So, seeing that it’s World Cup time again I thought I might take in a match (once again) and try to understand what all the fuss is about. I’m looking for recommendations on intriguing matchups, insane fan bases, etc.
I’m not going to lie, I don’t like watching soccer. I liked playing it as a kid. Any advice on getting over the eye rolling flopping, perplexing running clock/extra time, slow pacing? What am I missing as far as strategy and tactical decisions that makes the game interesting? Help a non-fan become a fan.
Two of the best talents (Messi and Ronaldo (Argentina and Portugal)) are both out of the tournament, but they would be two to watch otherwise. From there, you can tune in just about any match since these are all good teams.
In order to enjoy soccer, you need to appreciate the build up to the scoring chances. If you just sit and wait for goals, it's going to be boring. It would be similar to watching football and expecting a touchdown on every play.
In soccer, if a player is able to get a clear shot off in the box (18 yard box), he has a really good chance to score. So from that perspective, so much of the game is trying to get the ball to a player who is going to be in that position to get a shot.
Players can't just stand there however and wait for a pass because they would be offside, so the strategy is working the ball up and getting a good pass in to a player who can theoretically get a good shot off.
I used to hate soccer and preferred football, but now being a soccer fan, football seems very slow with dead periods (huddle) between every 7 seconds of action and numerous commercial breaks. (20 minutes of action in 3 hours).
Soccer however is 90+ minutes of action in under two hours.
The other cool thing about soccer and the World Cup is that it's so wide open and subjective. Unlike football where there is really only one league (the NFL) soccer has many different leagues, and there is constant debate about which league is the best. Some say English Premier League, others, La Liga (Spanish). Each country essentially has their own league with a mix of players from various countries. So when you have the World Cup, you have players from many different leagues coming together to play for their national team. Sometimes it works out well (Germany in 2014), and other times it doesn't (Germany in 2018).
Most of the European leagues are towards the top. The MLS is probably around 6th-10th if that.
The running clock is part of the gamesmanship. When you have a lead, you play the ball back in a little slower, when you're down, you rush a bit quicker. The few times a player flops or is injured, consider it a commercial break without commercials or a timeout.