Just when you thought soccer couldn't get any worse...

[Indica]

yeah, soccer's so gay. FOOTBALL AND NASCAR !!!! WHOOOO PIG SOOOEY! and the WWF! HULK HOGAN! HOGAN KNOWS BEST!

 

[23Skidoo]

Or, penalty kicks start from midfield, with the goalie being allowed to move, and the player having 5 or 6 seconds to dribble and shoot? Not really related to the OP, but I just wanted to reiterate how stupid soccer is (the oldest and most played sport in the world!)

That's pretty darn close to how the NASL used to do it.

 

[23Skidoo]

The douchebaggery of Argentinians has nothing to do with soccer. It's a cultural issue. If they played Basketball or American Football, they'd still be douchebags.

 

[BUCKYLE]

yeah, soccer's so gay.

Great post. I agree.

 

[ekeen]

Remember when it was funny when our football coaches used to threaten us with being banished to the soccer team if we didn't try hard in practice?

Good old days. :)

 

[BB73]

The douchebaggery of Argentinians has nothing to do with soccer. It's a cultural issue. If they played Basketball or American Football, they'd still be douchebags.

They suck at basketball. That 2004 Olympic Gold Medal was an illusion.

 

[23Skidoo]

They suck at basketball. That 2004 Olympic Gold Medal was an illusion.

Don't really know where you're going with that, or if it's supposed to be sarcastic. If sarcastic -- I said nothing about their skill. My point was that basketball isn't the mainstream sport in Argentina -- if it was, their basketball fans would be jackasses too. South Americans have some of the worst fans in the world... soccer is just their excuse to get riled up over bs.
If you actually mean their gold medal was a fluke -- at least one of their World Cup victories was also bought.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

I am always sure Soccer can get worse.

 

[HabaneroBuck]

Personally, I hated ending hard fought soccer games with such a trivial ending, but after two hours of running (about 8.5 miles on avg), there isn't much of an alternative.

I just gave you two. Penalty kicks are STUPID. They don't even make sense...it's the only situation in sports where the rules are violated EVERY SINGLE time. The goalie is not supposed to move until the ball is blasted off the foot of the kicker. Yeah, that's just brilliant...and real closely enforced, too.

 

[23Skidoo]

I just gave you two. Penalty kicks are STUPID. They don't even make sense...it's the only situation in sports where the rules are violated EVERY SINGLE time. The goalie is not supposed to move until the ball is blasted off the foot of the kicker. Yeah, that's just brilliant...and real closely enforced, too.

I'm not a big fan of penalty kicks, but sudden-death OT isn't any better.

I find it hilarious that Americans biggest problems with soccer is
A. "boring" (maybe if goals counted for 7 points you'd be more impressed?)
B. penalty kicks... which just goes to contradict A. If you actually care about the game, penalty kicks are enough to give you a heart attack.

 

[jwinslow]

Penalty kicks are STUPID. They don't even make sense...it's the only situation in sports where the rules are violated EVERY SINGLE time. The goalie is not supposed to move until the ball is blasted off the foot of the kicker. Yeah, that's just brilliant...and real closely enforced, too.

If the goalie moved early, I'd pumpfake with my foot, have him commit, and then place the ball wherever he is not. That would be too easy.

Are shotouts also stupid in hockey?

I stand by my statement that CFB overtime is exciting, but like penalty kicks, are a complete diversion from the real game. After 60 minutes of field position battles, a team is instantly placed in range of a simple FG

I just gave you two.

I'll address your suggestions below.

How about you start taking players off the field after each OT?

The field is 120 yards long and 75 yards wide. Taking away players after 105 minutes of running is a pretty bad idea, unless you're also going to bring the goals in.

Or, penalty kicks start from midfield, with the goalie being allowed to move, and the player having 5 or 6 seconds to dribble and shoot?

I believe the MLS does/did this (I don't follow the league).

 

[23Skidoo]

The field is 120 yards long and 75 yards wide. Taking away players after 105 minutes of running is a pretty bad idea, unless you're also going to bring the goals in.

Agree 100%. I've always thought OT should allow more subs (1 every OT seems like a good place to start). Some leagues would probably need to expand the # of players allowed on the bench as well.

I believe the MLS does/did this (I don't follow the league).

I don't follow MLS either, but I'm pretty sure they go to penalties. NASL (NY Cosmos era), however, had a similar idea where you start about 25m out and take a go one-on-one with the keeper. I believe even the European transplants said it was a better idea.

 

[HabaneroBuck]

I don't follow MLS either, but I'm pretty sure they go to penalties. NASL (NY Cosmos era), however, had a similar idea where you start about 25m out and take a go one-on-one with the keeper. I believe even the European transplants said it was a better idea.

Which would prove my point, thank you. And I've played soccer for years. I do not think it is a stupid game...but penalty kicks are the worst invention in all of sports. I have also long mulled whether there shouldn't be serious reforms in the off-sides penalty, as well. This is not coming from a bewildered American...just an open-minded analyst.

I think "football" is so popular in the rest of the world because it is the big-outdoor-festival event for those parts of the world. Here, we have "American" football, and, as we all know, it is a better game on every possible level. But tradition breaks hard, and they all like soccer enough...

 

[23Skidoo]

Which would prove my point, thank you. And I've played soccer for years. I do not think it is a stupid game...but penalty kicks are the worst invention in all of sports. I have also long mulled whether there shouldn't be serious reforms in the off-sides penalty, as well. This is not coming from a bewildered American...just an open-minded analyst.

I think "football" is so popular in the rest of the world because it is the big-outdoor-festival event for those parts of the world. Here, we have "American" football, and, as we all know, it is a better game on every possible level. But tradition breaks hard, and they all like soccer enough...

I don't think ending a game on penalties is any worse than the NFL's sudden death rule. In fact, it's a lot better than sudden death.

If you've ever played without offsides, it's pretty horrible. You'll always end up with 2 or 3 people who will just sit by the goal and cherry pick all game. Offsides is a great rule, it adds another tactical element to the game. However, I do think it is called too often in Europe. Europeans will call offsides if they so much as suspect a nose hair was on the other side of the defender, and that is irritating.

If futbol is only popular elsewhere because it's all that they know, why isn't rugby just as big? I see where you're going with this, and people definitely tend to stick to the sports they grew up with, but I think this is a copout on your part. I think it's a very lame attempt to pass off other people's opinion just because you don't agree. I like both kinds of football quite a bit, and I don't think that either is better by default.

 

[HabaneroBuck]

I've got my sincere proposal, then...if taking players off the field is too much, then how about we eliminate offsides once the game goes to OT? That's a fair compromise, and it increases the probability that the game is settled in 11-on-11 action. And cherry-picking isn't really that big of a problem...you have 11 guys on your team, as well, so it's not like they are unaccounted for.

EDIT: Sudden-death is still better than penalty kicks. It is eleven-on-eleven, first downs, penalties, field-postion football.