Reply to Can you tell me the pros and cons of playing “up”?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We have to stop separating big kids and little kids on the soccer field. And, giving big kids a legs up is hurting not just the kid you're playing up but the entire system. This is a huge problem for soccer in the U.S. Other countries do not care about size and physicality - they care about skills. Our way of promoting and advancing creates a bunch of 6'2" pros who can't keep up or know the game from a tactical standpoint. Just as basketball is inherently a big man's sport - soccer is inherently a small man's sport. Sure, there are guys like Zlatan Ibrahimovic out there. But for every one of him, there are five guys like Messi, Neymar, Sterling, etc, who are in the 5'6" 5'9" range. Stop focusing on size for a sport where it rarely matters beyond goalkeeper. [/quote]

Statistically, Average FIFA player height is 5’9.5-5’10” hardly giants and that includes goalkeepers in the average who are much taller.[/quote]

No soccer is not inherently a small man sport. Average height in the premier league is 5’11.5”, Bundesliga 6’ and la liga 5’ 10.75”. Average height in UK -5’10, Germany 5’11” and Spain 5’9”(South American average 5’7”). Excluding goalies, your typical premier league roster will have 15-20% of the players 5’8” and below(very few are 5’6” or below), 30% 5’9”-5’10” and 55% 5’11 or taller.

Look at Chelsea three players 5’8” and below, 25 - 6’ plus. Man city was the shortest as a team but they have 6 players below 5’8” including one 5’5”, one 5’6” and three 5’7”. Still they have more players 5’11” and over(11) vs player 5’8” and below. If soccer was inherently a short man’s sport the majority of players would 5’9” or below. [/quote]

I think the poster's point is that there is no other sport in the world where a third of the players are 5'9" and below - outside of racehorse jockeys. Looking locally, DC United has 9 players who are 5'9" and below. And this may come as a shock to you, but men tend to fib an inch or two about size. So, it's likely about half of the roster being below the average height for a man in the U.S. Nobody said you can't play soccer if you're tall, but it's the only sport where half of the players are below average height. And, if you look at the stars - you can name more under 5'10" than you can over it. Maradona, Pele, Neymar, Messi - all 5'8" or below. Think the poster's point about it being a short man's sport is a pretty solid one. [/quote]

No it’s not a small man’s game. The majority of players in the best leagues are 5’10 or taller- like 70% of a team. Most developed countries average male height is 5’9”. The number of players below 5’9” in the top leagues it drops off like a rock. You will see many more 5’9” player vs 5’8” or smaller. So a small man can play soccer but he will have to be very quick and will be at a disadvantage.

Let’s look at the best players in the game today. 5'11" Kevin De Bruyne, 6'0" Robert Lewandowski, Son Heung-min, 6'1" Cristiano Ronaldo, 6'2" Harry Kane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 6'3" Paul Pogba, 6'4" Virgil van Dijk, Eriling Haaland. You can add Messi to the list but notice a pattern? The small player is the expect to the rule …like Muggsy Bogues or Doug Flutie. Yes there are players who are short in all sports but they are few and far between.

I am really tired of people who point to the exception to the rule and saying soccer is a short man’s game. There is a clear advantage to being tall in soccer to about 6’4”. [/quote]

5’9 and 5’10” are AVERAGE not tall.

Look at the height of pro male athletes in all other sports: hockey (6’1”), football (6’2”), basketball (6’6”) and baseball (avg. 6’1.5”)

Soccer does NOT require height outside of keeper.

Nobody disputes that Fifa is getting more physical these days.[/quote]

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