Back in 1967, America was introduced to the North American Soccer League (NASL).  This league was supposedly going to finally get American kids interested in the world game of soccer, thereby flooding the sport with prime American talent.  The NASL went so far as to give huge contracts to aging international stars such as Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer in order to legitimize the competition in this country.  It was supposed to be the genesis of soccer becoming one of the most popular American sports. 

That idea obviously fell about as flat as the NASL profit line as the league stayed afloat as long as it could before unceremoniously folding in 1984.  Hordes of kids would play soccer at a young age only to quit the sport as they grew older and began concentrating their abilities on a more popular sport like football or basketball; sports that would earn them kisses from cheerleaders and possibly a big paycheck in the future.  Meanwhile, professional soccer remains a sport popular everywhere except the U.S.

But what if the NASL had succeeded in capturing the interest of American sports fans?  What if it was soccer, not (our) football, that exploded in popularity during the 1970’s and 80’s?  Logic says this change would have altered the entire course of our professional sports. 

As player salaries exploded upward in the late 1980’s and 90’s, an American soccer league would become a legitimate destination for top-notch international players.  As a result, the competition of the sport would have become fierce in this country.  The glamour factor would reach high schools, as soccer stars would attract the girls just as quickly as the star football quarterback. 

High school athletes would realize that they could earn a big paycheck in a sport where they don’t have to put on pads and destroy their body – or hang upside down until they grew to be seven feet tall.  Younger kids would see the older soccer players gain popularity and would begin working on their skills, finally putting the same time and effort into learning the fundamentals of the game as kids in other countries do.

Boosters from big schools like Texas, Michigan, UCLA, and Florida would pay soccer players to come to their alma mater and fans would line up in New York City in order to attend the professional soccer draft.  Nike, Adidas, and Reebok would fall all over themselves trying to sign the next big soccer star, and a German besides Dirk Nowtizki would be a sports stud in Texas.

Many of the football stars you know now would not be adding pound after pound of muscle onto their body, but would be juggling a soccer ball.  Basketball players who weren’t the size of a small building might take to a sport that has more roster spots open for a professional career.  Some of the more athletic baseball players might just get bored standing around all day. 

Yes, times would be different.  Especially when the World Cup tournament began.  The following is a potential roster – with sage analysis –for the U.S. National Soccer Team if soccer was popular in this country like it is everywhere else.  A standard formation of two forwards, four midfielders, four defensemen and one goalie is employed:

Forwards

Randy Moss:  A big (6’4”), fast forward who can jump out of the stadium.  A long strider who flies down the field and can adjust to long passes like no one else.  Defenders must box him out on corner kicks or else he will soar after the ball and head it into the net.  Will get frustrated if he doesn’t have early success.  Has an off-putting demeanor.  Some scouts call him “soft.”  Avoids contact as much as possible.  Must be physical with him, bump him, push him, and stay in front of him.  If you let him loose, he will kill your team.

Steve Smith:  Newcomer to the World Cup, but no one is playing better right now.  Has incredible quickness, speed, and strength package.  A big play machine, you must watch him all over the field when he’s close to your goal.  Not as tall as some of his teammates, but his short, choppy steps allow him to change direction instantly.  Loves to squirt through defenders and create big plays.  Not good at winning head balls, but once it is on the ground, he walls off defenders before heading straight to the opposing goal. 

Midfield

Allen Iverson:  Very frustrating player.  Has the tools to be one of the best.  As quick as anyone in the world with his first few steps.  Will launch himself after jump balls regardless of potential bodily harm.  A bit slight in build, but tough as nails.  If you let him get in an offensive rhythm, he will do it all: score, pass, and defend.  Sometimes pouts and gets argumentative; prime yellow card candidate.  Very hard to coach, but no one questions his heart or will to win. 

Donavan McNabb:  Center back who is the natural leader of this team.  Great mix of dribbling and passing ability.  Will challenge balls in the midfield and can start a break quickly with key downfield lobs.  Not super fast, but very strong on his feet.  Tough with the ball.  Hard outside shot, so watch him if he gets remotely close to the goal box.  Great work ethic.  Can move back to defense if the U.S. opts to bring more speed into the midfield.  Sometimes plays rougher than his body can take; has a small injury history.

Michael Vick:  Center back who might have the most complete combination of quickness and pure speed of anyone on the team.  Incredibly elusive on the dribble, will blow by defenders who don’t take proper angles to stop him.  Decent passer who is better when he is running up and down the field on a break as opposed to set plays.  Must respect his speed or he will leave you clutching his jersey.  Has possibly the hardest shot on the team, so a defender must always stay between him and the goalie.  Plays out of control too many times.  Major injury concerns, but when he’s at 100 percent  health, he scares the daylights out of defenders. 

Dwyane Wade:  Another 6’4” player who is dangerous on set kicks near the goal.  May possibly be the only soccer player in the world who can actually jump higher than Moss.  Outstanding body control in the air.  Even more dangerous during the final part of a game.  Seems to constantly score big goals at key points during the match.  Likes to split defenders with the dribble and take a quick shot on goal before the goalie can react.  Tends to flop in order to draw fouls and yellow cards.  Will frustrate defenders with sudden bursts towards the goal, plus his ability to draw whistles.  Not the best outside shot, so keeping him out of the goal box is a must.

