I am growing to like soccer more. I went to both Dynamo home playoff games and would like to see US/Mexico at Reliant. I do still prefer football, basketball and baseball. When I was a soccer hater my two big objections were. 1) the ties, especially scoreless ties. Remember what a hullabaloo was caused when the All Star game (a "friendly" in soccer terms) ended in a tie...that's because there is just something cultural in America that isn't down with a tie game. We want a winner and a loser. 2) Soccer fans who insist that its inevitable that Soccer will rise to its proper place as the most popular sport in the US (it won't)...and who insist that everyone who doesn't love "the beautiful game" is ignorant and doesn't understand it. (some people it just isn't their cuppa joe..just like Baseball is too slow for some)
This is going to complete your conversion. It's such an amazing atmosphere...and the game doesn't mean anything more than giving Swoly crap the next day. I can live with this. You don't like ties, fine. Can't do anything about it. It's not that we automatically thing people are ignorant just because they don't like the game. It's because many have ignorant reasoning for why. The game is too long? The field is too big? There is no strategy? These are reasons that are simply ignorant. I've played the game longer than many on this site have even been alive. I have a hard time watching some games on tv. I understand they can be boring at times. Just don't give me reasons of tactics and strategy in the game when you know nothing about them.
Uhhh... then you can hate EVERY SPORT as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tie_(draw) . I won this argument earlier in the year when some idiot here at work said "NFL doesn't have ties... show me a tie in the last 10 years!" and so I showed him the 6 ties that have happened in the last 10 seasons. I like that there are no ties when there are playoffs only. In Europe, there are awards for the entire season and there are no playoffs. People in the United States like it when there's a winner... just imagine if we declared the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS NFL Winners after the season ended? When we went to the Dynamo game, and we won in regular time without ties, I said to him: "Guess what...? We didn't have a tie!" Here are some more things I thought about: Rules remain the same I would also like to state that, over the years, the rules of the beautiful game have not been changed DRAMATICALLY with "instant replay" or "the designated hitter" or "3 full timeouts plus a 20-second time out" or "the hack-a-Shaq rule" or "the 2-minute warning to get more commercials in" or "seventh-inning stretch" or "6-pitches for the incoming pitcher to warm up"... We in soccer have had probably slight rule changes, and the main rules are there intact because those were thought about a long time ago. One addition in the last 20 years is the "Pass Back to the Goalie" rule, which prevents a team from passing the ball back to the goalie to restart unless it is with any legal part of the body except the feet. Watch some 70's and early 80's games and you'll notice it didn't take much away from the game... only slightly. We've also added the 5-second goalie hold rule that doesn't allow the goalie to hold the ball longer than that time. That one has also changed the game slightly but not dramatically. As Technology Goes, Soccer remains Untouched "It's within 2 minutes, Brian, so the booth will have to review this play... let's take a break in the action [so we can sell you more stupid crap during commercials!]" is what we hear because they can get more sponsors in. That's the real reason. In the WORLD CUP of CLUBS, they're instituting the sensor inside the ball to know if it crossed the line. WTF? This happens maybe once every 20 games in one tournament. It's not needed. The booth review and the RED FLAG in football happen twice a game, so I can see why there's an argument that the review is needed. Sponsor Schiett Do we go back and review all these rules because some sponsor wants to place their logo on the field?!?!? If you notice, WORLD CUP players don't have any sponsor decals, and the field is left intact since 100+ years ago. "Welcome to the 'Tostitos' Coin Toss!" "And now, for the FedEx Bowl... let's go down to the field, where we have a 1st down and 10 right on the FedEx Logo." The closest we come to sponsor-related crap is the announcer saying "This game is brought to you commercial-free by MasterCard" and the only advertisement is a small MC logo next to the scoreboard. I will think of some more reasons to like soccer. I am willing to put my foot in my mouth when I say that if you're a soccer hater, you fall into one of these two categories (or both ): 1. You're a FATSO who never got in shape to play soccer, or 2. You're a hater of anything that you don't know how to play. That, or Losing Your Signature in a bet to SwoLy-D. Right leroy420 ??
Soccor could improve a lot if it get rid of the off side penelty. That is such a stupid rule. You have just as many defenders and attackers, if you don't want him to get behind you, guard him!
This is to prevent CHERRY-PICKERS who don't play defense. It's also there so it doesn't create an unfair advantage. Just say you don't understand the game, and we'll understand your frustration, man. Similarly: "Back Court" is such a STUPID RULE. Let them pass it back! Offsides is such a stupid rule in Football... let the defense go before the offense starts!!! leroy420 WHAT...? We're on for WHAT?
Oh I understand perfectly. If he is cherry picking, you can always send someone to guard him cann't you? Anyone can cherry pick in basketball, but hardly anyone does it. Back court is a great rule, it means offense will not try to back the ball out like in soccor, in fact I think it would be fun to add it to soccor games, no more stupid kick to the golie stuff. Before shot clock there used to be basketball games with like 4-2 or 2-0 scores, it is pathetic. Offside is a perfectly good rule. Football is a battle of field position. Each side has its space. No once is allow to start on the other side until the battle starts just like the wars in the old days.
