After Several Weeks of World Cup, I Can Officially Say…

[onewhippedpuppy]

I don’t like soccer! I greatly respect and appreciate the athletic ability required to play the game, and what those guys can do on the field is amazing. But damn there’s some things that annoy the crap out of me.

Flopping, every person who goes down rolls around on the ground like they’ve been shot to draw a penalty, then pops back up and goes right back into the game. If you go down and stay down for more than a few seconds you should have to leave the game for your “injury”. Bonus penalty time if you roll around clenching your injury but aren’t actually hurt. Call it the sissy card.

The time, WTF. When is halftime, when is a hydration break, how much extra time will be added at the end, only the referee knows! It’s entirely subjective and would make it soooo easy to cheat. Why not pause the clock like every other timed game on Earth does?

Red cards, you’re telling me that a dude can get kicked out of two games for cleating someone who isn’t even injured? Then the team has to play the game down a man? And it’s entirely up to the referee? Another one that seems super easy for one ref to influence a game.

Ties, what sort of major sport ends in a tie in the playoffs?

Ok that’s my rant, now that the USA lost I’ll probably skip the rest unless I’m really bored.

[flskala]

You make some valid points. In particular, flopping. But, for the most part a few billion people are gonna disagree with you….

The way you feel about soccer is kind of how I feel about golf.
George Carlin was spot on about it.

[gregpark]

And the off sides rule? They implemented it to keep players from camping at the goal while the play is at the other end but so many great goals are negated because a guys elbow is past a defender. Why don't they just outlaw camping? Seems like more scoring would make for a more exciting spectator game? There's a lot of stuff I don't understand about the game because I've never played it and only watch when the world cup is happening.

[Noah930]

Flopping: My nephew is a scout in the NFL. I jokingly asked him how long one of these fútbol guys would last in a football game. Maybe one play. It's funny how in football a player tries so hard not to show an injury, but the opposite is so true of soccer.

There should be (more of) a penalty for flopping. It shouldn't just be considered "part of the game." Roll around on the ground enough to stop play, you get to sit on the sideline for a minute. There is a rule (yellow card), but it rarely ever gets called.

Hydration break is nonsense. You don't have that anywhere other than maybe youth soccer in America. The game is supposed to be comprised of 2 halves, not 4 quarters. Such an American concept, and it breaks the flow of the game.

Center ref has absolute and total jurisdiction over enforcement of all rules. Well, except all this VAR nonsense. I actually don't like how many times VAR intervenes seemingly without the center ref requesting its assistance. And if you think this concept of stoppage time is wacky, how about how even if extra time expires, if a team has a scoring opportunity, we'll just play on until they don't.

No ties in the elimination matches. That's just in group (round robin) play. In elimination matches you play an overtime, and if it's still tied after OT, then we get a shootout to determine a victor.

Finally, a nerdy little thing, but the foul is called offside (singular) not offsides. And only scoring body parts count against it. So a head, leg, chest would count if it's beyond the 2nd to last defender, but a hand or arm shouldn't (because you can't score with those).

[pwd72s]

So...you only need to buy one Ref to rig the game? Cool! Almost as easy to rig as a pool match, yet fools still love to bet.
(edit) count me among the non fans as well...just boring as hell, waiting forever to see a score...zzzzz.

[wilnj]

Those complaining about flopping have evidently never watched the kickers in a tackle football game.

If a defender gets within 4 feet of them, they go down like they were shot by a sniper.

Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will all be installed in the Hall of Fame and all are notorious for exaggerating contact in an attempt to draw a penalty.

[wdfifteen]

Two hours of sitting on the edge of your seat hoping something will happen is not my idea of entertainment.
It's similar to hockey.
I remember my first hockey game. It was tied 0-0 after the third quarter, and I was thinking, "no wonder everyone is leaving."

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by flskala

The way you feel about soccer is kind of how I feel about golf.

Golf - "Cow pasture pool." I agree about watching it. I enjoyed playing it until I started my business and real life intervened.

[KFC911]

Tennis - Where Nuthin' = Love
Soccer - Land Hockey
Golf - Robin William's take on it

I have more

[2.7RS]

Baseball with extra innings going way pass midnight.

Fun right? Makes sense. Great entertainment

And the required media commercial breaks.

[A930Rocket]

I may be the outsider, but I don’t watch any professional or amateur sports.

[BK911]

Originally Posted by gregpark

And the off sides rule? They implemented it to keep players from camping at the goal while the play is at the other end but so many great goals are negated because a guys elbow is past a defender. Why don't they just outlaw camping? Seems like more scoring would make for a more exciting spectator game? There's a lot of stuff I don't understand about the game because I've never played it and only watch when the world cup is happening.

Part of what makes soccer so exciting to me is how difficult it is to score.
Every goal really matters.
Sports like basketball where each team may score >50 times each?
Boring.
Soccer and ice hockey FTW!!!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Oh yeah Noah had a good one, extra time is extra time unless the ref wants to let you play longer, again fully at the discretion of one guy. Makes sense…

I know it’s the most popular sport in the world, etc. I have three brothers in law who all played college soccer so I’ve been having this debate a lot. Still doesn’t make me enjoy watching it!

[911 Rod]

It took you this long to figure this out?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

It took you this long to figure this out?

This is the most soccer I’ve ever watched ever, mostly because it was in the USA and we were playing well. So I was willing to at least give it a chance!

[gregpark]

Originally Posted by BK911

Part of what makes soccer so exciting to me is how difficult it is to score.
Every goal really matters.
Sports like basketball where each team may score >50 times each?
Boring.
Soccer and ice hockey FTW!!!

A high scoring basketball ball game can be borring but more boring and frustrating than a soccer game that ends at 0-0?
Att least in Hockey they let them duke it out for a bit. A brilliant boredom ender!
FIFA take note

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

This is the most soccer I’ve ever watched ever, mostly because it was in the USA and we were playing well. So I was willing to at least give it a chance!

Ditto

[gregpark]

"Hydration break". Only because it sounds better than commercial break

[oldE]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I may be the outsider, but I don’t watch any professional or amateur sports.

I'm with you there, with the exception of F1.

[Synchro Joe]

I heard that the NBA has hired soccer players to coach them on the best techniques for 'flopping', they embellish it with their own facial grimaces for national TV. Sux.