World cup

[john doe]

Fly to England and tell a Manchester United fan about real football and see what happens.

Just because you're a hooligan doesn't make you right.

[Sali]

The Ref blew early because the USA were making a change to time waste. He had already had words with one USA player for time wasting during the previous change so he just wasn't playing the antics. With football, the clock doesn't stop for subs, so it is a well known thing to use the subbing at the end of the game just to waste time.

[Mahone]

Oh, by the way, I watched the end of the England/USA match today. (I know, there was nothing else on for some reason) Couldn't figure out why a game without a winner was really a victory and also why they arbitrarily stopped it before time officially ran out or even why the clock really didn't seem to matter. In real football (ie., American Football) the clock and time left really matter, especially when it is near the end of the game. Every second, and even fractions of them, counts in American Football. Also, I couldn't figure out why infractions don't carry any real disadvantage to the offending team.

One of your questions has already been answered, and I didn't watch that match due to lack of time, plus not having that much interest in football anyway. However I can tell you the answers to your other questions. Things don't "just happen" in any popular sport to my knowledge, including football. There is a logical reason for everything, you just have to understand it.

1. In the world cup, the result of one match will have an affect on every other match after that in one way or another. So it's a little more complicated than just "one winner and one loser". A draw is not as bad as a loss, and if there is a higher potential to remain in the world cup as a result of a draw, then the team will consider it a victory.

2. What type of infraction are you referring to? There is usually a a consequence to every type of infraction. Some are more severe than others. A little googling will most likely give you your answer to this.

[dazed-and-confused]

i feel badly for the UK goalie. what a blunder. but i'm REALLY glad that we are still in with a "win".

[HoosierGuy]

As for infractions - if I understand it right, and I'm not a big fan, just during the World Cup for the most part - a low infraction gets the the team a free kick or something similar (they get the ball). A more serious infractions gets the player who committed it a Yellow Card. If that player commits another infraction worthy of a Yellow Card then that player now has two Yellow cards which means he gets a Red Card and is sent off the field, ejected. His team can not replace him, they must play a player down for the rest of the game. If your infraction is serious enough you can go from having no cards to a Red Card and sent off.

It's all a waste tho explaining this. When the World Cup ends, talk in the U.S. ends. Everything goes back to 100% baseball, football, basketball, racing, college sports, etc...

[john doe]

Well, letting a guy kick the ball is not really much of a penalty, is it? They should let him have a free kick in front of the goal, going one on one with the goalie. If there is a threat that your infraction could result in a goal for the other team, then it becomes a bigger deal than if he just gets to kick a ball once in a game where the ball gets kicked around constantly for 90 minutes.

And you're right, once the cup is over we Americans will move on to other, more important and exciting sports to watch.

[Sali]

Football is a great, exciting game John, give it a chance. :) It is a very fast-paced highly skilled game.

A player can only get a penalty in football if the infraction happens inside the penalty box, the larger rectangle area surrounding the goal. Then it is one on one between player and goalie. The rest of the infractions are dealt with on the spot where they happen. Also, don't underestimate how dangerous some of those free kicks that are given on infractions can happen. Many a goal has been scored because of those free kicks. David Beckham used to scare many a goalie with his free kick skills.

[pam]

Football is a great, exciting game John, give it a chance. :) It is a very fast-paced highly skilled game.

You are right. American football of course.

[Mahone]

Well, letting a guy kick the ball is not really much of a penalty, is it?

Why not?

They should let him have a free kick in front of the goal, going one on one with the goalie. If there is a threat that your infraction could result in a goal for the other team, then it becomes a bigger deal than if he just gets to kick a ball once in a game where the ball gets kicked around constantly for 90 minutes.

They do have that type of penalty, it depends on the infraction.

And you're right, once the cup is over we Americans will move on to other, more important and exciting sports to watch.

What would you say defines an important sport, if indeed sports can be considered important? Either way, the general consensus is that you are wrong. English Football (not American football) is by far the most popular sport across the globe.

[Sali]

You are right. American football of course.

Pffft that game only gets exciting when they stop for adverts. :lol:

[Dravin]

Football is a great, exciting game John, give it a chance. It is a very fast-paced highly skilled game.

If nothing else the announcers are (can be) more exciting.

