World Cup Round of 16: Germany vs England

• Laley23

  

  Non;403342 wrote:I've covered soccer a lot in high school and began understanding the game because I had to.
  
  But I still think so much of time amounts to nothing. People will say you have to understand it and know what all is going on and that you have to watch everything but that's bull crap. The key moments often are few and far between.
  
  And what happens is the fans get restless for some action so they usually complain over every little call. That's a big part of soccer at every level. Just coaches, players and fans crying about the calls.

  
  Yeah, but you dont know when the action is gonna come, so its intense (if you have a rooting interest). I could watch a game for probably 10 minutes and tell you the way a team is going to have to attack to have success in the given game, most people couldnt so they think its boring.
  
  I am a pretty big baseball fan, yet I get extremely bored. I mean shit, the games are 3 hrs if your lucky. I usually watch the early innings and the 8th and 9th. The others Im on my computer just listening to the commentators or watching a different channel all together. Even in 2007 when the Tribe was sensational I couldnt sit through a whole game vs the Royals.
  
  In soccer, I dont really ever find a moment boring. The build up is so important and crucial and its the American way to want action with a result. At least thats what they say. But excuses are always made for low scoring football games or baseball games. Soccer is just as exciting as those sports if you actually understand the movement of all 10 players. The shape of the defense. The triangle passing. The overlapping. The shape of a team moving together so as not to get spread. Choosing when to attack and leave the midfield exposed and when not to. Im not saying you dont get these things, because you said you cover soccer. But most people do not. I mean hell, the biggest thing said is soccer needs to do away with the offside rule which would KILL the game. There would be no scoring, ever. It would be fucking retarded yet people think for some ungodly reason it would actually open things up. When someone tells me that, I pretty much assume they have never played soccer (and if you have never played, its almost impossible to understand the game)
• SportsAndLady

  

  Non;403342 wrote:But I still think so much of time amounts to nothing.
  
  The key moments often are few and far between.
  
  Just coaches, players and fans crying about the calls.

  
  All 3 parts of that pretty much applies to every sport.
  
  Football is a 3 hour broadcast of a 60 minute game, with 13 minutes of action per game (those are facts, not my guesses).
• Non

  

  Laley23;403348 wrote:Yeah, but you dont know when the action is gonna come, so its intense (if you have a rooting interest). I could watch a game for probably 10 minutes and tell you the way a team is going to have to attack to have success in the given game, most people couldnt so they think its boring.
  
  I am a pretty big baseball fan, yet I get extremely bored. I mean shit, the games are 3 hrs if your lucky. I usually watch the early innings and the 8th and 9th. The others Im on my computer just listening to the commentators or watching a different channel all together. Even in 2007 when the Tribe was sensational I couldnt sit through a whole game vs the Royals.
  
  In soccer, I dont really ever find a moment boring. The build up is so important and crucial and its the American way to want action with a result. At least thats what they say. But excuses are always made for low scoring football games or baseball games. Soccer is just as exciting as those sports if you actually understand the movement of all 10 players. The shape of the defense. The triangle passing. The overlapping. The shape of a team moving together so as not to get spread. Choosing when to attack and leave the midfield exposed and when not to. Im not saying you dont get these things, because you said you cover soccer. But most people do not. I mean hell, the biggest thing said is soccer needs to do away with the offside rule which would KILL the game. There would be no scoring, ever. It would be fucking retarded yet people think for some ungodly reason it would actually open things up. When someone tells me that, I pretty much assume they have never played soccer (and if you have never played, its almost impossible to understand the game)

  Baseball has so many different dynamics. Each night you have so many games around the big leagues and all these highlights and scenarios and heroes. Even with the Pirates, my team, they may lose every night but they lose different ways.
  
  Soccer actually does not offer much variety. You end up with a lot of games that are not much different than the others. A few big saves to preserve the win. One team controlled the action and kept the pressure on, dominating 3-0. This team had their chances but missed the opportunities. When there is a controversial call or some type of fight/altercation it helps give the game some added story or it would be pretty dull otherwise.
• Laley23

  

  Non;403365 wrote:Baseball has so many different dynamics. Each night you have so many games around the big leagues and all these highlights and scenarios and heroes. Even with the Pirates, my team, they may lose every night but they lose different ways.
  
