With the World Cup rapidly approaching, the United States men’s national team is looking for redemption after missing out on the tournament entirely in 2018. Though the squad is expected to be competitive, the chance of a deep run through the bracket seems unlikely.
Given the wealth of athleticism in the U.S., it’s become somewhat natural over the years to hypothesize about what the men’s soccer team could look like if the country’s best athletes turned their talents to the pitch. Think about a 6’ 8” LeBron James at striker or Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley streaking down the wing to collapse opposing defenses.
ESPN took the matter a step further on Friday, two days before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, tweeting out a graphic from the SportsCenter account of what a USMNT might look like if it was comprised entirely of stars from sports outside of soccer. Among the notables were James, Barkley, Patrick Mahomes, Mike Trout and Steph Curry, in addition to other elite players across the four major American men’s leagues.
