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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The idea that our [b]best[/b] players are switching from soccer to other sports in their teenage years seems to be one of those things that just gets tossed out there and often repeated even though it has no basis in reality.

Seriously, how many boys do any of you know who had legit pro potential - or even lets just say they were one of the most talented players on a top bracket level team at U9-U11, or DA team at U12-U13 - but then they gave it all up and are now playing football or basketball?

Nationally, I can think of O'Dell Beckham Jr, but that's about it.    But locally - and I've been around the youth soccer scene in the DMV for over 15 years - I can't think of a single player who was a truly a standout at soccer going into their teenage years and then quit to play another sport.

I can think of quite a few kids who were great all-around athletes who did make the switch from soccer to play something else, but none of them were among the best of the best in soccer.  Most of them switched to a sport where their raw athleticism would give them more of an advantage, after it became clear to them that they were never going to be a star in soccer because they didn't have the skill level of the kids who lived with a ball at their feat all the time.  
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Here is some evidence that elite athletes do switch out of soccer. First are two area players, and the last is a hodgepodge of nfl players. You can believe it or not.  You can downplay it if you want. Up to you to leave your head in the sand. It is not coaching and it is not “rondos” that make the USMNT fail, it is the talent. The US women win and have the same coaching philosophies and USSF system, training, etc., yet they win. Why?  Talent. Plain and simple.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Crittenden

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Pride

https://www.stack.com/a/9-nfl-stars-who-grew-up-playing-soccer[/quote]

Regarding the NFL stars:
[/quote]Suh's mother shot that idea down. Suh only gave up soccer after he had a massive growth spurt in the eighth grade[quote]
Umm, yeah, Suh "chose football over soccer" SMH

OBJ
[/quote]"My coach was pushing to try and get me on the national team and try out. At that age, you're 13, 14 years old, you know that to make it big in soccer you are probably going to have to go overseas.[quote]
His coach pushed to get him on the National Team. Apparently the US Soccer felt different. There is no proof that OBJ was ever scouted other than his coach pushed for it. Well, my mom thinks I'm the prettiest too.

Chad Johnson
[/quote]For me, it was soccer. And as I got older (and) into high school, my grandma sat me down and we thought about [b]longevity[/b] and a professional career, then the right sport would be football. So I switched over and focused on football," [quote]
Translation: you're better at football, I'm pretty sure the career lifespan of a pro soccer player is higher than that of a NFL player.

Wes Welker
[/quote]"I really feel that (soccer has) helped with my footwork, getting in and out of breaks, and it seems like I can take a bunch of little steps in a very quick amount of time," Welker told Boston.com in 2009. "Your feet get put in some awkward positions in football, but I'm sort of used to that from playing soccer, from moving the ball around. I definitely think that's a big part of what has made me successful in the NFL."[quote]

Again, nothing that says how good a player he was, just that he played and how the game of soccer helped football.

I get what you are trying to get at but news flash, "Pro athlete tuned down a sport AS A KID to focus on the sport they are good at and passionate about.

Nothing in these descriptions said that these players were forced to choose between say playing in the MLS or the NFL. There are only a handful of Multi Sport pro athletes who had legitimate shots at going pro in another sport:

John Elway, NFL and MLB
Bo Jackson, actually played NFL and MLB. Only player to truly excel at both sports. 
Dieon Sanders, played both NFL and MLB
Russell Wilson, NFL and was scouted for MLB
Tony Romo. NFL and currently working on his PGA card.

But in general the list isn't very long and there are others, mostly QB's who are being scouted to be pitchers.

Often times the sport actually chooses the player. John Elway could have pitched for the Yankees but deep down he knew his skill set was better suited for football. had he gone the Pro baseball route he likely would have had a much shorter career and not a HOF career as he had in football.

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