I must confess I've never tried to watch a professional game of soccer. Of course my interests in sports is collegiate and collegiate soccer over here isn't big, if it is even done at all (I have no clue honestly).

[HoosierGuy]

You anti-soccer folks need to take a class in multi-culturism at your local collage.

You'll respect soccer or else! And cricket too!

[Dravin]

You anti-soccer folks need to take a class in multi-culturism at your local collage.

You'll respect soccer or else! And cricket too!

Does multiculturalism require one appreciate golf?

[Daniel2020]

Football is a great, exciting game John, give it a chance. :) It is a very fast-paced highly skilled game.

There aren't enough goals scored to make soccer exciting to most Americans.

Most of a soccer game consists of guys kicking a ball up and down a field without scoring any points. Most Americans find that boring.

[john doe]

You anti-soccer folks need to take a class in multi-culturism at your local collage.

You'll respect soccer or else! And cricket too!

My wife made a collage out of her pictures just last week. Very nice, if I may say so. Not sure what that has to do with soccer, but you liberals all seem to think that multi-culturalism classes will fix everything.

[john doe]

There aren't enough goals scored to make soccer exciting to most Americans.

Most of a soccer game consists of guys kicking a ball up and down a field without scoring any points. Most Americans find that boring.

I think that is a lot of it. We Americans believe that good sports should have good offense that scores multiple times during a game, not once or twice if they're lucky. Soccer is a sport for liberals who think it's perfectly okay for their little Snowflake not to get embarrassed by losing or allowing more than a couple scores in a game.

[HoosierGuy]

Soccer is a sport for liberals who think it's perfectly okay for their little Snowflake not to get embarrassed by losing or allowing more than a couple scores in a game.

My oh my I would love to go off on that conservative statement.

[Sali]

I think that is a lot of it. We Americans believe that good sports should have good offense that scores multiple times during a game, not once or twice if they're lucky. Soccer is a sport for liberals who think it's perfectly okay for their little Snowflake not to get embarrassed by losing or allowing more than a couple scores in a game.

Hahaha you reckon? We (the rest of the world that exists outside of America) look to not only the end result but the way the game is formed, the dynamics of the game and the skills that are needed. Try it sometime, you may actually enjoy it.

[Sali]

My oh my I would love to go off on that conservative statement.

Don't.....Take.....Bait.......

[LonelyGargoyle]

The mighty Brits could do no more than a draw against us mongrel Americans. Hey limeys---look for an early exit ! We'll shrug when we exit early. You will sob and sulk for the next 4 years.

[HoosierGuy]

Well, to get back to the World Cup - I'm no soccer/football expert. They say on TV this is a good U.S. team. But I saw Saturday a team that seemed to settle for a tie for the second half instead of a win. What progress have they made the last three or four World Cups? Yeah, they can play decent soccer. But if they were really good they would have taken the fight to the Brits in the second half instead of playing for a tie.

I just can't believe with so many people in the U.S. we can't produce one good Diego Maradona.

Sunday the Germans crushed the Australians. If the U.S. played the Germans, the Germans would have crushed the U.S.

[HoosierGuy]

I take back the U.S. getting crushed statement. When they played German a few world cups ago they only got beat by 1 goal. Maybe the U.S. is better than I give them credit for.

[Dr T]

I know a tie is not a win but I'll take the tie against England.

[HoosierGuy]

Dave Zirin: Glenn Beck's Blues: Why the Far Right Hates Soccer

First run at thenation.com

Every World Cup, it arrives like clockwork. As sure as the ultimate soccer spectacle brings guaranteed adrenaline and agony to fans across the United States, it also drives the right-wing noise machine utterly insane.

"It doesn't matter how you try to sell it to us," yipped the Prom King of new right, Glenn Beck. "It doesn't matter how many celebrities you get, it doesn't matter how many bars open early, it doesn't matter how many beer commercials they run, we don't want the World Cup, we don't like the World Cup, we don't like soccer, we want nothing to do with it."

Beck's wingnut godfather, G. Gordon Liddy also said on his radio program,

"Whatever happened to American exceptionalism? This game ... originated with the South American Indians and instead of a ball, they used to use the head, the decapitated head, of an enemy warrior."

