Ocho Cinco: the new futbol star?

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  This saying is knocking on the door of Chad Ocho Cinco's brain right about now.     

Because of the NFL lockout due for 2011, Ocho Cinco started his first tryout with Sporting Kansas City, an MLS team, Wednesday morning.  According to Yahoo Sports, he wants to try his luck at a sport he hasn't played since he was in 10th grade.    


His first love was actually soccer before football.  He started playing at the age of four. 

Ocho Cinco can be seen juggling a soccer ball before NFL games as his pre-game warm-up.  He has visited teams such as Real Madrid, meeting Ronaldo, Kaka and the rest of the squad.  

You can also see his soccer traits on the football field.  He has kicked an extra point and performed a kickoff in a pre-season game for the Bengals when the kicker went down with an injury.  His form looked quite impressive.   


Can I picture the last name of "Ocho Cinco" spelled across the back of a Sporting Kansas City jersey?  Honestly, I could.  He has the characteristics and qualities of being a threat on the soccer field.  His lightning speed would enable him to zoom past defenders, while his size could benefit him in shrugging off defenders and intimidating opponents.  


I have yet to see his actual skills on a soccer ball at game speed.  Soccer is a sport that requires coordination, balance, and a skillful touch on the ball with almost every part of the body except the hands (besides goalkeepers).  If Ocho Cinco has a decent touch, then the possibilities of him playing professional soccer increases that much more.   


Being in football shape is also much different than being in soccer shape.  Football provides players with a break in between plays, however, soccer is a sport without timeouts.  In soccer, players are running around constantly.  


“I would be a little winded being that I haven’t ran at this pace or this level since the end of our season of football. It was fun. I didn’t expect to come in here and be Superman,” said Ocho Cinco after his first tryout with Sporting Kansas City, according to Yahoo Sports. 


It's nice to see a change of scenery for professional athletes transitioning to a new game.  


Steve Nash, a point guard for the Phoenix Suns, had a chance of becoming a professional soccer player in Canada.  Instead he chose basketball and that probably was the right choice.  Look at him now (no Chris Brown were not looking at you).


Anyways, hopefully we will see Ocho Cinco again in the news.  It will go one or two ways, Ocho Cinco falls flat on his face or Ocho Cinco proves his doubters wrong.