Best place to watch soccer

[Sportmotor]

Funny, I find basketball boring for exactly the opposite reason.  Score 148-144?  Yawn.  Run, shoot, score; run, shoot, score.......repeat ad nauseum.

To each their own.

I agree with this.

[Dapperdan]

Funny, I find basketball boring for exactly the opposite reason.  Score 148-144?  Yawn.  Run, shoot, score; run, shoot, score.......repeat ad nauseum.

To each their own.

So in soccer, it is pass, pass, pass, run, get ball stolen, run back on defense, steal ball back, pass, pass, pass. Shoot at goal, go way over goal. Have goalie pass ball back out. Repeat this process for 2 hours and "hope" that you get lucky and get a  shot off and it is not 20 feet over or to either side of goal. Don't get me started on extra time. Just stop the game like every other sport if there is an injury, etc. No one ever knows when the game will end. I would much rather watch American football, basketball, baseball or even rugby.

[RockStar]

That's why American football is the best sport.

* A proper amount of scoring.
* Like chess, the next play depends on the result of the one prior.
* When a player goes down and grabs his leg, he doesn't usually get back on it for 6-8 weeks. The only occasional flop you might see is from a QB trying to steal a call.

I enjoy soccer (I went to the World Cup in France in '98), but I've never been made so keenly aware of how often those guys flop and bitch. I mean, when the primary medical tool is a spray anesthetic, I call crybaby.

And honestly, no score til the 117th minute, isn't a great soccer match either. Even the announcers called it a pig of a game. Let's not be delusional and call that a great final. Besides, once again the refs had too much impact. Had they not red carded that Dutch defenseman (sorry, forget his name), Spain probably doesn't get that goal and instead it would've come down to PK's. I think I saw them yellow card a fan in the stands for illegal use of his vuvuzela...lol.

Just sayin is all...

[copperfiend]

Funny, I find basketball boring for exactly the opposite reason.  Score 148-144?  Yawn.  Run, shoot, score; run, shoot, score.......repeat ad nauseum.

To each their own.

So in soccer, it is pass, pass, pass, run, get ball stolen, run back on defense, steal ball back, pass, pass, pass. Shoot at goal, go way over goal. Have goalie pass ball back out. Repeat this process for 2 hours and "hope" that you get lucky and get a  shot off and it is not 20 feet over or to either side of goal. Don't get me started on extra time. Just stop the game like every other sport if there is an injury, etc. No one ever knows when the game will end. I would much rather watch American football, basketball, baseball or even rugby.

The international governing body over the world's most popular sport is not going to change the injury time rule to satisfy Americans with little to no interest in the sport. I don't run into too many actual soccer fans that have a hard time with the injury time.

[JC]

That's why American football is the best sport.

* A proper amount of scoring.
* Like chess, the next play depends on the result of the one prior.
* When a player goes down and grabs his leg, he doesn't usually get back on it for 6-8 weeks. The only occasional flop you might see is from a QB trying to steal a call.

I enjoy soccer (I went to the World Cup in France in '98), but I've never been made so keenly aware of how often those guys flop and bitch. I mean, when the primary medical tool is a spray anesthetic, I call crybaby.

And honestly, no score til the 117th minute, isn't a great soccer match either. Even the announcers called it a pig of a game. Let's not be delusional and call that a great final. Besides, once again the refs had too much impact. Had they not red carded that Dutch defenseman (sorry, forget his name), Spain probably doesn't get that goal and instead it would've come down to PK's. I think I saw them yellow card a fan in the stands for illegal use of his vuvuzela...lol.

Just sayin is all...

I agree that the subjective nature of sports officiating can be a real bummer.  But arguing that American Football is better is just arguing your opinion which... well you know what they say about opinions, anyway. 

1.  There have been big games in all sports that have been blown by officials!
2.  Not everyone needs the instant gratification of constant scoring!  I love watching a low scoring game, be it baseball, soccer or hockey, its just the nature of those games. 
3.  The announcers called it a pig but again, opinion, simple fact was that both defenses played good football, especially in the midfield. 
4.  Flops are a problem but no one does it like Italians, thank goodness they weren't in it! 

Anyway, if you don't like the sport than don't watch it!

[JaxByDefault]

That's why American football is the best sport.

* A proper amount of scoring.
* Like chess, the next play depends on the result of the one prior.
* When a player goes down and grabs his leg, he doesn't usually get back on it for 6-8 weeks. The only occasional flop you might see is from a QB trying to steal a call.

I enjoy soccer (I went to the World Cup in France in '98), but I've never been made so keenly aware of how often those guys flop and bitch. I mean, when the primary medical tool is a spray anesthetic, I call crybaby.

And honestly, no score til the 117th minute, isn't a great soccer match either. Even the announcers called it a pig of a game. Let's not be delusional and call that a great final. Besides, once again the refs had too much impact. Had they not red carded that Dutch defenseman (sorry, forget his name), Spain probably doesn't get that goal and instead it would've come down to PK's. I think I saw them yellow card a fan in the stands for illegal use of his vuvuzela...lol.