  Soccer actually does not offer much variety. You end up with a lot of games that are not much different than the others. A few big saves to preserve the win. One team controlled the action and kept the pressure on, dominating 3-0. This team had their chances but missed the opportunities. When there is a controversial call or some type of fight/altercation it helps give the game some added story or it would be pretty dull otherwise.

  
  Well, you can think that, but I will disagree completely. The Netherlands and Spain...and that is even arguable are the only teams left (hell maybe in the whole 32) that even play the same style all the way through.
  
  Just because games end in baseball with a different way to lose, doesnt mean it isnt the same in soccer, despite what you want to believe. Just today, England lost because they were arguing a hand-ball off a free kick and didnt get back on defense. Argentina won because of a retarded Mexican defender. Yesterday, Ghana won because USA missed a ton of chances and got beat on 2 chances Ghana had. Uruguay won because of an unreal effort from Suarez after a game that was up and down the whole time. 4 different games with results. The games were played completely different as well. NONE of those games had the same tempo and pace.
• Non

  

  Laley23;403368 wrote:Well, you can think that, but I will disagree completely. The Netherlands and Spain...and that is even arguable are the only teams left (hell maybe in the whole 32) that even play the same style all the way through.
  
  Just because games end in baseball with a different way to lose, doesnt mean it isnt the same in soccer, despite what you want to believe. Just today, England lost because they were arguing a hand-ball off a free kick and didnt get back on defense. Argentina won because of a retarded Mexican defender. Yesterday, Ghana won because USA missed a ton of chances and got beat on 2 chances Ghana had. Uruguay won because of an unreal effort from Suarez after a game that was up and down the whole time. 4 different games with results. The games were played completely different as well. NONE of those games had the same tempo and pace.

  I don't know about all that. The first two games were pretty much onesided. There are a few plays that are getting blown up to seem more pivotal but there was a lot time after that.
  
  If the game was so great how come the MLS games don't produce news throughout the year? It's not just because ESPN chooses not to promote soccer because they clearly do once in awhile.
• I Wear Pants

  Non;403365 wrote:Baseball has so many different dynamics. Each night you have so many games around the big leagues and all these highlights and scenarios and heroes. Even with the Pirates, my team, they may lose every night but they lose different ways.
  
  Soccer actually does not offer much variety. You end up with a lot of games that are not much different than the others. A few big saves to preserve the win. One team controlled the action and kept the pressure on, dominating 3-0. This team had their chances but missed the opportunities. When there is a controversial call or some type of fight/altercation it helps give the game some added story or it would be pretty dull otherwise.

  You definitely don't really understand soccer if you think Baseball is more dynamic. Baseball is terribly boring when people aren't hitting home runs. And even then you only got home runs when every player in the game was a fat steroid user. Now they're just fat.
  
  Edit: Again, ESPN doesn't show soccer highlights constantly throughout the year as much as they do baseball or basketball is for a few reasons. One being that there aren't eight million games in a season. Another being that everytime they show soccer people whine about it. Like you have been doing all day. "Wah...why do they have soccer on my ESPN? I could have been reading interesting articles like "Where is Lebron going? Incite from his barber" or "Brett Farve looked at a football while shopping...confirmation that he's returning for another year".
• Non

  

  I Wear Pants;403391 wrote:You definitely don't really understand soccer if you think Baseball is more dynamic. Baseball is terribly boring when people aren't hitting home runs. And even then you only got home runs when every player in the game was a fat steroid user. Now they're just fat.
  
  Edit: Again, ESPN doesn't show soccer highlights constantly throughout the year as much as they do baseball or basketball is for a few reasons. One being that there aren't eight million games in a season. Another being that everytime they show soccer people whine about it. Like you have been doing all day. "Wah...why do they have soccer on my ESPN? I could have been reading interesting articles like "Where is Lebron going? Incite from his barber" or "Brett Farve looked at a football while shopping...confirmation that he's returning for another year".

  
  They should have that content ready for Monday. lol
  
  Actually I think they should have one page devoted to world sports like they do with ESPN New York and ESPN Boston. Just keep the soccer news on there and keep the main page for the better US sports.
  
