meh, I liked the soccerbots. For some reason I couldn’t help but crack up everytime one of them fell over. It’s just so… anti-climactic! :)

dead-duck on June 7, 2007 at 5:02 PM

Did they all grab at their knee joint and roll around in simulated agony?

I played soccer and it is fun. The problem is the rules are not designed to make it fun for fans. They should remove players from the game for 10 minutes at a time instead of useless penalty kicks al. That would go a long way to solving the sport’s problems. The way it is now penalties are useless and sometimes even done on purpose just to interupt play. This is why fans never think the games are fair.

Drtuddle on June 7, 2007 at 6:16 PM

That’s what I was thinking. Pad the score the way they do in football. So, even if the score is low in reality, it looks good up on the scoreboard.

Of course, there still needs to be the added element of violence. It’s present in football but not in soccer. I don’t think people will start watching soccer unless the violence is added in.

Hollowpoint on June 7, 2007 at 6:12 PM

Yeah, they don’t strike me as the brawling type either. But, that’s probably because all the brawlers have been driven from the game. What we need is for the WWF to make an XSL (because it worked so well for football…lol). There should be a bonus 3 points for the first team that causes the other team to bleed (but you lose 3 points if you’ve caused permanent damage…that way the injuries won’t be life threatening).

How about a goal = 6 pts and then you get a penalty kick for an extra point?

Soccer and hockey both suffer from being low-scoring games where the teams spend most of the time in a 0-0 tie. Hockey solves this problem by including bloody fist fights. Soccer’s going to have to come up with something similar before it’s embraced by the U.S.

JadeNYU on June 7, 2007 at 6:03 PM

Somehow soccer players don’t strike me as the brawling type.

My proposal: Ban the goalie and maybe allow shoulder checking. It might be remotely watchable if the final score were 18-20 instead of 0-1 and there was at least a little violence involved. Until then, expect it to be considered a sport for children and women in the US.

I don’t know what it is about the sport either. It seems like it should be very exciting and attention grabbing, but, it just….isn’t. *shrug*

I watched the World Cup last year and the only moment I really enjoyed was when Zidane head-butted the Italian(?) player – and every soccer fan that I was watching with was absolutely horrified at what he had done.

Soccer and hockey both suffer from being low-scoring games where the teams spend most of the time in a 0-0 tie. Hockey solves this problem by including bloody fist fights. Soccer’s going to have to come up with something similar before it’s embraced by the U.S.

If you want to lay down with the beaner/wetbacks nice and cozy go ahead…

sonnyspats1 on June 5, 2007 at 7:02 AM (who then links to a page about wwii internment camps suggestively)

Soccer, to me, is a game of mediocrity. Remember the latest world cup? Like 30% of games ended in a tie. No -real- game ends in a tie. The scores are something like 1-0, 2-1 and you watch for 90 minutes?

I think the action is great no matter the score. I don’t like ties like anyone else, but that’s just part of the game (although I’m sure it’ll be changed sometime in the future to make penalty kicks at the end mandatory).

The players flop at the smallest touch trying to draw a penalty; and there is no (real) clock, so you aren’t really sure when the game is over. I don’t get the fascination with the game.

lorien1973 on June 7, 2007 at 4:55 PM

Diving sucks, but it’s a penalty if you get caught. People say the same thing about baseball–”common, it’s just not interesting”–but I still find that enjoyable too. It might just be me.

Good camera angles close to the action where you can really see the ball moving and watch the player work his way through trouble is fun to watch.

Drtuddle on June 7, 2007 at 4:58 PM

That’s the thing. You watch English football and the camera is great in a great stadium etc., but then you watch MLS and the field looks horrible and there are hardly any people in the crowd…ehh.

“Mass deportations? People don’t want that.
Says who? Time for Operation Wetback II

doriangrey on June 7, 2007 at 2:35 PM

Football (Soccer) rocks, it’ll take over American in a couple of years – and simultaneously America will take it over

Baphomet on June 7, 2007 at 4:29 PM

Riiiight. Just like cycling said it would (pre-Lance). Remember the Tour de Trump? Then it was the Tour Dupont… Then it was the Tour Where-did-it-go.

Football (Soccer) rocks, it’ll take over American in a couple of years – and simultaneously America will take it over

Baphomet on June 7, 2007 at 4:29 PM

Soccer proponents have been saying that for nearly 40 years now, and guess what – it still hasn’t happened.

Don’t hold your breath.

Playing soccer–I’m there. Watching soccer–I’m somewhere else.

Good camera angles close to the action where you can really see the ball moving and watch the player work his way through trouble is fun to watch. Or the unfolding of a great set play that results into a goal. But you have to go through a lot of mundane play to get to the prize. But yeah I mean I rather watch Roy Williams tag a skinny wide reciever over the middle!