Everything Soccer

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Pretty much how Haaland takes his, which is t surprising.

Anyone who has played and or coached that I have talked to says this is the way. Choose where you want to hit it, run up and fire away. The stutter step stuff is absolutely positively a no no when it comes to what most are teaching outside of the professional level.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Awesome thread with some unprecedented talent in the pipeline

Centerbacks. Gotta find them.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/article/i-just-dont-think-its-as-simple-as-if-we-had-10-lebrons-playing-soccer-why-the-us-still-isnt-a-world-cup-contender-144750906.html

"I just don't think it's as simple as if we had 10 LeBrons playing soccer, we'd automatically be a better soccer country," former U.S. men's national team defender and current Portland Thorns general manager Jeff Agoos told Yahoo Sports prior to the World Cup. "Soccer is such a skilled sport. It's really hard to control a soccer ball, and it takes a lot of time to learn that skill. I don't think it's always about being bigger, faster, stronger."

 

[PolishDomer]

Centerbacks. Gotta find them.

My son who played in Italy this past year is a 6'2 CB...ill let him know lol

 

[Old Man Mike]

If he learned from Chiellini, get him into camp.

 

[FOTY977]

https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/article/i-just-dont-think-its-as-simple-as-if-we-had-10-lebrons-playing-soccer-why-the-us-still-isnt-a-world-cup-contender-144750906.html

Okay LeBron is pretty darned skilled in his craft, 10 of him with a lifetime of elite soccer instruction, and yes I am pretty sure we run train on everyone.

 

[calvegas04]

Okay LeBron is pretty darned skilled in his craft, 10 of him with a lifetime of elite soccer instruction, and yes I am pretty sure we run train on everyone.

Think of 10 Shaqs

 

[Bane]

https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/article/i-just-dont-think-its-as-simple-as-if-we-had-10-lebrons-playing-soccer-why-the-us-still-isnt-a-world-cup-contender-144750906.html

I find these sorts of rebuttals reductive and sort of silly. No one (almost no one anyways), is saying to just find 10 Lebron type athletes and put them on the pitch. What I'm saying at the very least is that our athletic talent pool is probably the largest and deepest on planet Earth. If we could get just a couple of the OBJ, Jeremiyah Love, Lebron, etc. freak type athletes into the soccer pipeline with all of the requisite training and coaching from youth onwards, we would take a huge step forward. We leave a ton on the table in terms of our own talent pool.

 

[pumpdog20]

I find these sorts of rebuttals reductive and sort of silly. No one (almost no one anyways), is saying to just find 10 Lebron type athletes and put them on the pitch. What I'm saying at the very least is that our athletic talent pool is probably the largest and deepest on planet Earth. If we could get just a couple of the OBJ, Jeremiyah Love, Lebron, etc. freak type athletes into the soccer pipeline with all of the requisite training and coaching from youth onwards, we would take a huge step forward. We leave a ton on the table in terms of our own talent pool.

But then we wouldn't have them for football or basketball. Hard pass.

 

[Sea Turtle]

In terms of who I'm rooting for, it's:
Norway
England.

That's it. Normally I don't pull for England, but this particular English team has grown on me and I really love Kane and Bellingham as well as Pickford.

Norway, well I'm part Norwegian and Haaland has become my favorite soccer player. I could watch that man play everyday.

It's Norway and Argentina for me.

 

[Bane]

It's Norway and Argentina for me.

I would slot Argentina 3rd with some distance behind Norway and England.

 

[stlnd01]

I find these sorts of rebuttals reductive and sort of silly. No one (almost no one anyways), is saying to just find 10 Lebron type athletes and put them on the pitch. What I'm saying at the very least is that our athletic talent pool is probably the largest and deepest on planet Earth. If we could get just a couple of the OBJ, Jeremiyah Love, Lebron, etc. freak type athletes into the soccer pipeline with all of the requisite training and coaching from youth onwards, we would take a huge step forward. We leave a ton on the table in terms of our own talent pool.

The funny thing about this idea: When you look at Messi (5'7/150) or Mbappe (5'10/165), do you see people who are freak natural athletes on the level of Lebron or OBJ? Harry Kane looks like an inbred member of the Royal Family. Yet these are the best soccer players in the world.

Not to minimize their physical gifts, which are substantial. But you can't just take budding NBA players, or even NFL players, and expect them to become elite soccer players. It's a different sport that rewards different skills (and body types). But to your point, the US is a large enough and affluent enough country that at this point in 2026 we should enough world-class soccer players to break into the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Yet we don't. To me, that's a problem more about development than raw talent.

