Posted on 06/24/2009 1:04:50 PM PDT by max americana
Has the Liberal Messiah apologized to Spain yet? :)
Indeed, don't be in the stands at these soccer games with legendary rivalries:
Real Madrid CF-FC Barcelona (the El Clásico rivalry)
Any rivalry games between any of these four English Premier League games (Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea)
Boca Juniors-River Plate in Argentina (the Superclásico rivalry)
Any rivalry games between Juventus, AC Milan or Inter-Milan in Italy's Serie A.
I think the EPL has gotten much better than previous years, I think they have gotten rid of much of the hooliganism that plagued the sport there. Now the rivalries are more like college football rivalries, there is still a lot of ribbing, but it’s more in a good-natured way. I definately would love to go to a big four matchup, or to a good derby match, like Everton-Liverpool.
If the US Soccer Team were composed of our best athletes that would normally be playing American football, basketball or baseball, we would destroy just about every team on Earth--and that includes Brazil and Argentina. Brazil and Argentina are good because they are based on speed--but they tend to not do so well against European teams that are almost as fast but physically a LOT bigger.
Exactly. A 6'6" 310 lbs defensive end certainly could not play soccer with a possible exception of a goalie. And even that would probably be a stretch given the weight. Size is not a major advantage in soccer. Speed, agility, and endurance are. It is like comparing apples and oranges.
and then there are the pure speed athletes...wow...plenty of 4.4s in the DC Metro area and some sub 4.4’s.
Again, speed can be an asset in soccer, but it is not a track meet. You can't outrun the coverage that easily and remain onsides. And of course, you must be able to run with the ball at your feet and be able to maneuver around defenders. Speed without technique and control is of no use.
There are over 13.5 million high school soccer players, male and female, in the US. There are plenty of tremendous athletes playing the sport.
Again, I’m taking nothing away from soccer athletes...they are well conditioned and extremely skilled...but objectively they can’t compare to football, bball and baseball athletes...I’m talking about pure speed, agility, strength and power/explosiveness combination...it’s no comparison my friend.
Of course they can compare with the athletes in those sports. In fact, many of the soccer players play those sports. And when you compare the number of people that play soccer in the world to those who play football, basketball, and baseball, there is far more competition to make it to the very top rung of the sport. Power and explosiveness are not part of the sport. Soccer players certainly have the speed and agility to match any in the other sports. Have you ever attended an international level soccer game?
Steve Nash was a helluva soccer player. And Nash is the first to acknowledge soccer's advantage in developing his superb basketball skills. Kobe Bryant was introduced to the sport as a child in Italy. Some of the best kickers in the NFL were soccer players. Many of the he foreign born players in MLB, approximately 30% of those in the majors, were soccer players.
Comparing sports and the physical and other skills and attributes to be successful is very difficult. It really is like comparing apples and oranges. If speed was such an important attribute, then why aren't more track athletes successful in the NFL? Of course, you need to be able to catch a ball, run tight routes, and absorb the hits without fumbling. That rules out a lot of world class sprinters.
“Soccer players certainly have the speed and agility to match any in the other sports.”
Umm, no. It’s not even close.
I’ll put 10 great college football players up against the 10 best soccer players from the Elite League and the speed/agility gap will be huge. If you go to the NFL instead of college it will even be more of a disparity in speed/agility.
Ok, have a set of cones placed down a hundred yard field and give each of the players, football and soccer, a ball that they must dribble down the field around the cones. That is combining speed and agility. Or even better, have a few defenders run at them to take away the ball.
Soccer is not a track meet. Speed is a definite asset, but it must be combined with technique and control. It is not like a wide receiver getting behind a defensive back.
“Ok, have a set of cones placed down a hundred yard field and give each of the players, football and soccer, a ball that they must dribble down the field around the cones. That is combining speed and agility.”
Wrong, that is a sport specific test. Faulty test on your part.
“Soccer is not a track meet. Speed is a definite asset, but...”
You keep resetting the penalty kick closer to fit your argument. In your previous post you are the one who set the test as “speed and agility”....soccer can play with any other sport on speed and agility...
Nope. Not speed and strength either.
Now, you want to make it aerobic endurance and agility you might have a case for a tie.
ESPN already solved the debate. Soccer players are wimps compared to football players.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills
LOL!
That one’s a keeper!
I don't like NASCAR, think it's boring , however I respect the NASCAR threads and do not post my comments about how I don't like it. I know the reason for those threads is not to post your opinion on NASCAR, but to discuss the NASCAR event that has taken place (or about to take place).
Having said that, what is the reason for this kneejerk, negative reaction that some seem to have here when anything is posted concerning the US soccer team, World Cup, etc.?
The thread didn't start out disparaging other sports at all, only to talk about the US defeating Spain. But shortly, it degenerates into a "my sport is better than your sport" (and the instigator of that degeneration is a soccer hater).
If you don't like the sport, and there is nothing in the initial thread article that disparages other sports, why bother posting?
Why are you intent on insulting my son? I would never let my daughter play soccer. The injuries sustained: three broken noses, two dislocated shoulders and a torn quad. You are just showing your ignorance of the game by your remarks.
My comments were not meant to insult your son just to make fun of a very funny phenomenon.
FTR: Any physical activity can be measured for how “tough” it is by what each player individually puts in to it.
Amazing game to watch. American determination and resolve defeating the technical skill and perfection of Spain. And I thought we’d go three and out in the group stage. Very glad to be wrong. :)
And my obligatory comment on the athleticism issues. Soccer generally draws from a very different group than the other major sports. Very tall (basketball) or very bulky (football) players would not be suited for soccer. Only a small fraction of players (point guards, running backs, wide receivers, secondary defense) from the other sports would be suited for soccer.
For what it’s worth (not much), in both of the two high schools I attended (Tennessee and Arizona), the two major sports of soccer and football drew from their respective pots pretty well. In Tennessee, we soccer players were much better runners than the football players, but I’m small enough that I would have definite injury trouble as a football running back. In Arizona, the sprinters on the track team were split fairly evenly between the two sports, but with one exception, the football sprinters were far heavier and had little endurance. Cross-country were all soccer.
And yes, I do enjoy both sports. Football’s far more fun to watch on a domestic level, and soccer’s great at the international level. I prefer playing soccer, definitely, but still always enjoyed playing football during lunch at school. They aren’t mutually exclusive.
The reason we don’t give a rat’s behind for the sport is because it only appeals to pussies, but thanks for sharing YOUR enthusiasm for it.
BTW, what country are you from?
LOL!
That one’s a keeper!
I second that emotion. Hilarious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU1jra7RKCQ
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