  Maybe stick the soccer updates along the right side.
• Non

  

  unrelated, but I think another thing that hurts soccer is the lack of tradition
  
  that does account for a lot in our other professional and college sports
  
  you really can't compare the greats and go back and rank the top moments and stuff like that, like you get with the other sports
• I Wear Pants

  Non;403416 wrote:unrelated, but I think another thing that hurts soccer is the lack of tradition
  
  that does account for a lot in our other professional and college sports
  
  you really can't compare the greats and go back and rank the top moments and stuff like that, like you get with the other sports

  You're not even a good troll.
• Non

  

  Never claimed to be a troll.
• I Wear Pants

  You're a troll. No one can be stupid enough to think that soccer lacks tradition. It has more tradition in it's proverbial finger than most of the sports you're thinking of have at all.
• Non

  

  I Wear Pants;403473 wrote:You're a troll. No one can be stupid enough to think that soccer lacks tradition. It has more tradition in it's proverbial finger than most of the sports you're thinking of have at all.

  
  You're crazy. In the United States? More than college football, pro football, baseball, boxing, basketball?
  
  There aren't even like 10 moments that are in this county's sports lore. The history is almost entirely insignificant.
• I Wear Pants

  I thought you meant the sport as a whole. I think you can see how I was all :O at that.
  
  Misunderstanding here. That takes you a few rungs down the troll o-meter.
  
  It hasn't been really popular at a professional level for very long. Same with MMA. It'll get there and there will be moments that we'll say "remember when x happened?" Donovan's goal was probably one of those.
• Laley23

  

  Non;403389 wrote:I don't know about all that. The first two games were pretty much onesided. There are a few plays that are getting blown up to seem more pivotal but there was a lot time after that.
  
  If the game was so great how come the MLS games don't produce news throughout the year? It's not just because ESPN chooses not to promote soccer because they clearly do once in awhile.

  
  Hold on a second...you think Uruguay vs South Korea and USA vs Ghana were one sided?????? Today, Germany was by far the better team, but that is whats great. England should have been tied and even after the missed call were ONE play from being tied. England had all the momentum on their side. A free kick from a dangerous position. One of the best free kick takers in the world over the ball. He hits the wall, Germany counters, Germany scores.
  
  Argentina was lucky to have a goal at all until their 3rd. While they dominated (Mexico had the 2 best chances in the first half though, just didnt put it in) Mexico was never completely out of it.
  
  
  ESPN doesnt show soccer highlights because when they do even the anchors fucking complain....ON AIR....about it. No, they cant just do their fucking job, they literally get angered (outside Josh Elliot, cause he likes soccer). People get way to angry about soccer being shown, and frankly not many people are watching ESPN for their soccer news because we have much better channels for it (FSC, GolTV, Sentana, and ESPNDeportes). But the audience is there, ESPN would be dumb not to try and become the big dog carrying the broadcasting rights. Anyone over 40 hates soccer, and a good number of people under enjoy it immensely. Its no surprise its popularity is rising as the demographic of soccer followers expands.
• I Wear Pants

  Similar to how old people get excited for the Thanksgiving Lion's game because it was relevant back in like 1832. Younger folks are all "can't they just schedule a game with a team that matters?".
• Laley23

  

  Non;403416 wrote:unrelated, but I think another thing that hurts soccer is the lack of tradition
  
  that does account for a lot in our other professional and college sports
  
  you really can't compare the greats and go back and rank the top moments and stuff like that, like you get with the other sports

  
  Well duh, but we have only had a league for 15 years. Thierry Henry...arguably this generations GREATEST forward.....is probably going to be in America next year. Beckham, Henry, Ljungberg, Juan Pablo Angel, etc. is quite a few foreign stars coming over. Raul, the Spanish legend is considering it as well as Ruud Van Nistelrooy of the Netherlands. Just have to give the MLS time to grow as a league.
  
  And back to the highlights being shown. ESPN only shows goals of soccer. For some reason amazing dribbling skills arent highlights because there isnt a goal, even though a diving catch is somehow a highlight in baseball. Both are highlight material, but its engraved in the minds of Americans that soccer is dumb if there isnt a goal, but not engraved that a diving catch isnt dumb.
• Non

  

  Laley23;403498 wrote:Hold on a second...you think Uruguay vs South Korea and USA vs Ghana were one sided?????? Today, Germany was by far the better team, but that is whats great. England should have been tied and even after the missed call were ONE play from being tied. England had all the momentum on their side. A free kick from a dangerous position. One of the best free kick takers in the world over the ball. He hits the wall, Germany counters, Germany scores.
  
