NS: Japan beats USA 41-20 in international U-20 football tourney (2 Viewers)

[St. Geezy]

This is an under 20 (i.e. up to and including 19 years old) tournament so the notion of sending current (or former) NFL players is missing the mark a bit.

However, if this tournament was important and prestigious enough, with appropriate future earnings safeguards, so that the top talent made themselves available I suspect the outcome would be different.

For other nations, this will be the best they have - admittedly for young people who have been playing contact football for a couple of years at most and obviously from a relatively small pool of athletes who participate in a niche sport. I think it's as popular and supported as a sport in Japan as any other country outside of the US - so it's not really surprising they field a good team for this competition. Japan is also pretty solid in international rugby, from which football in America originated.

And while you can wallow in the misery of defeat, the alternate view is to be happy that other countries are playing the sport at all and are making a good showing.

Ah, I did not realize there was an age restriction.

Whatever is the case, we cannot let this happen again. It's embarrassing. Send the college football playoff participants' scout team squads if you have to. Even a top shelf high school all-star team from Texas only should be able to wipe the floor with anyone any other country has to offer from this age bracket.

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

How many of the Japanese players are actually "Japanese" .... putting aside ethnicity, I'm talking about growing up there.

Or was it like that "USA beats Pakistan in cricket" with a bunch of castoffs from other countries who barely set foot here before joining the team

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Is there anyone in the NFL thats U20?

I don’t think they can be

 

[ilvdsnts]

I don’t think they can be

I was being facetious to the people suggesting we send NFL players to a U-20 tournament.

 

[St. Geezy]

I don’t think they can be

Technically they can, the only rule is that a player has to be three years removed from their high school graduation.

The Texans actually drafted a 19 year old DT in the first round years back.

 

[Grumpy Old Manatee]

U20s? ‘dems some decent sized shrimps…

 

[SystemShock]

How many of the Japanese players are actually "Japanese" .... putting aside ethnicity, I'm talking about growing up there.

Or was it like that "USA beats Pakistan in cricket" with a bunch of castoffs from other countries who barely set foot here before joining the team

Good point.

 

[Hanau Eepe Saint]

There are a ton of University teams in Japan and looking at the rosters it seems like the U.S. players are mostly from Div II/III schools this year so I wouldn't find it too farfetched to consider that the japanese team would match up pretty well.
Also, looking back at the scores from the 2007 World Championship Team JP only lost by a field goal so they have put up a fight before.

 

[St. Geezy]

There are a ton of University teams in Japan and looking at the rosters it seems like the U.S. players are mostly from Div II/III schools this year so I wouldn't find it too farfetched to consider that the japanese team would match up pretty well.
Also, looking back at the scores from the 2007 World Championship Team JP only lost by a field goal so they have put up a fight before.

It’s bizarre to me that these are the best players we can send. Are there rules saying the pool must come from Division II/III collegiate athletes?

 

[weunice]

Go look at the alumni -- Jonathan Taylor, Tyrann Mathieu, Chase Young, Mac Jones, Jordan Poyer have all played on this team. And multiples pointed out that it helped their recruiting. In almost every other sport national team selections are a big honor.

Looks to me like they suited up maybe 34 players for this ... not much depth and a WHOLE lot went wrong in that game.

One of the kids on the team now is the ambidextrous QB that made the rounds on TikTok back in 2022. So looks like kids that are on the cusp in the recruiting world and need to make a name for themselves --- and are typically in HS.

 

[madsaint1967]

NBA just drafted 4 French players in the 1st round. What’s going on?

 

[madsaint1967]

How many of the Japanese players are actually "Japanese" .... putting aside ethnicity, I'm talking about growing up there.

Or was it like that "USA beats Pakistan in cricket" with a bunch of castoffs from other countries who barely set foot here before joining the team

Having been there, I would bet they’re Japanese.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

NBA just drafted 4 French players in the 1st round. What’s going on?

 

[SystemShock]

It’s bizarre to me that these are the best players we can send. Are there rules saying the pool must come from Division II/III collegiate athletes?

I think it's more who's willing to go, rather than who can be sent. Your average 19 year old football player in the U.S. is a sophomore in college. The ones who are good to great are usually in big college programs and looking at the NFL and $$$, not some cockamamie tournament. A lineup that includes all the sophomores just from LSU, Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State will murder anyone in this tournament.

 

[DerrickB]

Who were the players?