The offside law actually helps the game. Imagine you play without offside. The opposing forwards would station near your goal all day long. While it's true that you can also park several defenders to guard them, the game deteriorates into a boot and chase game. Once a side gets possesion of the ball, their best chance is to boot it long and hope their forwards can beat the defenders quickly. Noone will risk playing a short passing game because that allows the midfielders to get back and play defense. You also eliminate the runs from the backs. They would not have time to move up and join the attack. The game would turn into 2 games: my attackers against your defenders and my defenders against your attackers. It won't be 11v11. It'll be more like 5v5 or 6v6.
Regarding offside, you can have a glimpse what a game without offside looks like: The US women NT in the world cup, they play a long ball game for the most part, any time they get the ball, they send it long to their forwards, bypassing the midfield and almost always have no buildup. The Brazil women NT play more of a control, possesion type of game. Which game do you like better?
what the hell, like soccer lovers would just sit ok with people hating soccer just for hating it. when reasons are given its ignorant but if we just say "i just hate it" thats going to sit well? ridiculous, i think more than anything, soccer lovers hate the fact that the sport isnt as popular as others in america, and it pisses them off. i'm not saying soccer wont become popular at some point in time in america, but its still going to take sometime before it reigns over basketball,football, or even baseball.
If you don't like it because of low scoring, I can live with that. If you don't like it because the USA isn't the best, fine. Just don't tell me that you hate it because of a lack of strategy when you know nothing about whether that's true or not (as WildSweet&Cool did), or for any reason that is based on a lack of actual knowledge of how the game is played. I really don't care if it becomes the most popular sport in America. I play and watch because I love it. There are no sports that I can say I hate. I don't watch figure skating and curling because they're just not exciting to me. However, if you were to start a thread about curling, I'm not going to post in there and say that because I don't see or know if there is any strategy, that it is stupid and I hate it. That's when some of us get pissed. People like you bash soccer for fun...almost as a sport. You hijack threads proclaiming your hatred for a game you've never played and/or know nothing about (yes, I know what this particular thread was started for. I mean threads that talk about the 2-time defending MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo, the World Cup, or any other soccer related discussion.). I'm not a hockey fan. If you start a thread about the Flyers, I'm not going to post in there that hockey is stupid and a communist game.
Why do we (soccer fans) have to keep wasting time trying to defend the best sport in the world? Haters are going to hate regardless. I've posted numerous times defending it over the years as posts are created but not wasting my time anymore. As long as the haters stay out of serious soccer posts (this one is fine b/c it was created for it), I could care less. I find baseball to be one of the most boring sports in the world but don't waste my time showing my detestion of it in all baseball threads. Soccer is the greatest sport in the world and is not going anywhere, if anything it is growing in the states. Peace.
I don't believe that soccer will rival for top sport in the US anytime in the next century, but I do think it's quietly sneaking up on the NHL. It's not mainstream at all, but neither is the NHL anymore. If there was increased HD exposure to EPL or Champions League, I think a big bump in interest would follow. A big reason why all kids stop playing soccer before HS is that almost no here dreams of being a pro. If you're athletic, you get funneled into baseball, football, or basketball. Soccer becomes a club sport like lacrosse or swimming. Get FC Bayern, Celtic FC, Arsenal, etc on the tube. Byond Fox Soccer. Evan
emjohn, don't remind me about HD... damn you, Univision... for not having the World Cup games ALL in HD... They better next time, or I am going over to their offices and tossing my TV into their office... Anyway, Telemundo shows the Dutch's PSV because of two Mexican players in that team (Salcido, Osorio) who contributed to its last championship.
Sorry, but you don't. My buddies who don't understand soccer say the same thing, "they should get rid of the offside penalty." This would be like in american football if receivers didnt have to start at the LOS and could just park in the end zone. The beauty and strategy of soccer is the progression, the buildup, the angles and timing of the attacking runs.
I'm 34 and I have played soccer in the past (counting youth leagues, city leagues, and intramurals) for 11 years off and on (haven't played in a league since '97). And I have always lived in the southern US where soccer has always had a hard time gaining any acceptance. Hell, my own freaking high school didn't even have a soccer team until well after I graduated (there were other area high schools that did have a team)! With that being said, I love playing soccer or futbol but I am not really a fan of watching it although I will try to catch a World Cup game or two, especially one that involves the US. I think Americans' biggest problem with soccer is twofold: 1) It isn't exciting and fast-paced enough for them due to the low scores (like baseball which I love more than anything is any more exciting) - the truth is that some of the most exciting futbol games are those that are 1-0 because both teams can be playing perfect and the team that makes the first mistake is the one that can wind up being the loser. How is that not exciting to you? 2) We aren't #1 in the sport so there is no interest in it. However, our stranglehold on both basketball and baseball is gone. Really only "our football" is the only sport that we are #1 in the world but that is only because many other countries do not play "American football". But like someone else said, we are finally getting better and better athletes to play soccer. Hopefully, by the next World Cup, the U.S. can stick around for awhile in the tournament.
I don't like Golf either, or Nascar, or WNBA, or bike riding, or hockey but I don't go around hating on it for the sake of hating on it...those people who do, need to get a life, there's more important things in life than being dicks. btw, not to hijack this thread but Champions League returns tomorro (see CL thread: LINK
