Open Mic: Only Hope for US Soccer is the Impossible

I must admit, I am not a huge soccer fan.  I only tune in for the World Cups.  It's not that I hate the sport, it's that I have nothing to watch it for.  Let's face it, sports are driven by stars.

In the US, the NBA has the likes of Kobe and LeBron, while the NFL has Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, with young studs coming up through the draft every year.  Baseball has predictably fallen to third in popularity due to the steroids scandal, lack of draft impact, and of course, the same problem soccer has, lack of the premier athletes playing the sport.

The only hope for US soccer is the impossible.  In order for the US to compete on the world stage, America's best athletes need to play soccer.  By this I don't mean a premiere athlete not making it in one sport and converting to soccer later in life, but an athlete that grows up playing soccer and making it their sport of choice to make a living.

Let's take Reggie Bush for example, while he may not turn out to be the running back everyone thought he might be in the NFL, I have no doubt in my mind that if he had grown up playing soccer and made it his sport of choice, we would be well on our way to discussing about winning a World Cup.

Who in the world could match Bush's speed and quickness?  While he may not be considered powerful in the NFL, I'm sure his power would be more than sufficient in the soccer world. 

Let's translate that to every lightning quick RB that was great in college but not considered an every down back in the NFL.  Had those guys played soccer throughout their life, the US soccer program would be on the map based on athleticism alone.

Unfortunately this will never come to pass.  There is no money in soccer, at least here in the US.  Even worse, there is no glory and recognition, the things that keep kids working on their games at a young age.

Until these three things become part of soccer in the US, American soccer will always be what it has been, an afterthought every four years.