Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It actually 100% Proves The Point that you can't start soccer as late as HS ages and make it to the top levels
Because there are no examples

I believe PP's point was that there are almost no examples of Americans who made it to the top levels of soccer even after having started early. When you're dealing with such small sample sizes, drawing any kinds of conclusions regarding causality is flawed.

Is this a joke?
Americans are playing and having been playing college soccer and in professional ranks for decades.

No one can find one player at top college or professional levels who started playing soccer at HS age.

There are several examples of basketball and football players who started at HS ages

Alex Morgan - Age 14 - Now we all watch the fun.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It actually 100% Proves The Point that you can't start soccer as late as HS ages and make it to the top levels
Because there are no examples

I believe PP's point was that there are almost no examples of Americans who made it to the top levels of soccer even after having started early. When you're dealing with such small sample sizes, drawing any kinds of conclusions regarding causality is flawed.

Is this a joke?
Americans are playing and having been playing college soccer and in professional ranks for decades.

No one can find one player at top college or professional levels who started playing soccer at HS age.

There are several examples of basketball and football players who started at HS ages

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It actually 100% Proves The Point that you can't start soccer as late as HS ages and make it to the top levels
Because there are no examples

I believe PP's point was that there are almost no examples of Americans who made it to the top levels of soccer even after having started early. When you're dealing with such small sample sizes, drawing any kinds of conclusions regarding causality is flawed.

Is this a joke?
Americans are playing and having been playing college soccer and in professional ranks for decades.

No one can find one player at top college or professional levels who started playing soccer at HS age.

There are several examples of basketball and football players who started at HS ages

Anonymous wrote:The point of this digression was that soccer misses out on a ton of super athletic kids who figure out that they will never be big/tall enough for basketball/football but its too late to succeed at a high level of soccer.

Though I don't really think its just the DNA, but the combo of drive, and luck in finding the right environment for that player to succeed. I personally find the argument that there are too few great coaches, bad early scouting, and a ballooning of costs and this throttles American soccer success.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It actually 100% Proves The Point that you can't start soccer as late as HS ages and make it to the top levels
Because there are no examples

I believe PP's point was that there are almost no examples of Americans who made it to the top levels of soccer even after having started early. When you're dealing with such small sample sizes, drawing any kinds of conclusions regarding causality is flawed.

Anonymous wrote:It actually 100% Proves The Point that you can't start soccer as late as HS ages and make it to the top levels
Because there are no examples

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, six guys over a span of 40 years.

Those are notable names in the sport. Not all who have ever started late and made it to a high level, including the G league, European, or college.

It just shows that it is more likely and possible in that particular sport.

Do you have any examples in soccer/football that have made it to the highest levels?

In the rest of the world, literally EVERYONE plays soccer first because it is by far the most popular sport and part of the culture. That's why you won't find pro soccer players who started with a different sport. It's ridiculous to look for guys in Spain who did not play soccer at a young age, but did play american football or baseball, and then suddenly picked up soccer in high school?

In the US you'll struggle to find an example of a kid who started soccer late and made it to high level soccer, because there are only a HANDFUL of men to EVER make high level soccer from the US.

It doesn't prove your point that soccer is somehow different than every other sport and high level players cannot start late. The lack of late starters is just a result of unrelated circumstances which have prevent it.

It actually 100% Proves The Point that you can't start soccer as late as HS ages and make it to the top levels
Because there are no examples

The flip side is also 100% Proven that many college, NFL and NBA players started at HS ages, because there is data that shows that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, six guys over a span of 40 years.

Those are notable names in the sport. Not all who have ever started late and made it to a high level, including the G league, European, or college.

It just shows that it is more likely and possible in that particular sport.

Do you have any examples in soccer/football that have made it to the highest levels?

In the rest of the world, literally EVERYONE plays soccer first because it is by far the most popular sport and part of the culture. That's why you won't find pro soccer players who started with a different sport. It's ridiculous to look for guys in Spain who did not play soccer at a young age, but did play american football or baseball, and then suddenly picked up soccer in high school?

In the US you'll struggle to find an example of a kid who started soccer late and made it to high level soccer, because there are only a HANDFUL of men to EVER make high level soccer from the US.

It doesn't prove your point that soccer is somehow different than every other sport and high level players cannot start late. The lack of late starters is just a result of unrelated circumstances which have prevent it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, six guys over a span of 40 years.

Those are notable names in the sport. Not all who have ever started late and made it to a high level, including the G league, European, or college.

It just shows that it is more likely and possible in that particular sport.

Do you have any examples in soccer/football that have made it to the highest levels?

In the rest of the world, literally EVERYONE plays soccer first because it is by far the most popular sport and part of the culture. That's why you won't find pro soccer players who started with a different sport. It's ridiculous to look for guys in Spain who did not play soccer at a young age, but did play american football or baseball, and then suddenly picked up soccer in high school?

In the US you'll struggle to find an example of a kid who started soccer late and made it to high level soccer, because there are only a HANDFUL of men to EVER make high level soccer from the US.

It doesn't prove your point that soccer is somehow different than every other sport and high level players cannot start late. The lack of late starters is just a result of unrelated circumstances which have prevent it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, six guys over a span of 40 years.

Those are notable names in the sport. Not all who have ever started late and made it to a high level, including the G league, European, or college.

It just shows that it is more likely and possible in that particular sport.

Do you have any examples in soccer/football that have made it to the highest levels?

Anonymous wrote:So, six guys over a span of 40 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:American football and basketball require a certain physiology - unfortunately you wouldn't realize you can never be that build until after its too late to pick up soccer.

True
You can wake-up tall or big in HS and start playing basketball or football and make it to college or pros

You can't start playing soccer in HS and make it

I understand in a way what you are saying, but disagree. The likelihood of never playing basketball before and waking up as a 7'-0" guy and making it to the pros is extremely difficult. There's a tremendous amount of work to get there and I would say a lot of athletic ability and athletic IQ needed. There are stories of folks doing it, such as Hakeem Olajuwon, who didn't play basketball until 15, but ironically, played soccer goalie when younger.

You will hear occasional stories of wrestlers becoming lineman and such, but much like everyone else, they are already high level athletes. Just because you are an exceptionally tall or large human doesn't mean that you'll be a D1 or pro level player.

I get what you are saying about too about soccer, but is it really any different than any other sport? Unless you are some sort of athletic savant, it's unlikely that you can just start playing in HS and be college player. Dave Winfield is a pretty wild story. Ask a high schooler, he was drafted in 4 different leagues in 3 different sports. MLB Baseball, NBA and ABA Basketball and the NFL - and he never played a down of football.

We can find several examples of people who started playing basketball and football in HS and went on to play college and pros
(the PP didn't say it was easy and common)

There are no examples of players who started playing soccer at HS ages and made it to the highest levels

I'm sure that there are some examples out there, but what I was trying to counter was this comment: You can wake-up tall or big in HS and start playing basketball or football and make it to college or pros The waking up tall or big in HS and start playing...yeah, not likely.