Game recognizes game.

That’s what they say, anyway. “They,” being the players; the real ones. The guys (or gals) you only have to mention by last name.

They’re talked about by opposing coaches, and in inner soccer circles. They know who they are, and they know who you are too.

So if you can’t play they know that. They know it before you even play.

How do they know? They just know.

“It’s all in the legs,” said New York Red Bulls midfielder Sean Davis, a player ranked third in our 2011 Top 100 List. “You can tell who is a player or who is a poser a lot of times by what they’re wearing on the legs and below. If they have the Nike Vapor high shin guards that’s a clear red flag for a poser. Another indication is the socks - if they are at the bottom of the calf and a player doesn’t really care that he has socks on you don’t have to worry about him.

“If the socks are pulled over the knees like Soony Saad, you’re gonna keep an eye on the guy.”

Saad, Daniel Metzger, Miguel Lopez, Victor Chavez - those are the guys you keep an eye on.

The ones who pose no threat give themselves away without even knowing it. Because in truth, you can change your shirt, adjust your socks or buy new cleats, but you can’t alter what you were born with.

Swagger is permanent.

“I can tell after five minutes whether or not a guy can play,” said Crossfire Premier stud Kelyn Rowe, who is heading to UCLA in the fall. “If it’s a defender it’s whether or not they are physical and I have to play differently to beat them. Otherwise you can see whether a guy has handles and how he presents himself.”

Joe Sofia, a star Irvine Strikers defender, and fellow expert on the subject says that less is more.

“If all you see a guy doing before a game is a bunch of tricky stuff you know he can’t play because they’re trying to overshadow a lack of skill with cool tricks,” Sofia said. “Unless you’re Ronaldinho, save it for the bench.”

Miles Byass has never even seen a bench; the dude has no idea what one looks like. But he, like the other members of the ballers committee, knows what a player looks like.

“The way he runs, the way he kicks the ball. You can tell by his swag,” Byass said. “If he’s running goofy and stuff then he’s wack.”

So before you find a mirror and start perfecting your stride or swagger-izing your game, don’t waste your time.

If you can’t play this game don’t play games with it.

They already know.