*** Official Soccer Sucks Thread ***

[GSG]

I just like the United States. They could be playing tiddlywinks for all I care.

[default_28]

Because it utilizes both endurance, burst speed, and foot coordination more than any other sport.

You can play it wherever whenever because all you need is a ball.

It's a sport you can discuss with sports fans of other countries. (You'd be surprised...99% of Iraq civilians HAVEN'T heard of the Nebraska Cornhuskers!!)

People like you hate it, and it gives me great pleasure leaving people like you in the dark.

 

That's why it's so popular world-wide. It's simplistic in that all you need is a ball to play it.

 

There are alot of sports that utilize endurance, burst speed, and foot coordination. Obviously there's more foot coordination in soccer since it's the main way to move the ball, but why do those things make it exciting? Most of the game is horizontal passing in an attempt to setup a score, some more of the game are mis-kicks, and the final part of the game is actually scoring.

 

I just don't see what's so appealing watching players kick the ball back and forth for 90-minutes. To top it off, half the time the game doesn't even need to played because it ends in a 0-0 tie. What's the point of even playing if nothing happens? I could watch the last minute of the game and I would not have missed anything - i.e., the score is still the same as it was when the game started.

 

Most of football is the team standing in a huddle in attempt to setup a score

Yes, any one play can entirely change the game of football. It could be first and ten at your own 23 yard line or first and ten at your opponent's 13 yard line. Both of those positions could give you a touchdown. In soccer, your only realistic shot of scoring a goal is when you are very close. It is highly unlikely to ever score a goal from very far away. That's why, imho, football always has an element of surprise that makes it interesting.

Yes but it takes less than ten seconds to get the ball from one end of the pitch to the other, it doesn't happen often but neither does scoring from inside your own twenty in football

Ask Demarcus Beasley how surprised he was when Brazil took the ball from him went the length of the field and scored in ten seconds in the Confed Cup last summer

 

It's as exciting as you let it be, just like anything else

[Igetbored216]

Honestly, I won't knock soccer from the standpoint that tons of people world-wide enjoy it. Clearly, there is something about it that makes it interesting. But, I also understand why people don't like it, because I am one of those people. Here are my reasons:

 

1) To me, it's a mundane sport to watch. Yes, it's unlike many sports in the way that the ball is constantly in play, but you have to sit on your rear for a very long time, waiting for a game to end in something like 1-0 or 2-1. When I watch sports, I want something that is going to keep me pulled in. In football, any one play could be a touchdown. In soccer, you have to wait until one team gets a good look and then gets a good shot. You know when a score will potentially happen. In football, there is always an element of surprise attached.

 

2) I wasn't brought up with it. I was brought up solely on football, basketball, and baseball. Football is my number one love, I only watch basketball during the NCAA tournament or the playoffs, and my baseball interest is pretty close to that of soccer now in the sense that you spend a very long time just sitting and watching.

 

3) The excitement level just isn't there for me. Like I said before, football offers excitement and something to cheer about on almost every play. With soccer, the only times I see fans interested in what is going on is when a team is close to the other team's goal. Other than that, it just a lot of sitting and watching.

 

4) In person, the game is a lot more interesting. On t.v., it's interest suffers greatly. While watching football/basketball, I can enjoy the sport either way. With soccer, the only time I can bear it is if I'm actually in a stadium.

 

This is my general feeling of soccer...that's why I'm curious what pulls people into it.

 

And Newearth..yes, that is a good reason to like it. I will do the same with my son to whatever activity/sport holds his interest.

[Igetbored216]

Yes but it takes less than ten seconds to get the ball from one end of the pitch to the other, it doesn't happen often but neither does scoring from inside your own twenty in football

Ask Demarcus Beasley how surprised he was when Brazil took the ball from him went the length of the field and scored in ten seconds in the Confed Cup last summer

 

It's as exciting as you let it be, just like anything else

 

But how often does that happen?

