25 American Athletes Who Would Be Soccer Studs

What if the best American athletes played soccer?

Sure, it's only a hypothetical question, and an unrealistic one at that. Still, it's fun to think about.

I'm not the first to do so, of course (thanks for a few ideas, guys). Considering the fact that we sent this guy to multiple World Cups, it's only natural for us to wonder what could have been—that is, if better athletes had chosen soccer at a young age.

With that said, a lot of these athletes would have to lose a bunch of weight to be soccer players. Also, they'd have to learn a bunch of new skills. But like I said, this list isn't necessarily realistic.

So, then, here are the rules: The athletes in question have to be active (as in, not retired), and they have to be American.

That's it. Let's go.

Michael Vick

Suggested positions: Winger, attacking midfielder

In American football, the 6'0", 215-pound Michael Vick is somewhat small. In world football, the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback would actually be kinda big.

And with that athleticism and speed, he'd be an ideal choice for a creative player. I'd love to see him as a winger or withdrawn playmaker.

Kobe Bryant

Suggested positions: Goalkeeper, central defender, central forward

At 6'6", Kobe Bryant would be a bit tall for a footballer. But he's lean and long, and he obviously has outstanding athletic ability.

Kobe is currently eighth on the all-time NBA scoring list with 27,951. Still just 33, he has a decent chance to make a run at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record.

With his combination of height, length and athletic ability, Kobe would make an excellent goalkeeper. But if that's too boring for him, his physical attributes would also make him a great central defender (think Per Mertesacker, who is similarly tall and long) or central forward (Peter Crouch, minus the awkward goofiness).

Jacoby Ellsbury

Suggested position: Midfield

Jacoby Ellsbury, a center fielder for the Boston Red Sox, finished second in the 2011 American League Most Valuable Player voting behind Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (more on him later). Ellsbury hit his stride in 2011, batting .321 (that's good, for all you non-baseball fans) with 32 home runs (a career high), 105 runs batted in and 39 stolen bases.

His speed and power (it's called the 30-30 club, after the numbers of home runs and stolen bases) make him one of the top athletes on the team. So does the fact that he plays center field (again, for non-baseball fans, this is one of the most physically demanding positions in baseball).

Baseball isn't Ellsbury's only sport. In high school, he also played tennis, softball, football, ice hockey, golf, swimming and basketball.

Combined, Ellsbury's athleticism, versatility and scrappiness make him a perfect candidate for midfield.

Tim Thomas

Suggested position: Goalkeeper (duh); defensive midfielder

Tim Thomas plays goalkeeper for the Boston Bruins, the reigning champions of the National Hockey League. In the spring of 2011, he led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup.

Thomas allowed eight goals in the seven-game Stanley Cup finals and posted a save percentage of .967, a record. For his efforts, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded yearly to the best overall player in the playoffs.

Additionally, Thomas won the Vezina Trophy for the NHL's top goalkeeper in 2009 and 2011.

At 5'11", he's a bit smallish for a football goalkeeper. But he's clearly good at stopping projectiles form entering a goal.

If goalkeeping didn't work out, I think he'd also make a good defensive midfielder. Just call it a hunch.

Chris Johnson

Suggested positions: Winger, box-to-box midfielder. Actually, anywhere

Chris Johnson, a running back for the NFL's Tennessee Titans, rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009. He was only the sixth player in league history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season.

The dude is crazy athletic. Plus, he has sprinter speed and knows how to read defenses. Those qualities would be valuable in world football.

Brian Urlacher

Suggested positions: Midfield destroyer, central defender

Brian Urlacher is scary.

These days, he'd probably be called a thug on the pitch. But back in the day, every good team had a ruthless destroyer just like him.

His mere presence on the field would prompt Cristiano Ronaldo to fall over, assume the fetal position and start weeping somberly.

Dwight Howard

Suggested positions: Goalkeeper, central defender, center forward

Dwight Howard's nickname is Superman. It's easy to see why.

Howard is a physical specimen. His attributes are not necessarily ideal for world football, but that shouldn't matter.

No team would let such a gifted athlete get away. He'd be valuable on any team, in any league, in any sport in the world, based on athleticism alone.

DeSean Jackson

Suggested positions: Fullback, winger

Now here's a footballer. At 5'10", 175 pounds, DeSean Jackson, a receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, actually looks the part.

He would be a good footballer, too. He can run the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds, so he has the speed to track down speedy forwards.

And with these moves, he clearly has athletic ability.

Carl Crawford

Suggested positions: Midfielder, defender

It's always difficult to gauge whether baseball players would be good at other sports. More than most sports, baseball involves lots of standing around.

But Carl Crawford, an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, is clearly a gifted athlete. Before becoming a professional baseball player, Crawford had scholarship offers to play basketball and football in college.

He chose baseball instead. Now, he's a four-time All-Star with a .293 career average and 427 stolen bases.

Cam Newton

Suggested positions: Anywhere

Full disclosure: I'm a lifelong Auburn fan. With that said, there's no denying that Cam Newton is a special athlete.

The Carolina Panthers (and former Auburn University) quarterback combines the speed and agility of a running back with the power of a linebacker. When he's on, he's literally unstoppable.

