Ochocinco to Give Professional Soccer a Try?

BY ADAM SPENCER
ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

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Chad Ochocinco won’t sit around moping about the impending NFL lockout. He’s planning on taking his talents to Kansas City to play the other type of football. You know, the football where you actually use your feet.

Sporting KC, a Major League Soccer team, has invited the star wide receiver to a four-day tryout beginning on March 22. But, the move has left some skeptical.

Matt Vensel of The Baltimore Sun wonders if it’s all just a stunt to gain some media attention for the team...

“I’m not sure who’s more desperate for attention: Ochocinco or the MLS team formerly known as the Kansas City Wizards.”

Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes says of course the move is going to draw attention for the league and his team, but tells ESPN’s Michael Smith the tryout is serious...

“For us, we always want to try to improve our team, and if there’s something here, great. If not, I guess we’ll move on. But in the meantime, the exposure will be good for the league, good for Sporting Kansas City and good for the game.”

Ochocinco is certainly no stranger to publicity stunts. He’s the guy who once said he could swim faster than Michael Phelps.

But soccer is a sport in which Ochocinco has always had an interest - playing up until high school.

The Cincinnati Enquirer points out that Ochocinco is friends with many of soccer’s biggest stars...

“Ochocinco has long been a fan of soccer and is knowledgeable about the sport. Among his friends are Thierry Henry, of the New York Red Bulls; Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho.”

If Ochocinco is truly serious about making a move to professional soccer, some analysts wonder if other athletes will follow his lead and change sports. William Browning of Yahoo! Sports says if the NBA were to enter a lockout - he can think of someone else with an interest in crossing over...

“Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers grew up playing soccer and attended the 2010 FIFA World Cup last summer. If he joins the Galaxy mid-season, he’d make an instant impression on the league’s marketability.”

So, what do you think? Can Ochocinco make an MLS roster? Or, is he just pulling one of his trademark publicity stunts?

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4. Added :18-Mar-11
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