 

In football, sudden scores happen all the time, which adds a "surprise" and "excitement" element to the sport. Based on the scores I always see in soccer (0-0, 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, etc), I would probably imagine that sudden scores aren't a staple of the sport.

[default_28]

Yes but it takes less than ten seconds to get the ball from one end of the pitch to the other, it doesn't happen often but neither does scoring from inside your own twenty in football

Ask Demarcus Beasley how surprised he was when Brazil took the ball from him went the length of the field and scored in ten seconds in the Confed Cup last summer

 

It's as exciting as you let it be, just like anything else

 

But how often does that happen?

 

In football, sudden scores happen all the time, which adds a "surprise" and "excitement" element to the sport. Based on the scores I always see in soccer (0-0, 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, etc), I would probably imagine that sudden scores aren't a staple of the sport.

 

If you've ever watched soccer you'd know that every goal is a surprise

[knapplc]

Igetbored, why do you like the Huskers? Tons of teams play football, it's not that hard to pick up, and there are more successful teams than Nebraska out there. You following the Huskers makes as much sense as someone liking soccer, or hockey, or basketball, or anything under the sun.

[husker_99]

Instead of using the status updating feature on the website, I was thinking we should probably just talk about it on here.

 

I get why the sport is popular world-wide, but what I find annoying is now that the media has been cramming it down our throats, suddenly the U.S. is supposed to care about it.

 

Any "tournament" that starts with a setup in which you can advance by being average to below average is ridiculous. A tie should never be the result of a tournament game. NEVER. I don't care if it turns into a single elimination tournament afterwards; it should be like that the whole time.

 

My main point is: are you going to be talking about the World Cup/soccer once it's over for months to come here in the United States? Is the final game going to be analyzed on TV and dissected on sports talk radio for weeks to come?

 

Nevermind the fact that soccer will totally be forgotten once NFL training camp and college football practice starts.

 

Honestly, I want perspective of why soccer is so interesting to watch.

 

Why do you hate America?

[EbylHusker]

I've posted this in another thread, but I'll do so again...

 

Soccer (at a high level) is very often not enjoyable for people to watch if they haven't played it. Or at least grown up with it. The reason is that there is always a lot going on, but you really have to know what to look for to see it. That's why I don't expect or care when most Americans don't enjoy watching it.

 

That said, nobody is trying to cram anything down your throat. Most people care that their country does well in international competition no matter what the sport is. It doesn't mean they care about soccer, it means they care about the US representing themselves well. I can see that's a completely foreign concept to you, and that's fine, so I'll stop there before you accuse me (disturbingly) of trying to cram something down your throat.

 

Edit - If you want me to break down what is so interesting to me about soccer, I'll gladly do so. It will be a long post, though, so I won't bother unless you specifically ask me to do it. Also, I'm guessing you're the type of person who complains to the TV about why they bother showing all those sh**ty sports during the Olympics, and how nobody cares about most of them...totally missing the point that it's your country competing in a world competition and that's something special.

[RockyMountainOySker]

If you don't like soccer you must hate Ndamukong Suh. It's his favorite sport...

 

Why do think his footwork is so good?

 

That logic makes no sense. If I don't like soccer, I must hate Ndamukong Suh because it's his favorite sport.

 

Suh played college football for the Huskers, did he not? Who cares what his favorite sport is?

 

And notice how I still haven't heard an answer of why some find soccer so fascinating. Yeah, they have great footwork, are fast, and have great endurance...why do those things make it interesting?

Take a joke child.

[Husker_x]

I've posted this in another thread, but I'll do so again...

 

Soccer (at a high level) is very often not enjoyable for people to watch if they haven't played it. Or at least grown up with it. The reason is that there is always a lot going on, but you really have to know what to look for to see it. That's why I don't expect or care when most Americans don't enjoy watching it.

