Thursday, June 25, 2009

USA Soccer Dream Team

I played soccer from age 7 through 15 and really enjoyed the sport. However, basketball was my first love and the seasons conflicted once I got to high school so I quit playing soccer. I still love the game though and watch games on ESPN a lot. I was really happy to see the USA team beat Spain, what a big win to beat the #1 team in the world.

I love to play "What if" with soccer because in the U.S., our best athletes play hoops, football and baseball. They never get introduced early in life or they quit like I did when they are teenagers. What if soccer was our national sport? What would our lineup look like? Here's my hypothetical USA Soccer Dream Team.

Goalie - Tori Hunter - MLB Outfielder - Amazing hands, speed & quickness and anticipates the ball perfectly.

Sweeper - Lebron James - Hoops Forward - Fastest 6'9' human ever created. Can swoop in and be physical when needed. No one would get by him. Great on headers from corner kicks.

Fullbacks - Carl Crawford & Matt Kemp- MLB Outfielder - Both are strong, skilled and incredibly fast. They're exceptional outfielders who can anticipate where the ball is going. Crawford could hang with the less physical forward from the other team and Kemp could take their big boy.

Stopper - Patrick Willis - NFL Middle Linebacker - Freakish speed and incredible strength. Used to reading the field and seeing a play develop. Sets a physical tone for the defense.

Center Midfielders - Baron Davis & Chris Paul- Hoops Point Guard - Incredibly strong and quick feet with explosive short bursts. Would control the center of the field.

Outside Midfielders - Allen Iverson & Rajon Rondo - Hoops Point Guard - Lean & can run forever. Good size and exceptional speed. Can burst up to support the strikers.

Forwards - Terrell Owers & Randy Moss - NFL Wide Receivers - Some of the fastest humans on earth and both go 6'3' to 6'5'. Would be deadly on free kick headers and could out run any defender for a free ball in the corner.

Who did I miss?