 

[calvegas04]

 

[Irish#1]

The comments are interesting.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

The funny thing about this idea: When you look at Messi (5'7/150) or Mbappe (5'10/165), do you see people who are freak natural athletes on the level of Lebron or OBJ? Harry Kane looks like an inbred member of the Royal Family. Yet these are the best soccer players in the world.

Not to minimize their physical gifts, which are substantial. But you can't just take budding NBA players, or even NFL players, and expect them to become elite soccer players. It's a different sport that rewards different skills (and body types). But to your point, the US is a large enough and affluent enough country that at this point in 2026 we should enough world-class soccer players to break into the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Yet we don't. To me, that's a problem more about development than raw talent.

Bingo.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Christian Pulisic suffered leg microfracture in USMNT loss to Belgium, will miss several weeks

The USMNT star will be sidelined for several weeks but not months, multiple people briefed on the diagnosis told The Athletic.

www.nytimes.com

I assume this hurts.

Only fact I have come to know about Pulisic is he is injury prone in big moments. Whether that is on purpose or willed by the Lord of Light, I can't answer. The trend is the trend regardless.

 

[Dale]

Seems like a legitimate injury to me.

I do think he gets some unfair treatment. People want him to be a healthy superstar and he’s an injury prone sidekick. Mostly out of his control.

People like Twellman/Donovan questioning his breakup and Dad over this run seems a bit much. Trying to copy the London tabloid scene.

 

[dublinirish]

Real football (irish league)

 

[dublinirish]

 

[calvegas04]

Real football (irish league)

Cool.....

 

[notredomer23]

Is this more about streaming? Can't click the link for some reason, but I had never even heard of Fox One until the World Cup. For the last 2 weeks I've streamed the majority of matches on Peacock as that is waaaay more accessible. Any game on TV itself was straight to Fox. Seems more like a failure of Fox to not have a better streaming app.

 

[IrishLax]

The funny thing about this idea: When you look at Messi (5'7/150) or Mbappe (5'10/165), do you see people who are freak natural athletes on the level of Lebron or OBJ? Harry Kane looks like an inbred member of the Royal Family. Yet these are the best soccer players in the world.

Not to minimize their physical gifts, which are substantial. But you can't just take budding NBA players, or even NFL players, and expect them to become elite soccer players. It's a different sport that rewards different skills (and body types). But to your point, the US is a large enough and affluent enough country that at this point in 2026 we should enough world-class soccer players to break into the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Yet we don't. To me, that's a problem more about development than raw talent.

This is a great point, and it's also why guys who are similar athletic profile to Messi are going to be the best path to how USA finds a "star." That's why Cavan Sullivan (5'7") is the best player in the USA youth pipeline while guys with a profile similar to Mbappe aren't even playing soccer in the USA. I was shocked to learn that Mbappe is actually slow AF relative to hundreds of guys in CFB ... his top speed translates to like a 11.0 or 10.9 100 meter. He's like a tiny bit faster than Drue Tranquill was in high school, for a Notre Dame linebacker comp, yet he has "world class" athleticism for soccer.

There is some truth that #1 thing killing USA finding "generational" players is that all of the 5'9" to 6' tall "good" athletes are routed to football. College football has many full scholarships + NLI money + potential NFL money *and* it is the cultural #1 *and* it doesn't require near the investment in skill that soccer does. It's a funnel. It's not about the "LeBron" type guys, it's about how you have dudes playing corner for Purdue or Boise State that have better athleticism to Mbappe and we have no idea what they could be at soccer. All of these guys in Europe go into academies at an early age, and then they find the 1% that actually have world class soccer skill to be on their national team. PLUS they add the Messi / Iniesta / Cavan Sullivan types. USA is missing the funnel.

So really, we're talking chicken and egg. You're taking about 500+ or a 1000+ kids a year that have Mbappe level athleticism and 0% of them are focusing on soccer. The odds are 1% of that 1000+ might have a lot of soccer potential and we'll never find out.

And by the way, see this across basically all sports. I had a really good lacrosse player drop the sport for football ... he'd never played football in his life ... and get a D1 full ride after two seasons of doing the sport. Football requires ZERO skill and if you have the right athletic profile there are SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES relative to every sport in America. The reason basketball still continues to be successful is that the "elite" pyramid is smaller and those body types don't actually overlap much at all with football. Baseball, soccer, etc. all lose most of their potential top tier athletes to football starting in HS.

 

[thekid33]

I have arrived at a place regarding Pulisic where I think all of the following are true:

1) Expectations for him as a player are too high (to use a basketball comparison, he is Scottie and not MJ, but everyone expects him to be MJ).