 

That said, nobody is trying to cram anything down your throat. Most people care that their country does well in international competition no matter what the sport is. It doesn't mean they care about soccer, it means they care about the US representing themselves well. I can see that's a completely foreign concept to you, and that's fine, so I'll stop there before you accuse me (disturbingly) of trying to cram something down your throat.

 

Edit - If you want me to break down what is so interesting to me about soccer, I'll gladly do so. It will be a long post, though, so I won't bother unless you specifically ask me to do it. Also, I'm guessing you're the type of person who complains to the TV about why they bother showing all those sh**ty sports during the Olympics, and how nobody cares about most of them...totally missing the point that it's your country competing in a world competition and that's something special.

 

I'd read it.

[HuskerInLostWages]

I've played since I was 4, and I also held a scholarship for it at Creighton. The game itself is not about how fast you can run or anything like that, in general it's a finesse game. The whole game is basically strategy of trying to get the constant movement of the game to score a goal. No other sport has this, there are constant breaks in every game other than soccer. We constantly run for two 45 minute halves with a 15 minute break in between. Rugby would be the most closely related sport in that it's constant movement into space, so you have to have the endurance no other sport really has. I know many former soccer players who played football and will tell you that soccer it's 10 times harder than football due to the endurance factor. They say that on average a soccer player runs the equivalent of 10 miles a game, I'm sure some do more and some do a little less, but that is a lot of running. I also have had American football players tell me there's no hitting in the game, then I showed them just how wrong they were when I gave them a ball and told them to come at me with speed. It doesn't look like it, but some slide tackles tend to hurt and you can really nail someone in my favorite game. From about High School on the games a lot more intense and though they are low scoring, makes for a great game.

 

Take away 5 of the 6 points for a touchdown, and American football wouldn't have 21-3 scores either. We have no 3 point line or a field goal that gives us extra points, we have 1 and only 1 way to score.

 

As my bumper sticker says, "Men play football, Intelligent men play soccer"

[Igetbored216]

I've posted this in another thread, but I'll do so again...

 

Soccer (at a high level) is very often not enjoyable for people to watch if they haven't played it. Or at least grown up with it. The reason is that there is always a lot going on, but you really have to know what to look for to see it. That's why I don't expect or care when most Americans don't enjoy watching it.

 

That said, nobody is trying to cram anything down your throat. Most people care that their country does well in international competition no matter what the sport is. It doesn't mean they care about soccer, it means they care about the US representing themselves well. I can see that's a completely foreign concept to you, and that's fine, so I'll stop there before you accuse me (disturbingly) of trying to cram something down your throat.

 

Edit - If you want me to break down what is so interesting to me about soccer, I'll gladly do so. It will be a long post, though, so I won't bother unless you specifically ask me to do it. Also, I'm guessing you're the type of person who complains to the TV about why they bother showing all those sh**ty sports during the Olympics, and how nobody cares about most of them...totally missing the point that it's your country competing in a world competition and that's something special.

 

Yes, I would like you to break down what is so interesting about soccer...that's kind of the point of this whole thread. Believe it or not, I am able to read; even if it's a long post.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

I've posted this in another thread, but I'll do so again...

 

Soccer (at a high level) is very often not enjoyable for people to watch if they haven't played it. Or at least grown up with it. The reason is that there is always a lot going on, but you really have to know what to look for to see it. That's why I don't expect or care when most Americans don't enjoy watching it.

 

That said, nobody is trying to cram anything down your throat. Most people care that their country does well in international competition no matter what the sport is. It doesn't mean they care about soccer, it means they care about the US representing themselves well. I can see that's a completely foreign concept to you, and that's fine, so I'll stop there before you accuse me (disturbingly) of trying to cram something down your throat.

 

Edit - If you want me to break down what is so interesting to me about soccer, I'll gladly do so. It will be a long post, though, so I won't bother unless you specifically ask me to do it. Also, I'm guessing you're the type of person who complains to the TV about why they bother showing all those sh**ty sports during the Olympics, and how nobody cares about most of them...totally missing the point that it's your country competing in a world competition and that's something special.

