The Soccer Thread (Version 13) — Winter World Cup Edition

So many overtimes don’t make sense to me, either. Too many are just “too cute”.

For soccer, I wish it was just sudden death after 90. None of these two 15-minute periods and we’ll see what the score is after 120. Next goal and it’s over.

Basketball is the one I despise the most. Five minutes is such an arbitrary number. Just make it the first team to four points wins OT. Jump ball to start. Four points.

College football is also a farce. That game looks nothing like the regular game, starting at the 25. Stops only come because of holding penalties, it seems.

Because the Vikings whined a dozen years ago, now the NFL has a system where players are on the field LONGER than they were when it was sudden death. Plus we get more ties now.

What I would do for NFL. Home team must kick (or visitor gets the choice). Back to old rules. Sudden death. The home team had 60 minutes to make one more play and a crowd cheering them on.

 

College football is the worst, I almost brought that up. I think the NFL should let both teams get the ball, but they should go back to a full period. The 10 minute thing or whatever it is is what is causing the ties. Team A scores a field goal, team B matches it, and then there isn't any time left.

Soccer should do golden goal. It would be amazing. Four points in OT for basketball, now that would be crazy too.

 

I’m fully supportive of a clock which stops when the ball is out of play and I don’t know what the argument against that is. Unless there are huge amounts of people who enjoy watching Italians adjust their socks before taking a throw in.

 

Continuous play is kind of cool and in a way is what makes soccer soccer. I don't know why they can't stop it on goals, injuries, and other long stops like cards. Having no idea how much time is left and then having the ref completely decide it is always fun. If a team has a chance it never just ends either. They always wait until it is completed.

 

The problem is that the running clock system is repeatedly abused. Goal kicks in the EPL often take 45 seconds for a team which is winning. Throw ins can take the same amount of time. Tradition is the only reason not to cure for that problem. I understand that the logical next step would be time outs or commercial breaks and I’m against that. But watching what the last mens and womens Euros champs did was anti-sporting.

 

An official running stoppage clock would cure a lot of those ills. The referee right now is the only official keeper of this time. It would make the game more transparent while keeping the run of play structured as is.

 

Here is why I like four point-OT for basketball. They’ve just played the high-leverage of a final 2 or 3 minutes.

Now they have to coast for a couple minutes, try not to get down 5, and then rev it up.

First to four points means two possessions. Also, it doesn’t give the deeper/more talented teams the edge in OT, like we often see.

 

This Messi guy might be pretty good.

 

Of course, that can be said for more than just the yoga pants/Yukon/YETI moms in Georgia and Arizona.

I'm always amused by the bandwagoneers who live and die with the national soccer teams ... until the World Cup ends.

 

Or they lose.

It's not like teams are "surprised" that PKs are going to happen if it ends in a tie. Some teams actually play for that, figuring it's their best chance to win - if you don't want to lose in PKs, don't go to kicks. It's like OT in football, you sit on the ball when the game is tied in regulation- you get what you get.

 

I guess the English women must have sang God Save the King loudly.

 

*blue hair