Clark Hunt is selling the Columbus Crew soccer team

[GloryDayz]

I grew up in and around soccer. Love it. have a respect for it that few can understand unless they'll lived in Europe and other areas of the globe where it's the primary support. As dedicated as we all are to football, it's amazing how dedicated those locals are to their loved sport.

That being said, if they could reinvent the game, they sure could build-in/change a few rules that get the scoring higher. Simply change the offsides rule and you'd see a dynamic that changes the game drastically. Both offense and defense. And I think it'd make it better for all parties involved (sans the goalkeeper!).

Just my opinion...

[memyselfI]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

I grew up in and around soccer. Love it. have a respect for it that few can understand unless they'll lived in Europe and other areas of the globe where it's the primary support. As dedicated as we all are to football, it's amazing how dedicated those locals are to their loved sport.

That being said, if they could reinvent the game, they sure could build-in/change a few rules that get the scoring higher. Simply change the offsides rule and you'd see a dynamic that changes the game drastically. Both offense and defense. And I think it'd make it better for all parties involved (sans the goalkeeper!).

Just my opinion...

The offside rule is one of the biggest PITAs in the game on any level. The officials have 1000 different interpretations of it at the youth level. At the pro level, at least in the US, it's called inconsistently. I hate it.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by InterruptingCow

The offside rule is one of the biggest PITAs in the game on any level. The officials have 1000 different interpretations of it at the youth level. At the pro level, at least in the US, it's called inconsistently. I hate it.

There is only one interpretation to it. The issue is just that the officials are human. You have to be able to see when the ball leaves the players foot, head, etc and also see where the receiving player is in relation to the second to last defender at the same time.

Easy to do if there is a slow pace and the two offensive player are in the same line of vision.

Very hard to do when they are moving at a very fast pace and are not both within the same field of view.

As far as gettign rid of the offside rule....This would destroy the game.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by penguinz

There is only one interpretation to it. The issue is just that the officials are human. You have to be able to see when the ball leaves the players foot, head, etc and also see where the receiving player is in relation to the second to last defender at the same time.

Easy to do if there is a slow pace and the two offensive player are in the same line of vision.

Very hard to do when they are moving at a very fast pace and are not both within the same field of view.

As far as gettign rid of the offside rule....This would destroy the game.

Only fix I could see to make it palatable for American audiences is to not allow an offensive player in the box / within the yard line until the ball has crossed, and give a 2-3 yard-ish "buffer" behind the last defensive player and the GK to the point that an offensive player can't be much farther away without the ball as well.

[memyselfI]

As much as I hate the rule, we shouldn't tamper with it in any way that differentiates American soccer from international rules. We have a hard enough time being taken seriously as a top contributor to the game. Making the rules more offense friendly to appease an American audience would make us look ridiculous.

If Americans want instant gratification and constant stimulation there are plenty of sports and events they can attend to fulfill that purpose. If they can't be sold the nuance, complexity, and intricacy that is soccer then let them go elsewhere.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Only fix I could see to make it palatable for American audiences is to not allow an offensive player in the box / within the yard line until the ball has crossed, and give a 2-3 yard-ish "buffer" behind the last defensive player and the GK to the point that an offensive player can't be much farther away without the ball as well.

The offside law is fine as it is. It is the American's understanding of the law that is the issue no the law in itself.

[WoodDraw]

Originally Posted by penguinz

There is only one interpretation to it. The issue is just that the officials are human. You have to be able to see when the ball leaves the players foot, head, etc and also see where the receiving player is in relation to the second to last defender at the same time.

Easy to do if there is a slow pace and the two offensive player are in the same line of vision.

Very hard to do when they are moving at a very fast pace and are not both within the same field of view.

As far as gettign rid of the offside rule....This would destroy the game.

I mean, kind of, but not really. A player can be in an offside position, but not be actively involved in the play. There's plenty of interpretation that can go into it on less than clear plays.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by WoodDraw

I mean, kind of, but not really. A player can be in an offside position, but not be actively involved in the play.

