high school.

[SkyHookFTW]

Imagine a bunch of Allen Iverson, Westbrook, Deshawn Jackson, Jerry Rice, and Michael Vick-types who played soccer from age 4 instead of football and basketball. Give them top coaching and strategy. Sit back and wait.

[Heat3]

So many people here don't realize that being athletic in basketball/NFL will not translate to being good in soccer if their focus was on soccer from the start.

There's more to soccer than sheer athleticism.

Kids here constantly play. It's probably the most played sport up to high school.

no, it doesn't mean that the best NFL players would be the best soccer players. but there are plenty of players that get weeded out of football that could have instead focused on soccer and maybe have been a success. those are lost opportunities. it even happens in other sports. occasionally you'll have a Jimmy Graham that plays basketball in college then all of a sudden is a star in the NFL. how many others could have done (not necessarily a star but a successful player) that if given the opportunity? there are probably plenty more but they get lost.

if American girls can become the top women players in the world, then so can the boys. The difference today is that the boys in general focus on different sports and while they may play soccer it isn't seen as a career goal.

[TheGOATRises007]

Imagine a bunch of Allen Iverson, Westbrook, Deshawn Jackson, Jerry Rice, and Michael Vick-types who played soccer from age 4 instead of football and basketball. Give them top coaching and strategy. Sit back and wait.

Eh.

Would be interesting though.