2010 FIFA World Cup: The Pseudo-U.S. World Cup Team

One criticism of American athletics is that they don’t produce elite level football talents like their neighbors across the Atlantic or below their southern borders in Latin America.

No Pelés. No Ronaldos. No Maradonas. No Messis. No Rooneys. No Drogbas. These footballers acclaim to be their respective nations’ elite athletes.

But what if today’s elite American athletes—hailing from the NFL, NBA, and MLB—instead of these power sports, chose the world’s most popular sport—football?

In spirit of the World Cup, what would this U.S. National Team look like?

The roster is based on athletic and physical merit and talent, seeing as how very few of these players have the experience and know-how of the game.

After proper conditioning and coaching, this team could turn some heads.

Broken down by position and followed by a starting eleven, here is my 23-man pseudo-selection:

Goalkeepers : Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Tayshaun Prince.

Defenders : Darrelle Revis, Ron Artest, Darren Sharper, Nnamdi Asomugha, Dwayne Wade, Ed Reed, DeAngelo Hall.

Midfielders : Kobe Bryant, Richard Hamilton, Ray Allen, Torii Hunter, B.J. Upton, Andre Johnson, Derrick Rose, Wes Welker.

Forwards : Adrian Peterson, Carl Crawford, Darren Sproles, Denard Span, Chris Johnson.

The Breakdown

The Goalkeepers : Lanky, long and nimble describe all three of these NBA All-Stars.

Success at keeper means having the vision, the length and the wherewithal to get fingertips and palms on any threatening ball put on goal.

The height and wingspans of KD, KG and Prince drastically reduce opposing views on net, and their agility will allow them to make the proper saves.

The Defense : Relentless work-rates, strength, speed and quickness prove to be the success of top defenders.

Revis, Asomugha, Wade and Hall all possess the pace and aggression to play the wings—much like we would see from top defensive wingers like Maicon or Dani Alves.

The central defenders, Artest, Sharper and Reed, are big bodies with incredible athleticism and strength to solidify a back four.

The Midfield : Football IQ cannot be taught, but all of these All-Star caliber players boast great anticipation skills and a feel for their surroundings.

On top of that, each can lead by example, but others—Kobe for instance—possess the highly coveted ability to rally teammates and improve the play of everyone around them.

Upton, Rose and Welker are shifty, quick-paced wingers that would play well in space.

Kobe, Hamilton, Allen and Hunter provide great agility but with purpose and strength in the center of the field. They would be good pitch leaders who would maintain possession and keep the game objectives fresh in mind.

Johnson is the giant in the midfield who can win balls easily in the air.

A Kaká type of player, he holds a mix of strength, speed, agility and dexterity that is seldom found in tall and slender athletes. Often times, he could be the beginning or end of brilliant runs.

The Forwards : Speed kills and every forward selected brings different tools to the table.

Peterson, while littered with brute strength, is surprisingly light enough on his toes to employ the speed game as well as the smashmouth power game.

Crawford and Span are speedster front-wingers who are crossing specialists, though most of the forwards lack true heading power which comes mostly out of the midfield.

Sproles and Johnson are skill players with blistering pace, the fastest on the pitch in open space. Perfect counterattack options that, given a sliver of space, can make opposing teams pay if they can finish.

Starting Eleven  

GK: Durant

LB: Wade

CB: Artest

CB: Sharper

RB: Asomugha

LM: Bryant

CM: Johnson

RM: Upton

CF: Peterson

LS: Span

RS: Sproles

The 23-man selection isn’t perfect but the skills and intangibles are fitted for success.

This is a fun piece, by all means.

Open your imagination and select your own team.