A player not involved in the play has nothing to do with offside or not offside.

Originally Posted by WoodDraw

There's plenty of interpretation that can go into it on less than clear plays.

No there isn't. The law is really simple.

• “nearer to his opponents’ goal line” means that any part of a player’s head,
body or feet is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the
second-last opponent. The arms are not included in this defi nition
• “interfering with play” means playing or touching the ball passed or
touched by a team-mate
• “interfering with an opponent” means preventing an opponent from
playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s
line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in
the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent
• “gaining an advantage by being in that position” means playing a ball that
rebounds to him off a goalpost or the crossbar having been in an offside
position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having
been in an offside position

The issue is that there are humans involved making the call at real speed. the other issue is that most coaches, players, and many inexperienced referees do not understand Law 11.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

[memyselfI]

This is why KC loves it's soccer team. It's also why the sport will grow in this country.

Sporting KC fans

Some say that the content of one’s character can be judged by an individual’s behavior when no one’s looking. At a time when disturbing events in the news outweigh the good, I am compelled to share the actions of an inspirational hometown athlete.

Recently, three of my children were playing soccer with a neighborhood friend and his dad on the grass along the Harry Wiggins Trolley Trail. A young man with white hair, dressed in a Sporting KC shirt, driving down Brookside Boulevard, spotted them playing soccer, parked his car and crossed to meet them.

Much to my children’s delight and surprise, Jimmy Nielsen, Sporting KC’s standout goalie and the team’s 2011 MVP, observed them practicing saves and punts and proceeded with a few pointers on post-goal punting.

After a short clinic and an autograph for a pair of goalie gloves, he headed back to his car.

I am impressed with Jimmy’s passion for the game and its future. His selfless generosity speaks volumes for the Sporting KC franchise.

We wish the team the best of luck in the remainder of the season and the MLS Cup Playoffs. My children are fans for life.

Marcia Ziglinski

Kansas City
Posted on Mon, Oct. 22, 2012 06:04 PM

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/22...#storylink=cpy

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Whitlockbabymomma

This is why KC loves it's soccer team. It's also why the sport will grow in this country.

You know why the sport is growing in this country?

Because they're GETTING THE KIDS.

I live in Iowa - rural America. Granted, we have a lot of Hispanic immigrants here, but the number of kids playing in soccer leagues is EASILY more than Little League baseball and Pop Warner COMBINED.

Soccer at all levels, not just MLS but also the lesser pro franchises, are doing a GREAT job of getting out in the community and energizing the NEXT generation of fans.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

You know why the sport is growing in this country?

Because they're GETTING THE KIDS.

I live in Iowa - rural America. Granted, we have a lot of Hispanic immigrants here, but the number of kids playing in soccer leagues is EASILY more than Little League baseball and Pop Warner COMBINED.

Soccer at all levels, not just MLS but also the lesser pro franchises, are doing a GREAT job of getting out in the community and energizing the NEXT generation of fans.

Soccer is also fairly cheap to play compared to Baseball and football. Not as much gear to buy.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Soccer is also fairly cheap to play compared to Baseball and football. Not as much gear to buy.

Have you ever looked at the cost of a quality pair of shoes?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by penguinz

Have you ever looked at the cost of a quality pair of shoes?

They all require roughly the same expenditure on shoes.

[WoodDraw]

Have you ever reffed a game? And tried to decide these things? It sounds simple, but it's a bit harder in real life.

Let's say a player is in an offside position on the left wing, but the ball is played late to a player on the right wing, and he scores. Hasn't the offside player on the left played some role in distracting the goalie? But plenty of goals are scored with players in an offside position, but legitimately so. But there are plenty of judgement calls.

It's like when people say "hand ball" is "really simple". No, it's not. **** off. It's called completely differently on the circumstances.

Even your own definition accounts for this: "in the opinion of the referee"... In what world does that not call for interpretation?