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by HCE, Tuesday, July 07, 2026, 07:37 (15 days ago) @ Mike (bart)

There's little doubt that the youth sports industrial complex prices out potential players and thus drains the talent pool. It's entirely possible that we lose potential footballers to other sports, but impossible to quantify the issue.

This canard starts getting silly when it presumes that pure athleticism is what we're missing or the essential virtue of great players. If it were all about athletic ability, Adama Traore would be Lionel Messi.

Where it gets really silly is when people start scouring NBA rosters in search of power forwards who'd make good number 9s.

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Some takeaways from this game. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 18:57
- Having stopped to think a bit, a question for all - Greg, 2026-07-07, 13:06
  - And France only beat 1-0 - Chris, 2026-07-07, 14:01
- Flashbacks to 2012 ND Football - ndbk32, 2026-07-06, 22:53
  - Nails it. Weaknesses exposed - Jack, 2026-07-07, 05:38
  - That's how I felt too. - oviedoirish, 2026-07-07, 04:54
- Tonight was January 7, 2013 all over again - HCE, 2026-07-06, 20:35
  - Nah - Charles, 2026-07-08, 13:22
  - Beat me to it - ndbk32, 2026-07-06, 22:58
- Some super basic questions... - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:08
  - Some observations. - PMan, 2026-07-06, 20:43
    - I don't know from anything - Greg, 2026-07-07, 07:24
    - Is there truth to the idea we have adverse talent selection? - Mike (bart), 2026-07-07, 06:58
      - Need a path to big money as a teenager - TSchlidt, 2026-07-07, 09:20
        
        It's not the story anymore, if it ever was - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 09:39
        
        is that money, or genetics? - KGB, 2026-07-07, 12:32
        
        It's actually hard to say - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 12:46
      - I don't buy that anymore - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 07:45
        
        The game knowledge thing is fascinating to me - Regular Joseph, 2026-07-07, 18:44
        
        Worth noting, our guys play in the world's best leagues - HCE, 2026-07-07, 20:03
        
        This is on Poch as manager more than “knowledge” - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:00
      - Sort of? - HCE, 2026-07-07, 07:37
      - For elite athletes with aptitude in soccer and one of the - BillyGoat, 2026-07-07, 07:05
        
        I agree - IrishGuard, 2026-07-07, 09:32
  - On #1 - it’s so much better than it was - Dylan, 2026-07-06, 19:27
  - To go along with your #1... - domer.mq, 2026-07-06, 19:21
    - I haven’t researched this issue too much. - San Pedro, 2026-07-07, 05:58
    - That's a good point. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:26
      - AAU basketball doesn't seem to hurt - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:29
        
        There is no greater authority on this than Kobe Bryant - hobbs, 2026-07-06, 20:40
        
        Maybe - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 05:10
        
        Can't argue with any of that. - hobbs, 2026-07-07, 07:27
        
        Our best young players go to Europe or MLS academies. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:35
        
        Right - bobbywal, 2026-07-06, 20:01
        
        AAU isn't necessarily a net plus though. - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:32
        
        I’d like to read a deep dive into the differences - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-06, 19:43
        
        There's the rub - Domer99, 2026-07-07, 09:55
        
        Travel expands and expands until public leagues all die - MattG, 2026-07-07, 07:32
        
        Euro soccer elite are already vacuumed up by then - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 07:38
        
        Maybe this is too shallow - Domer99, 2026-07-07, 10:04
        
        For some clubs it's also a money grab - okerland, 2026-07-06, 20:33
        
        not only that - Pat, 2026-07-06, 21:24
        
        But I'm sure corollaries of this exist over there too - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 05:17
        
        I forgot that we are part of the same soccer club :) - okerland, 2026-07-06, 21:40
        
        I don't know that I've ever seen one definitive comparison. - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:53
        
        My guess is coaching and training. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:52
        
        I'd buy that - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:39
  - PMan and HCE are better sources but I'll do my best. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:17
    - Thanks. Would not have guessed (1) - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:18
      - I think the reason many countries have seemingly - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:25
- Nobody else gave up 4 goals in round of 32 or 16. - Mr. Natural, 2026-07-06, 19:07
- Where is USMNT in CFB terms? - HumanRobot, 2026-07-06, 19:00
  - JMU or Texas Tech - Charles, 2026-07-08, 13:31
  - West Virginia - they both play Almost Heaven…. - PasadenaDomer, 2026-07-07, 13:44
  - I was thinking TAMU - HumanRobot, 2026-07-07, 13:43
    - Sweden. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:58
  - Boise State - PMan, 2026-07-07, 13:37
    - I used BSU as a comparable to my LSU buddy who knows nothing - cdawg, 2026-07-07, 14:44
      - That's the new PAC-12 to you. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:53
  - Nebraska. - omahadomer, 2026-07-06, 19:19
    - Uruguay. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:56
      - But the early hype and then celebrating going - omahadomer, 2026-07-07, 18:03
        
        Nobody of worth considers this Cup a “success.” - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:07
  - Michigan St.? - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:02
    - Scotland? - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:12

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