EastBayGrease

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

You are mixed up. I'm agreeing with you. Race does not equate to "better athletes."

The other poster disagrees with us. They agreed with this:
"the us womens team started losing so they basically just added a bunch of younger black players and became #1 again. It’s legitimately a cheat code they never used"

Plus, what do you think "culturally adopt" means? The Nats would be better if more African American kids play FIFA?

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

My point exactly. It's a class issue. Race has nothing to do with it.

If you look at soccer stars from around the world, most are from poor or working class families. In our country, only upper-middle and upper class families can afford to pay travel soccer. Obviously, if more working class kids have a path to the pros and Nats, we will be better. More Diego Lunas, More Dempseys. If the Nats can find a "street baller" like Arshavin, Ozil, or Riquelme, who cares what color their skin is.

While we will be better, we will not suddenly walk all over the existing soccer powers. To think that is foolish and shows no understanding of the depth of their soccer cultures. Anyone who thinks that needs to check out a youtube video of average Brazilians playing keepie uppie on the beach.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

You don't understand my point. My point is that the USA will not suddenly dominate soccer just because we get better athletes to play. Will we be more competitive? YES, that is beyond obvious.

But we are not going to start running over the likes of Argentina, Brazil, or Spain. It's naive to think that and shows no respect for the depth and skill of those soccer cultures.

Riddle me this: If getting African Americans who play street soccer is the answer, how come Germany has won 4 World Cups and no African country has gotten to a WC final.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

I'm not in the box you think I am, mi amigo.

I'm born and raised in Oakland, CA. I played soccer every day in high school. My club team was 100% Mexican immigrants. Most of them spoke zero English. At our State Cup match, three of the players drove themselves 120 miles to the tournament even though we were U-16. We almost beat the State Cup champs. One day a player didn't show up to practice. Turns out his friend got jumped and he was driving around with a gun looking for the guys who did it. You ever play soccer with kids in a mariachi band? One of the best athletes I ever played with was on that team, Keko. He was also in a gang and eventually fizzled out in the Mexican league. He was a real life, Latino "Hoop Dreams" story. You know anyone like that?

When I wasn't playing on that team, I played pick up outside the International House of a major CA university. I played with guys from Africa, Brazil, Europe every week in real pick up... not organized practice. Every week.

To address your point, skin color has nothing to do with it. The problem with US soccer is pay-to-play. Working class families from every skin color can't afford to play travel soccer. I coach. I see it right in my community. It's a class issue, not a race issue.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@iswearimworkin @sporadica Category 1 was $650

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

American athletes are so dominant yet we can't win the baseball world championship and the best baseball player ever is Japanese. The best 5 NBA players are foreigners. And guess what would happen if all the rugby players decided to play NFL football.

And if you think African Americans are the secret sauce, Brazil had a larger slave trade than the US. And there, the average dude can play volleyball with his feet.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@UGAFBChatter The average NFL game is almost 3 hours but the amount of actual game play is around 15 minutes. Most of the time you are watching ads, cuts to players on the bench, even cuts to the broadcasters. Of those 15.minutes, many of those plays are short runs. Soccer has a flow.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@WillParchman There is a place like that. It's called
Brazil.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@FOS This is why we need promotion and relegation. In England, you have grass roots soccer and the clubs come to recruit the best kids into academies. Here, we have a for profit industry in which private clubs sell pipe dreams to okay athletes with affluent parent.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@Bernstein You are referring to a Eurosnob.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@E_Barcohana @BasedMikeLee Makes you wonder how much cartel money is in LA politics

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@cbwritescopy Dest is from Holland. Balogun is from England. Tillman is from Germany. Robinson is from England. Until our domestic league has promotion and relegation, our young players won't compete with enough intensity and we won't have a system to find diamonds in the rough.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@MC_frnk Must be all that meditation

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@ReynaXMCI True fact. His dad raised him on organ meat.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@TiffanyFong 100% They are talking about hair product.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@TheCharlesDowns This is cool.

But to be accurate, these fans are copying what the German fans did when the NFL played a game in Munich. Then the Scotland fans did it a few days ago at this World Cup.

So it's more of American soccer fans imitating European fans.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@TheAthletic @HenryBushnell You looked at a united team of Americans and discriminated between those with dark skin and those with light skin. You have a real talent for discriminating differences ... especially skin color. You have a bright future in corporate media.

[EastBayGrease @bay_spray]

@thedukeofmadrid ...fight in the dog