I had no idea the WS was going on

[clyde_carbon]

Compared to hitting a fast ball 400 feet, boxing out a center or tackling a RB? Very little. Or being an MMA fighter for that matter. It's all relative.

Sure, Soccer doesn't need as much core strength as MMA. That doesn't mean it's not needed. If a defender doesn't have enough upper body/core strength and body control, he's not winning a shoulder to shoulder contest with a premier forward, and he's certainly not winning any jump ball situations.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Just the skill it takes to take a FK and score is unmatched in ANY sport. The strength, accuracy, spin, movement, and control of the ball is nothing short of amazing. Just watch these 2013 scores:

[youtube]iSYrZ-pH5tk[/youtube]

 

[NinerSickness]

Give me ONE Baseball player than can even THINK about defending Ibrahimovic:

Of course baseball players can't defend that guy; nor can they pronounce his name.

 

[TobyTyler]

Size/speed means nothing in Soccer if you don't have enough coordination and skill to control the ball. It takes much more coordination to control a ball with you legs/feet than it does with your arm/hands, and this coming from a guy who played Football, Basketball, AND Soccer all the way through Senior year HS.

Yes, I see its rather obvious you did not play baseball. Trout has enough skill to shadow a guy and to boot the ball out of his area or clog the middle of the penalty box keeping strikers out of there. He's big, fast and athletic, he'd be a liability but not one they could not overcome with help from his teammates.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Yes, I see its rather obvious you did not play baseball. Trout has enough skill to shadow a guy and to boot the ball out of his area or clog the middle of the penalty box keeping strikers out of there. He's big, fast and athletic, he'd be a liability but not one they could not overcome with help from his teammates.

I played Baseball, just not organized. I also have numerous buddies who played both competitively and say without question that Soccer is a more demanding sport athletically.

Yes, if he had a ball rolling to he'd be able to boot it. Great. If Messi or Ronald had a ball rolling to them they'd be able to catch it and throw it. What's your point?

 

[clyde_carbon]

Of course baseball players can't defend that guy; nor can they pronounce his name.

The guy is 6-5, 215/220, with legit 4.3 or 4.4 speed and ridiculous leg strength.

People are clouded by MLS Soccer because the MLS gets the short end of the stick when it comes to American athletes. Watch Serie A or the EPL or La Liga and tell me it doesn't require more raw talent than Baseball.

 

[TobyTyler]

I played Baseball, just not organized. I also have numerous buddies who played both competitively and say without question that Soccer is a more demanding sport athletically.

Yes, if he had a ball rolling to he'd be able to boot it. Great. If Messi or Ronald had a ball rolling to them they'd be able to catch it and throw it. What's your point?

More physically demanding, maybe, but to say it takes more talent, we disagree. I still say the hardest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball. I don't think Messi or Ronaldo would either catch a sharp grounder, or be able to throw it accurately to a base. They might try and throw a two handed over the head ball to first base but it wouldn't get there. I spent several years in Europe and I see how those guys throw.

I played soccer with many German soldiers and though I don't know the game as well as them, my athletic ability allowed me to hold my own with them. Still one of the most precious comments I've ever received in sports was from our German coach as I got a break away to the goal on a missed pass and I waited till the goalie comitted to me and used the outside of my right foot to bump it to a guy on the wing who one timed it into the goal. Our German coach said in English "That's the way to do it!" My point being, if a hack like me could do it, I'm sure a great athlete like Trout would find a way to muddle through.

 

[charles ponzi]

I'm sorry, but that is blatantly wrong. Beyond weight/height requirements, I'm guessing you are talking about running backs or wide receivers with the "plug in and play" idea. For RBs, you can look at LMJ, who is a fast scat back with no vision that has been playing football for most of his life. What abot AJ Jenkins? or Marlon Moore? Both are considered "fast,"but neither one is burning NFL secondaries for TDs.

And what about Okoye? Okoye is the embodiment of your argument, and he has only made a practice squad.

Are you old enough to remember Christian Okoye? He's the original "Nigerian Nightmare?" More recently: Menelik Watson (England), Margus Hunt (Lithuania), Bjoern Werner (Germany), Sebastian Vollmer (Germany). In Basketball, Manute Bol, Dikembe Mutombo, et. al. My knowledge of soccer is limited but I do know that African teams do well and a lot of African (and Middle Eastern and Asian) players play in the European leagues.

I can't think of a similar situation for baseball. If it were possible, they'd be looking for cheap talent elsewhere.

 

[Kinzu]

Just the skill it takes to take a FK and score is unmatched in ANY sport. The strength, accuracy, spin, movement, and control of the ball is nothing short of amazing. Just watch these 2013 scores:

[youtube]iSYrZ-pH5tk[/youtube]

You left out luck.
Scoring on a free kick is about the same as QB throwing a 20 yard pass between coverage. They take a tremendous of skill, but part of it is just dumb luck that one of the many variable did not go wrong for you.