Soccer and American football don’t have much in common, but it appears that goal kicks translate well to kicking field goals.

Club América is in Texas this week preparing for Wednesday night’s friendly against Manchester United at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans.

The NFL team opened up their training facility to América and goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa took advantage of the opportunity to kick on an American football field. With help from former Texans punter/holder Shane Lechler, El Tri’s goalie nailed field goal attempts from 30, 35, 40, 50 and 55 yards.

“I’m switching my sport,” Ochoa joked after making a 50-yarder.

Ochoa had the leg strength for 60 yards but he hooked his first attempt wide left and then hit the crossbar on his second attempt. The Texans shared footage from the impressive kicks on their social media channels.

Football 🤝 Fútbol@ClubAmerica_EN | @yosoy8a pic.twitter.com/Tnzgxi70D3

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 20, 2022

Granted, Ochoa’s not facing a rush or the pressure of a game being on the line, but it’s clear that he has the leg strength to kick on the gridiron.

Ochoa’s 37 years old now so it’s a little late for a career change, but there’s plenty of precedent for soccer players reaching the NFL. American football kickers actually began adopting a soccer-style approach for field goals in the 1960s after previously using a straight-on approach for field goal attempts.

Toni Fritsch was perhaps the most notable soccer-to-kicker success story. Fritsch won three Austrian league titles with Rapid Wien from 1963-1971, scoring 15 times as a striker, and he earned nine caps with Austria’s national team. He then went on to have an accomplished 14-year career in the United States playing American football, winning a Super Bowl with the Cowboys in 1972.

More recently, Josh Lambo was part of U.S. Soccer’s residency program in Bradenton, Florida in 2005 before later being picked by FC Dallas eighth overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. After his soccer career stalled, Lambo went on to have a six-year career as a kicker in the NFL from 2015-2021.

American football has also seen kickers switch to soccer.

Tanner Tessmann committed to Clemson in 2019 planning to play both football and soccer in college, but his plans changed when he got an opportunity to sign with FC Dallas in 2020. Tessmann stuck with soccer and he’s now playing for Serie B’s Venezia in Italy.

So while soccer and American football don’t have much in common, it’s clear that kicking translates well between the two sports.