[Seaplaner]

I like watching the World Cup games, but outside of them the sport is just too boring.

As a soccer parent (and coach) for many years, I'm pretty sick of soccer.

The game has some good elements, but the defense if far too heavily favored, and the pitch (field) is too large, so the adult game (as opposed to the kids version) always becomes a gigantic game of "keepaway", with the occasional Hail Mary long shot, and some Crazy Ivan attacks, hoping for a random goal.

I have seen some exquisite play, and some phenomenal shots, and some impossible saves, all of which I enjoyed. But the tedium in between the excitement is a time bandit, and the "game-within-the-game" nonsense is a total myth. (It's just a big game of "keep away", and that's that.)

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[bicyclerepair]

NHL rules.

[dfwgator]

The game has some good elements, but the defense if far too heavily favored, and the pitch (field) is too large, so the adult game (as opposed to the kids version) always becomes a gigantic game of "keepaway", with the occasional Hail Mary long shot, and some Crazy Ivan attacks, hoping for a random goal.

You need to watch more EPL or La Liga games.....watching Messi and Barcelona is like watching poetry.

[kearnyirish2]

Good points; I think they would improve the game by removing a couple of players from each team, and by fixing zones for offsides (like the lines in hockey). The problem isn’t just that it is too hard to score a goal; the problem is that it is too hard to even set up a scoring opportunity.

Soccer’s popularity in the US was doomed when we hosted the World Cup in 1994, and a lot of people unfamiliar with the sport watched the final only to be treated to a 0-0 tie after 2 hours. Italy played an 11 man defense, and it was boring as hell.

[onedoug]

Start with 5 minutes of free kicks, then play the rest of this ridiculous...game.

[lefty-lie-spy]

So true. Luckily I get to see live national and international play rugby here. I’m going to my international 7s event from 9am-5pm on Sunday. 25 short games with only 7 players per side - should be a blast. Rugby really is amazing as far as true sport goes.

[driftless2]

"sick of soccer"

You aptly pointed out the flaws of soccer. I'll add, if they took away three players and shortened the field, soccer would be an interesting game. It's like if you had ten players per team on a basketball court. The court would be too crowded, and even Michael Jordan would have a difficult time scoring. What soccer needs, as has pointed out millions of times by bored Americans, is more scoring. Obviously, most of the soccers fans in the world are more than content with their low-scoring, soporific sport. Until the rules change, I won't be a fan.