WASHINGTON, D.C. — As I’ve always said, playing soccer isn’t that hard, really. Wait, hold on, that can’t be right. That’s not what I always say. Playing soccer is hard. There we go. That’s the one.
Soccer is tough. But when you watch enough professional soccer, the things that should be hard start to look easy. It’s the Darlington Nagbe effect. Nagbe moves at two miles per hour and never loses the ball and he makes this whole being a professional athlete thing look very easy. That’s why I appreciate the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge. It takes itself a tiny bit too seriously (as evidenced by the four licensed officials that diligently monitored the proceedings), but it’s a fun time filled with people doing crazy soccer things.
What’s not to like?
But seriously, I went to the Skills Challenge at Audi Field on Tuesday night ready to be impressed by how these players do some of the hardest things in the sport with such ease. I wasn’t disappointed.
While I sat and watched the Skills Challenge, I put together some ratings for each event and more. Here are those ratings.