The American Flag Football team defeated 2 teams of NFL stars - the Athletics

Team USA won all three games against the professionals by a combined score of 106-44.

LOS ANGELES - It's time to restart the conversation about the best soccer player in the world.

Anyone wondering if NFL players could slide into the upcoming Olympic sport and dominate the amateurs need wonder no more.

Team USA dominated two opponents, including NFL stars, on Saturday in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO Stadium, where the sport will be contested at the 2028 LA Games.

While pros can certainly improve with more preparation and repetition, the abyss loomed.

Team USA has won its three games against the pros by a combined score of 106-44.The national team advanced from the round-robin tournament to defeat the Wildcats, a team led by co-captains Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels and Kyle Shanahan to win their second straight title as a coach.Quarterback Tom Brady held and Sean Payton coached the Starters.Lost round-robin games.

Team USA quarterback Darrell "Hush" Doucette held back tears at the post-game press conference. In 2024, he went viral for saying he was a better flag football quarterback than Patrick Mahomes. Although Doucet emphasized again that he was only referring to flag football, the comment was widely interpreted as foolish arrogance.

The dominance of some NFL legends on national television left him emotional.

"I made some comments that were completely misconstrued and misconstrued," Doucette said.

"We went out this weekend with that in mind to say, 'Let's show these guys that we're talented, that we're a football flag and that we're not going to be ignored by anyone in the world.'

Doucette completed all eight of his passes for 67 yards and three touchdowns, ran six times for 76 yards and three touchdowns and had five receptions for 79 yards to earn tournament MVP honors.Ja'Deion High has caught at least one TD pass in every game, scoring a tournament-leading four.

The Fanatics Flag Football Classic proved to be a profound gauge for how much NFL players must learn to adapt if they want to earn an Olympic medal.

"We tried to play more NFL football and play passing concepts," Brady said. "Things happen so fast on the field and they're so quick. They did a good job of running the ball."

"In terms of strategy, we're probably far behind."

Under the hot Southern California sun, Team USA opened the round-robin tournament with back-to-back shutouts and then waited for the championship opponent.Team USA allowed just two touchdowns in each game, made the defense look silly and recorded a few pick-sixes on Super Bowl quarterbacks.

The pros enjoy some moments from the sport's best, but they struggle with the rules and flag draws.They made a lot of mistakes, as the leaders of the International American Soccer Federation call it from the book.Tough defenders like midfielders Luke Kuechly and Von Miller didn't help against the tricky American.

"Their skill set is a lot different than what we've seen in the NFL, the speed, the quickness, the inability to create opportunities -- our inability to get our hands on those guys made the game very difficult," said Kuechly, a five-time All-Pro linebacker.

"The program is very different, the concepts are very different and I think it will change over time and we will get a better feel for it."

Team USA coach Jorge Cascudo admitted that NFL players will catch on eventually if they really want to learn the nuances of soccer, and said his team's main goal Saturday was to get the pros to practice the basics.Most of Team USA's razzle-dazzle remains intact.

"If they commit to this, they'll be the best," Cascudo said."Right now, we're going to enjoy the moment and take advantage of it until then, because when they know the game and the skills and the little intricacies that come with it, we're going to be in trouble.

“At the moment we are champions.”

Celebrities have offered some help

The pros weren't helped by their legendary teammates, though the games were so uneven that replacing them with NFL players might not have mattered.

Boxer/reinforcer Logan Paul was the one responsible for the defense and drew a foul by ripping his sunglasses off Doucette's head after the American quarterback ran for a TD on the opening kickoff.Boxer Terence Crawford and YouTuber iShowSpeed

Paul and Crawford finished with zero touches and rushed once for 10 yards.

A heat wave makes many people uncomfortable

There was no starting crowd, and the heat and the 20-minute break between the four games drove many of them away before the championship game.The use of the "Debby Downer" hole after each bad game was used more than expected.

Those who braved the heat were rewarded with Brady's first touchdown pass in three years.The co-promoter and seven-time Super Bowl winner eluded the passer and hit Stefon Diggs in the corner of the end zone on the second play.

For starters, it's one of the few bright moments of the day.Brady later added a garbage time TD pass to receiver Jalen Hurts.

The Founders lost both games, with Brady completing eight of his 12 attempts for 85 yards and two touchdowns.He also caught a 9-yard pass.

Hurts was the more prolific passer and playmaker of the Founders.He had 224 yards and two touchdowns between the ages of 22 and 26.Hurts caught a 6-yard TD pass from Brady on the first play and rushed for a 6-yard TD on the second play.USA Browns short pass to Alvin Kamara.

Wildcats quarterback Burrow was 30 of 41 for 196 yards and four touchdowns.In the second game, the USA got Isaiah Calhoun for the sixth.

Team USA quarterback Nico Casares was an absurd 24-of-27 for 332 yards and five TDs.

The soon-to-be Hall of Famer struggled

Kuechly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, and Saturday had a significant impact on his career.He was paired with Paul in the middle of the Wildcats defense and it went soft.Team USA outplayed both players in an opening round game 39-14.

"It really shows the body type, doesn't it?"Kuechly said that when asked about the ideal flag bearer for the Olympics."Me, Logan, we weren't built for this game. When you look at it, you build it with corners and dimes on that side of the ball and then you have fast, skilled guys on the offensive side of the ball."

Rob Gronkowski, who retired before exiting with a hamstring injury, had two receptions and a two-point conversion in the second game.

Beckham Jr.congratulated the coach of the USA team

Probably the biggest non-American winner of the day was wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who made a signature one-handed catch in the back of the end zone and had a very efficient overall performance.

"I said, 'If Odell wants a seat, we can get him one,'" Cascudo said of the circus heist.

Beckham, 33, is trying to restart his NFL career.He had 10 catches for 68 yards and three touchdowns.The three-time Pro Bowler last played in an NFL game in December 2024 for the Miami Dolphins.