2) The vast majority of the criticism I have seen/heard from former players has been fair.

3) The people closest to him might be a problem (for lack of a better term) behind the scenes.

4) He's injury prone. Not necessarily his fault - it's just the way it is with some guys.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

Is this more about streaming? Can't click the link for some reason, but I had never even heard of Fox One until the World Cup. For the last 2 weeks I've streamed the majority of matches on Peacock as that is waaaay more accessible. Any game on TV itself was straight to Fox. Seems more like a failure of Fox to not have a better streaming app.

I like the announcing better.... Much more passion. But I may be biased because I live in a half Mexican family. I watched the Fox 1 app for ease while working, but Telemundo otherwise.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

I have arrived at a place regarding Pulisic where I think all of the following are true:

1) Expectations for him as a player are too high (to use a basketball comparison, he is Scottie and not MJ, but everyone expects him to be MJ).

2) The vast majority of the criticism I have seen/heard from former players has been fair.

3) The people closest to him might be a problem (for lack of a better term) behind the scenes.

4) He's injury prone. Not necessarily his fault - it's just the way it is with some guys.

He is a good player, just not a super star. If he wasn't so fragile his game could be more aggressive and not look so timid at times..

 

[DomeFieldAdvantage]

The funny thing about this idea: When you look at Messi (5'7/150) or Mbappe (5'10/165), do you see people who are freak natural athletes on the level of Lebron or OBJ? Harry Kane looks like an inbred member of the Royal Family. Yet these are the best soccer players in the world.

Not to minimize their physical gifts, which are substantial. But you can't just take budding NBA players, or even NFL players, and expect them to become elite soccer players. It's a different sport that rewards different skills (and body types). But to your point, the US is a large enough and affluent enough country that at this point in 2026 we should enough world-class soccer players to break into the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Yet we don't. To me, that's a problem more about development than raw talent.

Not to take away from this, but isn't Mbappe one of the fastest players in the entire sport? And in the other direction, Lebron is a freak athlete, but no so much as Wemby or Giannis or even Derrick Rose.

I think the argument needs to not be about how we can take these great athletes from the NBA or NFL and just make them soccer players, but about how those sports have a greater emphasis on athleticism than soccer, so our most athletic players trend to those sports before they can develop the necessary skills for soccer.

We can still develop talented soccer players, but you are going to get fewer great athletes, which will put more stress on the technical skills side, and these players will develop in an ecosystem that does not have the same speed of play as their counterparts in more soccer focused countries.

This could also kinda explain why we have stagnated in World Cup results despite having "better" players. We have players in top leagues in the world, so we feel like we no longer need to play the bunker and counter style of less talented nations. However, the whole team is not at that level, so when we try to a normal game against a good team, our weak links are exposed. But we also cannot play that bunker and counter style anymore because most of our good players are not used to playing that way. So we're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

[NDPhilly]

Seems like a legitimate injury to me.

I do think he gets some unfair treatment. People want him to be a healthy superstar and he’s an injury prone sidekick. Mostly out of his control.

People like Twellman/Donovan questioning his breakup and Dad over this run seems a bit much. Trying to copy the London tabloid scene.

Yeah have come around to this - He's not the best at PR, but its not really his fault he was anointed a true star when this country just cant produce top tier players.

For some point of reference, Pulisic is the #147 ranked player in Fifa 26, despite being the #1 USA player. Fuckin Ecuador has 2-3 players better than him.

 

[TorontoGold]

Seems like a legitimate injury to me.

I do think he gets some unfair treatment. People want him to be a healthy superstar and he’s an injury prone sidekick. Mostly out of his control.

People like Twellman/Donovan questioning his breakup and Dad over this run seems a bit much. Trying to copy the London tabloid scene.

For the true “football” heads, is he even THAT good? I struggle with him and Alphonso Davies because they seem like guys who’d be on the bubble to be selected for the real teams (France/Spain/England etc.). I’ve got no actual clue on if they’re actually good or just good for the type of talent their country produces.

 

[Dale]

For the true “football” heads, is he even THAT good? I struggle with him and Alphonso Davies because they seem like guys who’d be on the bubble to be selected for the real teams (France/Spain/England etc.). I’ve got no actual clue on if they’re actually good or just good for the type of talent their country produces.

He’s definitely good. Closer to Klay than Steph though for example.

 

[notredomer23]

I've wondered if a move stateside for Pulisic could actually benefit him. I'm usually against it when they're still in their peak, but what more does he need to do? He's been in Europe since he was 15. He's won a Champion's League with Chelsea. I think taking the pressure off himself could be beneficial.