 

Yes, I would like you to break down what is so interesting about soccer...that's kind of the point of this whole thread. Believe it or not, I am able to read; even if it's a long post.

 

I really wish I understood your logic, youre asking a stupid question, in which when people reply you still want to deny the fact and defend your postion on the sport. Dont play as you genuinely want to find out why people like the sport then trash their logic with your own, its stupid.

[EbylHusker]

As requested, here are the reasons I like soccer (both playing and watching). Keep in mind that I like a good number of different sports for various reasons, and none of this means I think soccer is superior to other sports. This also only applies to soccer at a high level like we'll see during the World Cup.

 

Soccer is a team game and it's played on a huge field. It's really more about what you do while you don't have the ball than what you do with the ball. That's a very appealing aspect for me, but it also makes soccer hard to watch for many that don't know what to look for. While the best players are obviously very good with the ball, they're equally good (or better) without the ball.

 

In that way, it's also a game of patience, which I enjoy. You don't get many subs, so attacking players are often looking to wear the defenders down throughout the game so they can take advantage of what they hope is superior conditioning at the end of the game. All the passing has a point, as the team is looking for a shift in the defense so they can work the ball deeper into their opponent's side of the field. And like our own football, time of possession often relates to winning games.

 

Soccer is an elegant game. The tiniest step or shift of your weight can be enough to get you the space you need. Defenders have the advantage in soccer, so often it becomes a "game of inches" in that you only need to create half a foot of space to get the right pass off (usually a cross in front of the goal in these cases).

 

The game requires huge amounts of time and dedication if you're going to be good. Gaining the required endurance, strength, foot work, vision of the field, and skills with the ball is an ongoing commitment. Surprising to most is that your entire body needs to be strong, both lower and upper. The lower body is obvious, but upper body strength is required to maintain your balance and fend off opponents who try to muscle you off the ball. Soccer is actually a very physical game - far more physical than it looks while just watching it (nobody should compare it to something like football, though). None of that is really any different from other contact sports, but it still applies to soccer.

 

It's a strategic game, but a dynamic kind of strategy. Once you're out on the field, you're out there until halftime or the game's end. While the coach can yell a few directions, make a few changes, and so on, it's pretty much up to the players to adapt to what's going on. Tiny shifts in formation can make a huge difference in how your team plays. This also has a lot to do with movement off the ball.

 

I've already touched on this, but it's really the little things that matter in soccer. Mistime your run by half a second and you're offsides rather than 1v1 with the goalie. Force the defender to shift his weight wrong just a little and you win yourself that extra 6 inches needed to make the perfect cross. Mishit the ball by just a centimeter and you miss the goal by 10 feet rather than putting it in the corner. Don't make the right type of run to support your team's attack and all of a sudden their great series of one touch passes that shreds the defense ends with them losing the ball and being scored on with a counter attack. Very small things can have a quick and lasting impact on the game.

 

The one negative thing I will say about soccer is the diving, though believe it or not, it's gotten better in this WC. Diving is far worse than hamming up an injury to get a call, though that is still annoying. I will say that often collisions in soccer (like hard sliding tackles) really do hurt - especially if the spikes are up. There is a reason tackles with the spikes up is illegal...it doesn't matter where you get hit, being spiked in soccer is immensely painful for a little while and very dangerous. Unfortunately, people like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is one of the best and most popular players in the world - you can see him play for Portugal in the WC, will go down almost anytime they're touched. All they're doing is hurting the sport and being little bitches.

 

I'll go ahead and stop there. I'm sure I could list more reasons, but I think that's enough.

[knapplc]

Igetbored, why do you like the Huskers? Tons of teams play football, it's not that hard to pick up, and there are more successful teams than Nebraska out there. You following the Huskers makes as much sense as someone liking soccer, or hockey, or basketball, or anything under the sun.

I'd like an answer to this, if it's not too difficult for you.