FriendlySpartan said:

Yeah basketball you can go pro after a year, football 3, in soccer you can go pro as a pre teen.

Thats why your point is irrelevant. Actual soccer training and development as a pro in the academy’s start in middle school. It’s just apples to oranges

Click to expand...

So to equal Europe we need 6th graders to have decided they want nothing else but soccer is basically the deal? That is going to be a hard sell.

I don't suppose we could grant the Egyptian keeper US citizenship, could we?

BCClone said:

Basketball you can go pro after one year. Many come back due to the pay in college. The money and player pool is there to keep players in college. When something similar happens to soccer, that’s when it’s arrived in the US. You can call it stupid but right now one is pumping money into soccer like MBB or FB.

Click to expand...

Yeah basketball you can go pro after a year, football 3, in soccer you can go pro as a pre teen.

Thats why your point is irrelevant. Actual soccer training and development as a pro in the academy’s start in middle school. It’s just apples to oranges

FriendlySpartan said:

This is also due to college sports and the investment there for a lot of Olympic sports. Most other countries don’t even come close when that gets added in

Click to expand...

I agree with this as well

Clonehomer said:

Now explain France. They are dominating basketball and soccer lately. Thankfully, we haven’t given them a football or they’d probably figure out how to kick our butts in that too. Some times it’s just about want to and not about how to make a buck.

Click to expand...

Basketball is France’s second most popular sport, similar to U.S. It’s taken them generations of popularity and investment fir their best players to give our best players a competitive game.

I fundamentally believe if, culturally, the U.S. cared about soccer as much as Europe and South America, we’d dominate the sport, or at least be one of the best teams in the world. Like we do with pretty much every other sport, including women’s soccer.

SolterraCyclone said:

But other countries aren’t prioritizing olympic sports like they are soccer. So we’re on a much more even playing field both athletically and developmentally in the Olympics. And by virtue of those better athletes and development programs we are the better country in the Olympics (it’s almost always between us and China for total golds and total medals leaders).

With all due respect, we’re putting our good collegiate athletes vs their LeBrons, Tyreek Hills, Aaron Judges. And then we wonder why we can’t compete with them.

Click to expand...

This is also due to college sports and the investment there for a lot of Olympic sports. Most other countries don’t even come close when that gets added in

FerShizzle said:

Project Hail Mary is being shown for free an Amazon Prime Video right now.

I didn't catch it in theaters and watched last night. Great movie. 10/10.

Click to expand...

I found it to be long and overly cute, at times. 4/10

FriendlySpartan said:

This is a very stupid post. If you are actually good at soccer you aren’t playing in college and NIL isn’t a thing.

Click to expand...

Basketball you can go pro after one year. Many come back due to the pay in college. The money and player pool is there to keep players in college. When something similar happens to soccer, that’s when it’s arrived in the US. You can call it stupid but right now one is pumping money into soccer like MBB or FB.

Land Grant said:

I simply don't believe this. There are enough great athletes to go around. Look at the Olympics -- US does very well, even with the diversion of pro football, baseball, basketball. Look at wrestling: we have a great development culture and thus compete at an elite level. No such structure exists for soccer. Belgian individual skills and game flow was just much more developed than the US.

Click to expand...

But other countries aren’t prioritizing olympic sports like they are soccer. So we’re on a much more even playing field both athletically and developmentally in the Olympics. And by virtue of those better athletes and development programs we are the better country in the Olympics (it’s almost always between us and China for total golds and total medals leaders).

With all due respect, we’re putting our good collegiate athletes vs their LeBrons, Tyreek Hills, Aaron Judges. And then we wonder why we can’t compete with them.

BCClone said:

One indicator that soccer had taken off in the US is when you hear about NIL and soccer together. The sports that do well in the US are the ones who people throw money at. Until soccer gets money people involved, it will struggle here against FB and MBB.

Click to expand...

This is a very stupid post. If you are actually good at soccer you aren’t playing in college and NIL isn’t a thing.

One indicator that soccer had taken off in the US is when you hear about NIL and soccer together. The sports that do well in the US are the ones who people throw money at. Until soccer gets money people involved, it will struggle here against FB and MBB.

Anyhoo.....

Egypt up 1-0 on Argentina, and Egypt's GK saved a Messi PK attempt.

Clonehomer said:

Now explain France. They are dominating basketball and soccer lately. Thankfully, we haven’t given them a football or they’d probably figure out how to kick our butts in that too. Some times it’s just about want to and not about how to make a buck.

Click to expand...

Yeah France isn’t dominating the US in basketball they are just having a good run against other counties who have historically been bad in basketball. It’s almost the reverse comparison to the World Cup where instead of the US catching up to everyone else, it’s the US light years ahead of everyone else and the other countries being good when they get a generational talent but still not close to the US

BCClone said:

Dominating basketball? When had France beaten us in the Olympics when we’ve played our pros?

Click to expand...

You're correct, but it feels like Olympic basketball is about to get much more interesting now that Steph, Bron, etc. have aged out. Canada probably has as much talent as the US team at this point, and France will be good for many years too (though not as deep).

I think the reality with all of these sports is that countries with high immigrant populations tend to have the most talent. France isn't winning soccer matches with a bunch of Pepe LePeu's. They're almost all children of African immigrants.

BCClone said:

If OSU was throwing the paddles on the field I’m sure they would be banned. Tech can slap the tortillas on the wall I’m guessing.

Click to expand...

So... flaccid pen*s slapping sounds?

It's a lot of things but hard to ignore that as a fairly well off family we're still crossing off different soccer orgs because the cost/benefit is so terrible. I imagine there are a large % of people who can't even have that discussion, and then a large % making the same calls we are.

Maybe there aren't enough athletes to go around, but IMO it's hard to say that definitively when you start by cutting the pool so drastically.

Clonehomer said:

Now explain France. They are dominating basketball and soccer lately. Thankfully, we haven’t given them a football or they’d probably figure out how to kick our butts in that too. Some times it’s just about want to and not about how to make a buck.

Click to expand...

Dominating basketball? When had France beaten us in the Olympics when we’ve played our pros?

I don't have a DMR subscription but for those that do and are interested here you go:

Login to view embedded media

Land Grant said:

I simply don't believe this. There are enough great athletes to go around. Look at the Olympics -- US does very well, even with the diversion of pro football, baseball, basketball. Look at wrestling: we have a great development culture and thus compete at an elite level. No such structure exists for soccer. Belgian individual skills and game flow was just much more developed than the US.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure the Olympics are a great example since a large number of Olympic sports are individual sports. It's easier to be competitive when you're competing for a score or a time versus being in direct competition with other teams.

You're both sorta contributing to the same point, IMO. Like you said, we lack structure. Aditionally, we also lack the interested bodies so competitive teams can play other competitive teams.

At any time, London may have 7 or so teams in the premier league. You have thousands of kids wanting to be a part of that with the facilities and coaching nearby to make it happen. That's a high concentration of talent and structure in one small geographic area.

Compare that to the US, where you have different youth organizations (ECNL, ECRL, MLS Next, GA, ODP, National 1 League, etc) and tons of individual clubs proclaiming to be the best league or best club to get money from parents. It waters down the talent pool and you never get the best teams playing each other on a consistent basis. We never see iron sharpening iron because our talent is spread out and there is not the structure to pull it together.

I think Ok State is a team that could have a nice turnaround this year:

Login to view embedded media

Scott Frost really comes off as the stereotypical meathead. If UCF is good whatsoever, it'll all be on the coordinators and assistants. But, Frost will gladly buy the cocktails.