Defense

Torii Hunter:  Excellent at tracking down balls that are launched toward the U.S. side of the field.  Don’t expect him to make many mistakes when playing the ball.  He is a very safe defender who rarely overruns a play or marks the wrong man.  Will make an opposing player work hard to find a shot.  Very good at stopping balls from crossing the goal line.

Brian Urlacher:  Middle defenseman who is incredibly physical when it comes to defending his goal.  Hard tackler who takes the ball away with force.  Rides offensive player right off of the ball with his great upper body strength.  Great burst of speed to cut off the ball during opponent offensive breaks.  Opposing players often complain about his use of forearms during positioning battles.  Must watch his physicality in his own goal box in order to avoid penalty shots.  Leads the team in yellow cards.

Troy Polamalu:  Middle defenseman who is incredibly versatile.  Will move up field on offensive breaks in order to help on offensive sets.  Cuts off passes quickly and sends the ball back towards the opponent’s goal.  Easy to find because of his wild-ass hair that flies everywhere as he launches himself after headers.  Hard to fake out and is relentless in pursuit. 

Champ Bailey:  A risk taking defender who often tries to get an offensive break going for the U.S. team.  Will sometimes give coaches fits with his gambling style, but he has the speed to make up for most of his mistakes.  U.S. coaches usually let him shadow the opponent’s best offensive forward around all over the field.  Will get beaten sometimes, but has just as good of a chance at stealing the ball and starting an offensive rush in the other direction.  Very difficult to get free from him.

Goalie

Derrick Jeter:  Smart, quick goalie who has intangibles that can’t be coached.  Very vocal leader who guides the defense during free kicks.  Outstanding reactions to quick shots on goal.  Must put the ball in one of the two upper corners of the goal in order to score as he stops nearly everything from ground to crossbar, post to post.  Very difficult to fake out and will quickly cut off shots if he gets the chance.  Will charge off of the line in order to prevent corner and penalty kicks.  Aggressive, but smart goalie. 

Key Subs

Landon Donavon and DaMarcus Beasley:  Might even be good enough to star for this team, but they already play soccer, so what fun is it to write them up for this faux squad?

Vince Young and Reggie Bush:  Two talented players who don’t start because of their inexperience.  Young has Donavan McNabb’s leadership qualities with a Randy Moss like body.  Giant player (6’5”) who constantly wins head balls in the midfield.  Great passer with a rocket shot.  Will sometimes team with Wade and Moss to give the U.S. team three huge targets on penalty and corner kicks.  Has a bright future.

Bush is one of the more electrifying players to come along, possibly ever.  Has instant speed when making runs towards the goal.  Will dart and weave with the ball leaving flummoxed defenders in his wake.  Has otherworldly quickness and is particularly adept at faking a run, then instantly changing direction and leaving a defender trying to catch up with him.  Not a particularly big player, he more than makes up for his size shortcomings with a tremendous excess of speed. 

T.J. Ford:  Another young substitution for speed.  He is a midfielder who is cat-quick and can make deft passes anywhere on the field.  A great late game substitution for the U.S. because he can catch a tired defensemen off-guard and simply go right by him with the dribble.  Like Bush, Vick, and Iverson, he possesses quickness and speed that film can’t prepare an opponent for.

Bottom Line

This is easily the most talented and versatile team the U.S. has ever had.  Most players were kids during the soccer revolution of the 70’s and early 80’s, so they’ve had their whole lives to refine and perfect their games.  If the U.S. plays a more physical team like Germany in the tournament, expect Vince Young to sub in and start banging around.  If the team wants a speed advantage, expect Bush and Ford to team with Iverson, Smith and Vick to create a frightening offensive burst. 

The defense is aggressive and must be careful if they are playing with a ref who likes to hand out yellow cards.  Still, expect opposing players to be tired and sore after they play against those defensive stalwarts.  Jeter is a proven winner in goal and will make good adjustments to any shot that isn’t from point blank range. 

This “what if” team may not have the tradition of an England, Italy or Brazil, but this team has so much size and speed – not to mention playmakers all over the field – that no team wants to play them.  It’s a long road against some hardcore competition, but who’s to argue with the team winning America’s first World Cup trophy?  Even if they fell short, there is little doubt they’d be fun to watch.

Brad came to New York from Dallas to live the glorious life of an underpaid actor.  He then decided he'd rather get not paid to work on sports because that is where his biggest passion lies.

Brad loves intense and emotional sports like football, hockey, and – its ultimate manifestation – March Madness. To him, there is very little better than game day.

He is still in football Valhalla as the Texas Longhorns actually won a national championship for the first time in his life.

There is nothing more boring than a sports stat-head.  Please don't recite stats to him; it's the equivalent of reading a math book.

Brad apparently enjoys talking about himself in the third person, similar to many athletes.

Brad would eventually like to have his own sports radio show, but he will probably be fired for gross insubordination or for the inability to focus solely on sports.  There are other interesting topics, you know.  Like Irish whiskey.  Which, of course, could lead to his being fired for gross insubordination.

He can be reached at brad.seal@atomicsportsmedia.com.