Dear Lord, where do we begin? First of all, I always find it amusing when folks like Beck say, "We don't like soccer" when it is by far the most popular youth sport in the United States. It's like saying, "You know what else American kids hate? Ice cream!" Young people love soccer not because of some kind of commie-nazi plot conjured by Saul Alinsky to sap us of our precious juices, but because it's -- heaven forefend -- fun.

[Guest]

I'm a huge football (soccer) fan. I'm not American - I'm Filipino. My brother played for the Philippine Team, but he never made it to the World Cup because we can't even qualify for the Asian Cup!

Anyway, I moved to America where football is a completely different sport - my husband is a big football (american) fan.

I have to say, it is a culture shock.

Here's the difference (just the sport itself and the fan experience):

- appreciation for soccer is in the ball handling itself - one ball 10 players plus a goalie doing almost the same thing.

- apperciation for football is in the QB, the WR, the RB, the LT, RT, etc. etc., each doing a completely different thing than the others. I end up appreciating only the QB, WR, and RB because there are too many things going on.

- The goal is a celebration/culmination of the ball handling. If it happens too often, it loses its magic. Then it's too common and not exciting anymore.

- Like soccer, the touchdown is also a culmination and it is exciting, but, I never could understand the purpose of a point-after. Also, I can't appreciate a field goal consolation prize, it symbolizes "settling" because you can't quite cut it for a touchdown. This is different from the 3-point shot in basketball. The 2 points is the goal, 3 points is reward for extra effort.

- the game doesn't stop. the cheering doesn't stop. anything can happen at anytime, therefore, once you get on your feet to cheer, it's more than likely you'll stay up on your feet until half-time/end of game. The ball advances from the fullbacks to the strikers and work it's way yard by yard towards the goal. My stomach clenches each time. It's hard work to get there. Then finally, you get past the last defender, but, you still have to face the goalie! It is an obstacle course just like going through bootcamp to finally make it to the army. You relax for a few seconds while the goalie fetches the ball, then the stomach is clenched the other way when the other team starts advancing against your defenders. They make it through the last of your defenders, my stomach feels like I've just done 50 abs crunches, and I hope and pray the goalie can cover that seemingly gigantic goal behind him! He saves the goal in a flying sideways leap and my breath wooshes out in relief only to start clenching again a few seconds later when we start advancing to the other goal. It's a constant thrill that doesn't stop - because the time doesn't stop. It keeps on going.

- The QB calls the play, my stomach clenches and I rise to my feet to cheer, 3 seconds later, the ball is out of his hands, and 2 more seconds later, the ball is dead. They stand around a few minutes doing not much of anything, so I'm deflated and sits down waiting for the next play, looking around for peanuts and soda, or just watching who gets featured on the jumbotron. It's a constant stoppage that after a few cheers, I lose interest and just sit down watching the game and people-watch.

- there are only limited substitions allowed. the game is a test of endurance. 45 minutes of non-stop running with a 10 minute break before another 45 minutes start. You get to know all the players pretty good.

- it's a constant change of personnel. In a team of 45 active people, I only get to know 5.

- there is only 1 referee. he rules. if he says it's a penalty, it's a penalty. if he says it's not offsides, it's not offsides, even if the lineman's flag is raised. The linemen do not speak. They just raise flags. you don't want to mess with the referee. There's no instant replay, whatever. One referee, one decision. His decisions are as big a part of the game as anything.

- several referees all calling out different calls and even then, they're still schmucks because the coaches can challenge their authority so they have to go watch the TV. The TV rules!

As a player:

- It's an awesome sport for the kids to develop teamwork. It's easy enough to learn (easier than basketball or t-ball) and everybody on the field is active at all times and has a constant chance at the ball - in t-ball, you get to bat about 4 times the entire 2 hour game, and the rest, you're either in the dugout, or you get to the outfield unless you are really good, usually just picking grass and watching airplanes fly.

- All you need is a ball and a goal - the goal can be 2 sticks, the ball can be any-good-sized ball. Perfect for them poor folks in the mountains of the Philippines.

So yeah, I'm a soccer fan and I think the main reason Americans can't get into it is because of their instant-gratification culture - where they don't really want to work hard for anything, they just want the goal already. Also, you can't put a commercial on the game, so it's not viable for TV sponsorship (Budweiser will probably never sponsor it) which means, the couch potatoes don't get more chances to learn the sport and gain an appreciation for it.