Yeah, at 6'6", 250, he's a bit big for world football. But just think of what he could do on a pitch with his athletic ability.

Surely, he could find a suitable position.

LeBron James

Suggested positions: Goalkeeper, center forward, midfield destroyer

Like several of the other athletes on this list, King James is a bit large compared to your average footballer. Nonetheless, his athleticism would make him a valuable member of any team.

Check out his moves. He'd be great almost anywhere on the pitch.

Reggie Bush

Suggested positions: Wingback, midfielder

Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in America in 2005 (he gave it back after a scandal). His pro career hasn't been quite as successful, but he has shown glimpses of what makes him so special.

That athleticism and versatility would make him an excellent midfielder or attacking fullback.

Rajon Rondo

Suggested positions: Playmaker, forward

Rajon Rondo, a guard for the Boston Celtics, is one of the most exciting young players in the NBA.

As a point guard, he runs the offense for the Celtics. Through his first five years in the league, Rondo has averaged more than seven assists per game.

But that's just part of his value. He's a nasty defender, a decent rebounder for his size (6'1") and an excellent reader of the game.

Imagine what he could do with the ball at his feet.

Darrelle Revis

Suggested position: Fullback

Opposing offenses don't often throw the ball at Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets.

When they do, this kind of stuff tends to happen.

Revis, who stands 5'11" and weighs 198 pounds, would be an excellent fullback. He's great at defending, and he's clearly tough.

Metta World Peace

Suggested position: Central defender

Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest), a forward for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, is big (6'7", 260 pounds), strong and absolutely, positively crazy.

That's an excellent recipe for a central defender.

Troy Polamalu

Suggested positions: Midfield destroyer, goalkeeper

Speaking of crazy, what kind of person launches himself through the air like this?

If you ask me, he looks like a pretty good midfielder. Or maybe even a goalie.

Derrick Rose

Suggested position: Midfielder

Derrick Rose, the point guard for the Chicago Bulls, was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2010-11 season.

Why? See for yourself.

At 6'3", 190 pounds, Rose would be a hefty footballer. But he clearly has the awareness and vision to be an excellent midfielder.

Percy Harvin

Suggested position: Winger

Percy Harvin is a wide receiver and return specialist for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. In high school, he was also a champion sprinter.

He hasn't lost that speed, as you can clearly see.

Just imagine him running with the ball at his feet the way Gareth Bale does.

An exhilarating thought, no?

Chad Ochocinco

Suggested position: Forward

Okay, so I'm putting Chad Ochocinco (the NFL receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson) on here because he likes soccer.

In fact, he tried out for an MLS team a while back. He wasn't great (though he did make the team as a reserve), but just imagine if he'd been playing his whole life.

Justin Verlander

Suggested position: Goalkeeper

Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers had an amazing 2011. He was a unanimous winner of the American League Cy Young—which is awarded yearly to the league's top pitcher—and was also named AL MVP.

Verlander dominates hitters with his 100 mile-per-hour fastball. He has thrown two no-hitters, including his most recent back in May.

With his size—6'5", 225 pounds—he's an ideal candidate for goalkeeper. No doubt he could throw the football long distances. That would be a great weapon for any team.

Tom Brady

Suggested position: Midfielder

Tom Brady, the superstar quarterback of the New England Patriots, is a three-time Super Bowl champion, two-time AP NFL MVP, seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl MVP.

In short, he's a living legend. He's one of the best and most competitive players of his era. In addition to being talented, Brady has always played with a chip on his shoulder.

I think he would succeed at any sport he tried.

Drew Brees

Suggested position: Midfielder

Drew Brees, the quarterback of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, recently set the NFL record for most passing yards in a season. The old record was held by Hall of Famer Dan Marino.

Brees gets it done with accuracy. His completion percentage rate has been better than 70 percent every year since 2003.

Don't you think that kind of passing accuracy would be valuable in the midfield? Barcelona would.

Aaron Rodgers

Suggested position: Midfield

Despite his record-setting season, Drew Brees probably won't be named the NFL's MVP.

Why not? This guy.

That's Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback of the reigning Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. Heading into the final week of the regular season, Rodgers has thrown for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

And the Packers are 14-1.

What does all that have to do with world football? Well, Rodgers clearly knows how to manage a game. He's also an excellent passer.

Both qualities would be valuable in a midfielder.

Matt Kemp

Suggested position: Defender, midfielder

Matt Kemp, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, finished second in the 2011 National League MVP voting. But you could make the case that he deserved to win the award, especially after the recent allegations against Ryan Braun came out.

In 2011, Kemp hit for average (.324) and power (39 homers, 126 RBIs), and also stole 40 bases. That means he can do it all.

At 6'3", 215, Kemp has the physical attributes to be a solid defender or defensive midfielder.

Robert Griffin III

Suggested position: Forward

Robert Griffin III, the quarterback for Baylor University, won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in America in 2011.

He combines the size of Tim Tebow and the athleticism of Michael Vick. In other words, he's an amazing physical specimen.

With the ball at his feet, defenders would find it difficult to stop him.