The United States soccer team lost to Mexico in Mexico City once again yesterday. The world embraces soccer and revels in their respective team’s wins and losses. In this country, however, we don’t “get” soccer. These are some of the quotes I heard yesterday about soccer.
“There’s no goals”
“It’s boring”
“There’s no excitement”
First, I do not buy into any of that. Soccer is a very exciting sport. There doesn’t have to be goals or scoring to watch Christiano Ronaldo totally embarrass a defender or watch the speed of Lionel Messi. Second, I wonder if we are all band wagon fans. Soccer is the one international sport where Americans have the least amount of success. Needless to say, we show the least amount of interest in it as well. Third, I wondered aloud about this during the last World Cup. If tiny Portugal can produce the best player in the world, why can’t the United States? It dawned on me. Our best athletes are not playing soccer. In countries around the world the majority of their best athletes play soccer; ours do not. In America, major athletes play football, basketball, and baseball. Imagine if Mr. Kobe Bryant played soccer in America and overseas. He would be among the best players in the world in my opinion. Bryant has a drive and the will to be the best; that every major sports star have in common.
Below is my starting lineup for the USA Men’s Soccer team is you take the star American athletes from other sports if they had played soccer.
F- Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay Rays OF)
F- Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat G)
RM- Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers G)
CM- Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers F)
CM- Shawn Marion (Dallas Mavericks F)
LM- Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals WR)
RB- Champ Bailey (Denver Broncos CB)
CB- Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens LB)
CB- Julius Peppers (Carolina Panthers DE)
LB- Andre Johnson (Houston Texas WR)
GK- Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics F)
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