If Ulysses S. Grant played soccer: center back, rated 85

Ulysses S. Grant as a soccer player: scouting report

Ulysses S. Grant would play center back, the spot for a player whose whole method is to keep coming forward and never yield ground. He was known for his calm persistence, and his card is built the same way: his physical strength is the best part of it and his defending is right behind. He wins aerial duels, steps in to tackle and makes attackers work for every inch.

He was also the best horseman in his class at West Point, famous for clearing a high jump on horseback that stood as an academy record for years. That kind of balance and nerve suits a defender who has to time a sliding tackle perfectly. His pace is better than most center backs, which lets him recover when a striker gets a step on him, and it is why fullback is one of his next best spots. His passing and dribbling grade out reasonably, so he can carry the ball out of defense when the opponent sits back. He later wrote Personal Memoirs, which is still widely praised as one of the finest military memoirs in American literature, so he was a clear communicator, exactly what a back line needs.

Shooting is the soft spot. He will not score many goals, so do not count on him at set pieces beyond the odd header. Fullback and goalkeeper are his next best spots, both showing how strong his defensive card is. He served as the eighteenth president of the United States after commanding the Union armies, so he is used to organizing large groups. For a drafter, he is a tough, reliable anchor. Pair him with a ball playing center back and build from there.

Plays like A tough, relentless center back who never takes a step back

Put Ulysses S. Grant in your lineup

11 rolls, a starting eleven, 38 matches. Can you go 38-0? Free, no account.