  Argentina was lucky to have a goal at all until their 3rd. While they dominated (Mexico had the 2 best chances in the first half though, just didnt put it in) Mexico was never completely out of it.
  
  
  ESPN doesnt show soccer highlights because when they do even the anchors fucking complain....ON AIR....about it. No, they cant just do their fucking job, they literally get angered (outside Josh Elliot, cause he likes soccer). People get way to angry about soccer being shown, and frankly not many people are watching ESPN for their soccer news because we have much better channels for it (FSC, GolTV, Sentana, and ESPNDeportes). But the audience is there, ESPN would be dumb not to try and become the big dog carrying the broadcasting rights. Anyone over 40 hates soccer, and a good number of people under enjoy it immensely. Its no surprise its popularity is rising as the demographic of soccer followers expands.

  
  I was referring to Germany/England and Argentina/Mexico. Even after the game could've been tied Germany went on to win 4-1. And Argentina was up 3-0. That game didn't have much drama after some early officiating complaints.
  
  ESPN tries every now and then to push it more but then realizes that it's still a niche sport and they go back to covering it as such.
• I Wear Pants

  Why are you always arguing against soccer being on television? What does it hurt you? Change the channel if you don't like it. But you've spent the last few days on here saying that soccer is a tiny sport that doesn't belong on television. No one is saying it's gonna overtake the NFL. But it is growing in the US and so it will start to be more visible even to those not seeking it out.
• hoops23

  

  The MLS has improved so much in it's 15 year history. It's undoubtedly becoming a legit league. The overall talent pool still isn't there, but it's no longer at the point where MLS games are seen as a joke.
  
  Philly had been drawing 30,000 fans to their home games at Lincoln Financial before today when they just moved into their own stadium (not sure how many people it holds, but it was PACKED)
  
  I know Columbus has a very loyal following, as do just about every team in the MLS. Like I said earlier, the league average for attendance is 16,500. That is pretty damn good compared to what it was.
  
  Give the MLS a few more years and it'll definitely be a good league. I'm guessing a lot of the foreign players may give it a try over here especially if the league continues to grow. There is a lot of money to be made in America, especially if you're a star.
• Automatik

  

  Non;403513 wrote:
  ESPN tries every now and then to push it more but then realizes that it's still a niche sport and they go back to covering it as such.

  
  Thats why you have Sky Sports, FSC, and Setanta. MUCH better coverage.
  
  I understand if some people don't like it, hell I dislike baseball and cricket. But you don't see me bitching about it. What the anti-soccer people don't realize is that most fans don't really give a shit how big it is or gets in the US....including myself. I'm more into the EPL and CL anyway.....not concerned with the rise of the MLS . It is what it is....a second tier league, yet gaining popularity.
  
  Non you're General Zod from old Huddle are you?
• hoops23

  

  Automatik, who's your EPL team?
• I Wear Pants

  hoops23;403529 wrote:I Wear Pants, who's your EPL team?

  Chelsea for about a decade now (time frame that I've been following soccer).
• Laley23

  

  hoops23;403529 wrote:Laley23, who's your EPL team?

  Fulham.
  
  If Donovan ends up at Everton they will be 1a and 1b.
  
  I follow La Liga way more closely though, and, as Im sure you know, live for Barcelona.
• Non

  

  Automatik;403528 wrote:Thats why you have Sky Sports, FSC, and Setanta. MUCH better coverage.
  
  I understand if some people don't like it, hell I dislike baseball and cricket. But you don't see me bitching about it. What the anti-soccer people don't realize is that most fans don't really give a shit how big it is or gets in the US....including myself. I'm more into the EPL and CL anyway.....not concerned with the rise of the MLS . It is what it is....a second tier league, yet gaining popularity.
  
  Non you're General Zod from old Huddle are you?

  
  
  Yeah I am.
  
  I agree with your last sentence. It's gained popularity but still is a second tier league until they can get more of the best players.
• Laley23

  

  Non;403553 wrote:Yeah I am.
  
  I agree with your last sentence. It's gained popularity but still is a second tier league until they can get more of the best players.

  
  haha, we finally agree on something tonight! The MLS is 15 yrs old. Its getting better and getting MUCH better players. Its helping develop our young players for the national sides. The other sports have been around since the 1800's. Just have to give it some time to try and become a first rate league.