Posted on 12/18/2022 10:43:24 AM PST by SeekAndFind
I wonder too.... The EPL is the deepest league talent-wise IMHO. The Bundesliga is dominated by Bayern; La Liga by Barcelona and Madrid; the French League by PSG; Serie A by Milan and Juventus. Only the EPL seems to have a half dozen teams capable of winning it (well, maybe not this year), and even once in a while some no-name team comes out of nowhere and dominates.
The kicker in American football hasn’t been running his ass off for over 2 hours prior to taking his FG tries. I dare say American football players would collapse if they had to run 45 minutes straight without breaks, much less go for 120+ minutes.
Apples and oranges and what-ifs.....
Totally different game - American football players are built for short periods of explosive maximum effort and action. But over the course of a game that wears one down too. Like running sprints over and over as opposed to running a 10K.
I agree w/ you on the player conditioning, all that targeted running and dribbling and defending.
But, weren’t soccer players especially affected by the vax shots they were required to take? So many simply collapsed where few did before.
I agree that there really is no GOAT forever. Pele will always be the GOAT for me personally, he is a very humble person. He did so much to bring attention to the game. (I became a fan because of Pele.) Maradona was great, but so self-centered. Ronaldo is also one of the greatest, but one thing I like about Messi is that he’s played in so many World Cups. I think he’s a great new modern spokesman for the game, and he’s pretty humble. I really enjoyed how he snuck in a kiss on the Cup after receiving the Golden Ball trophy. That was a fun moment to watch.
It makes sense to the rest of the world, perhaps. Americans are not used to this. Maybe that'll change now that we have MLS but so far it's still a niche sport and we are only paying attention to the world cup every four years (well, we didn't watch it in 2018 because USA did not qualify).
Exactly, they are totally different games. Totally. Which is why I think it’s hilarious to see so many people call it a boring game. IMHO those people don’t understand it.
I love watching almost every sport. When it’s time for tennis, I don’t sit there and bellyache over the scoring system. That’s part of that game. It seems that around here, people want to change soccer into a different sport. Well then, it wouldn’t be soccer, it would be some other sport. They are all contests of different feats. I appreciate each sport for what the players have to do to win.
I am an amateur photographer who has photographed some local adult soccer tournements. I don't like the game as a game (ditto for golf).
But I will say, having been at field level, it can be quite rough and running like crazy for 90+ minutes is impressive.
Waiting in the wings is Mbappe, he’s only 22YO.
I watched the whole tournament on Telemundo just to avoid the woke commercials and woker commentary on Fox sports.
We still watched in 2018. MLS has been growing steadily since its beginning in the 90’s. Yes, it is niche still, and I can hardly believe how many cities have teams now. What are we up to, 30 teams? I haven’t paid close attention in the last few years. One son is pretty attentive to it, though, so I’m sure he knows the answer. (Or I could look it up, but not going to.)
“...you seem to think that going to penalty kicks is a random way to decide the winner. Just wow.”
I’m not the original poster, but . . . isn’t it just random in a way? In American football, penalties can give the opposite team a chance to make a play that turns into a score. In soccer, a player actually gets a direct chance to score. There’s not even a play, just a direct shot on goal.
How much more boring would basketball be if all free throws occurred only after regulation time ended?
In soccer, 87 minutes of a typical game is pure boredom.
Well, there are 35 to 40 million non-citizens in US who are happy to contribute to both sets of audiences.
Indoor soccer has more scoring than hockey.
Messi likes Che Guevara and wears the infamous “Che” shirt. France was already communist before Che. Who to hate more? Messi, or France?
People keep trying to compare American football and soccer, and they are two different sports. Why is it necessary to compare them? I enjoy watching both (as well as many other sports) when it’s season is ending. I also like to watch golf, tennis, cycling, snow skiing, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball. Why don’t we just change the rules for each game? You know, because one might be “better” than the other. Less boring to watch.
I think they’re all interesting. I try to learn what the rules are for each game, and enjoy what they offer.
He is very talented. He will continue to be fun to watch.
It seems to be more popular with upper middle class white folks in urban/suburban areas. You would think it would be more popular with Hispanics but it appears that they prefer the Premier League or La Liga instead.
Exactly. I don’t play or understand Go, but I respect the devotion to that game shown by millions of people.
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