Just sayin is all...

No score until the 117th minute often means it's a great match -- this WC final aside. It's slower than usual pace had more to do with a high percentage of fouls which were a drag on the game.

When I'm deep into the EPL season, American football becomes really slow and rather difficult to watch -- and I like American football.  Rest time between plays? Umpteen commercial breaks? Pass, Pass, run, run, score, repeat.

As for diving...well, some teams and leagues are more prone to that than others. There are also a few players who have developed a reputation for turf inspection and acting skills. Kind of like there are a few NFL players who have developed a similar rep for field antics. I prefer the game to be, as its nickname connotes, beautiful. My loathing of certain teams is directly proportional to their turf time.

Also, if you haven't taken a running slide tackle, jumped up for an in-box header, repeatedly thrown yourself around as a goalie, or been in a goalie-striker collision (all without padding) then you probably don't have a good appreciation of how physical soccer is. It's not rugby, but it's a lot of running and more physical contact than comes through on TV.

Stoppage time is just something to get used to, though I still don't understand why it bothers a few people. I personally like it because it makes teams play end-game tactics for longer and not just hold out for a determinate end point.

Lastly, if you think that a series of plays aren't highly connected in soccer, well, you need to watch  more soccer and understand the game better. There are just as many plays as in football, if not more, only you don't get to conference with the coach and your teammates about which one you're going to use each time.

So you don't like it, fine. I just don't get why every time soccer fans rear their heads in the US someone has to pound into the conversation why they think soccer is boring, European, not tough, etc. Ireland and Australia have national-rules football, too, and yet they manage to support (or in the very least tolerate) soccer, too.

[RockStar]

For the record, I didn't say that soccer is boring. I've watched plenty of soccer, much of this World Cup, and certainly enough to know that this final, with the score in the 117th min had only a handful of tense moments; there were qualifiers that were more exciting. If the game were 3-3 going into ET, I might've felt different, but alas...

You're right about soccer not being rugby. I know soccer is physical, but too many of those guys fall and cry when the wind blows wrong...it was epidemic at this Cup.

Never had a problem with stoppage time, it's part of the game. Lack of instant replay on disallowed goals however is just dumb, though. Argue that.

I think that after this Cup, soccer's popularity will continue to rise at a higher pace.

Imagine if we'd gotten past Ghana....

[civil42806]

Well we can go back to ignoring soccer again until the next world cup. 

"I think that after this Cup, soccer's popularity will continue to rise at a higher pace."

Been hearing that for 30 years, will wait and see but I doubt its going to break into the big 4(football, baseball, basketball, hockey) in my lifetime

[copperfiend]

People care about hockey?

[danno]

Major Leauge Soccer does better than some NBA and NHL teams in regards to attendance.
2010 average is ar 16,627, up from 15,144 in 2009.  Here are some averages by team.

Seattle 36,139
Philly 23,961
LA 20,687
Toronto 20,588
Salt Lake 16,277
New York 16,276
Houston 16,003
Chicago 14,778
DC 14,734
Chivas USA (LA) 14,450
Columbus 14,367
Colorado 13,716
New England 11,796
Dallas 11,239
KC 10,005
San Jose 9,515

[JaxByDefault]

Lack of instant replay on disallowed goals however is just dumb, though. Argue that.

I don't know if I'd want instant replay, but goal line technology -- or at least goal linesmen-- would be nice.

I kind of enjoy the culture of soccer where a ref's decision stands, a team grouses, rivalries are born, and legends that fuel teams for years are created. Most of the time, even after a completely botched call, the best team carries the match anyway. Instant replay with it's attendant coach's challenges, pestering players, and delays would annoy me in a soccer match as much as rampant diving.

As an England National fan, I can attest that we thrive on a diet of bitter disappointment that magically converts into hopeless overconfidence and inflated expectations about 2 months before any major international tournament. The Goal-that-Wasn't will likely fuel England fans well into Euro Cup (and yes, the better side won that match, too, in the end).

[danno]

As an England National fan, I can attest that we thrive on a diet of bitter disappointment that magically converts into hopeless overconfidence and inflated expectations about 2 months before any major international tournament. The Goal-that-Wasn't will likely fuel England fans well into Euro Cup (and yes, the better side won that match, too, in the end).

Ahhhhh... I reminds me of Euro 96...... "It's comming home, it's coming...... Footballs coming home."

[JaxByDefault]

^ I'd take '96 over 2006 any day! The double heartbreak of watching England fall on PKs in the semis was somewhat offset by the start of a long love of watching Zizu play.   

Before the WC, I was thinking that Messi might step up to fill that role, alas not yet. 

[Cricket]

American arrogance doesn't allow us to embrace too many games that are not homegrown. For this reason I don't see football (soccer) getting much of a foothold (pun intended) in this country.

[Dog Walker]

Maybe it would spice the game up some and raise the scores if they made the goal a little wider?