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Open Wide For Some Soccer! - Poch to the Yanks.


Mike

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Are you actually serious? I'm confused. People have different genetics man, some people learn some things faster than others.

 

Fine. I will concede this point. People have unique genetic characteristics, some of which may be beneficial to sport.

 

I don't believe that genetic traits are more important to developing top athletes than repetition, acquired knowledge, or learning environment, however.

 

When you get both right, you get Messi. When you only get one you get Pedro or Michael Carrick.

 

Anyway, the begining of this discussion was the fact that I believe promising athletes, whatever the reason for their "potential", will see other sports as better outlets to potentially make a living out of them. You need to rise to the very top level in the US (the MLS) to make a living as a footballer, that's not the case for kids playing in Spain or England. That allows us to "absorb" more potential players that want to play football professionally.

 

I'm reminded of Mendieta, who was an accomplished junior track and field athlete until he switched to football because he wanted to dedicate himself to sport but it was impossible to do that in athletics in Spain (while you probably can in the US).

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I think the point that I was trying to make, with all the grace of a fat ballerina, is that it takes more than genetic traits to make a class footballer. It's not that American soccer players aren't the best athletes in the country, it's that we're still not a country that values technical proficiency or accepting losses on the pitch at the youth levels. And very few families will send their sons to elite football academies (we still don't have the youth development infrastructure that Europe does.) But it's changing, thankfully.

 

I agree that Messi was blessed with certain physical and perhaps mental traits that helped him rise above his peers. But I don't believe he woke up one day with the latent ability to play the game. He wouldn't be anyone special if he hadn't employed his traits in a certain way. My apologies for the confusing stream of posts, I was even confusing myself for a while there.

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Honestly Deuce, I won't argue that some of your athletes might be more athletic because that's how US sports work, but you'll find equally athletic players somewhere around more spread out in SA and Europe because you don't pick the best players based on athleticism like in the US. Also to tell us that how you're born doesn't affect anything is beyond me. Some people grow up with fucking wooden legs, they cant bend it properly so they can't shoot a ball properly, try to make these wooden legs kids become great footballers // topic

 

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TBF to DeuceXM, we shouldn't have expected any better, given his status as knock-off Mike. It's our own fault for thinking his opinions might be good/logical/intelligent/worthwhile.

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TBF to DeuceXM, we shouldn't have expected any better, given his status as knock-off Mike. It's our own fault for thinking his opinions might be good/logical/intelligent/worthwhile.

 

Good point. You really should be blaming Mike for my opinions.

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TBF to DeuceXM, we shouldn't have expected any better, given his status as knock-off Mike. It's our own fault for thinking his opinions might be good/logical/intelligent/worthwhile.

 

Good point. You really should be blaming Mike for my opinions.

 

:lol: How the fuck...

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Sounds like Fabian Johnson is good for Friday, I'd put him. I'm sure Howard will start, too.

 

:thup: He was the only one I wasn't sure about. If he's fit, he starts (though apparently there's something about him not liking the heat?)

 

Howard will almost certainly start. But Guzan is our first-choice keeper at this point, imo anyway.

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