It's a way of making the tournament last longer, Pep.

Taking a break from cutting the lawn today in 90+ degree heat. Dante Aligheri wrote about doing this somewhere in his magnum opus. So, while swigging the gallon of Gatorade I made for today's landscaping marathon, time to poke a stick in the hornet's nest.

Very few Americans give a rip about the World Cup, except on the most casual basis. Most don't understand the sport of soccer (football to the rest of ya) and don't care to. And the reason why is quite simple.

Soccer is pure defense, with virtually no offense, and the pattern of play moves at a glacial pace. There are two vital parts of the game that will forever confound Yanks. One is a rules issue, the other is a tradition that makes no sense whatsoever.

The tradition issue is the simplest. Use the stadium clock, please!!! Not having official time where the whole world can see it makes absolutely no sense. Keeping the most important part of the game a secret is utterly mind-boggling. Have an official timekeeper who starts and stops the clock on the referee's signals. That's easy, and really wouldn't change anything. I've never understood the arguments against it.

The second is ingrained in the game and can't be changed without changing the very nature of the game -- the offsides rule.

Why is it that the DEFENSE determines what is onside and what is offside? You could have the ball inside the penalty box, and have the whole team in the offensive end of the field, but if the defense arranges its alignment a certain way they can cause an offside, and that's nuts.

I understand not wanting to have players cherry-pick on the other end, but there's a sport that's found the perfect balance to keep that from happening, and that's hockey. The hockey blue line keeps the game under control. If soccer adapted the concept with a "blue line" of sorts, where the ball would have to precede every player on the team on offense, that would open the game up to being a more offensive-minded game. Of course, defenses would adapt because they always do.

There's nothing more depressing than a 0-0 tie game. I understand the intracacies of the game, but the fact is there are so few shots on goal and little movement on the field to keep the fans truly involved in the action.

(Would someone please get rid of those stupid vuvuzelas? They ran out of earplugs to sell to fans at the stadium. They blow the damned things 'cause it's something to do, like the wave. End of rant.)

It would speed the game up a little -- not a lot, because you CAN'T, and really don't want to -- and all the sport really needs is a little tweak.

Okay, have at it.

Bleah....back to the lawn.....

Heres my Rant:
Is it just me, or does the "soccer" world have the worst Video production and video angles? I mean, I watch the attack on a goal from the Midfield "up-high" camera, and then all the repalys are out of position, blurred, and just weak on all counts. I mean, if this was the Super Bowl, we would have angles from 7-8 directions for any action on the field. Even a regular play-off game would have 4-5. This is the WORLD CUP! 2 Billion People are going to watch.....

Rant over.

LG

Ahead:

Thanks for detailing the "offsides" rule.

We were watching Germany/Australia at the ESPNZone and I could never understand why when the offense seemed to have an advantage, that suddenly the ref would blow the whistle and they would have to kick from the sideline.

KT mentioned the game without offsides being a "stand around the net and kick" type of game. Maybe, but you could limit the number of offensive players allowed across the center line and the new "blue" line. Defensively, a cleared kick to the other end of the field then, could possibly allow a "man advantage" type of sitch if you keep your offensive players on the other side of the field when the ball enters your defensive zone. That would change the offensive game considerably. And scoring.

And yes, they can change the game. The world has changed, and the rules should adapt accordingly.

Heres my Rant:
Is it just me, or does the "soccer" world have the worst Video production and video angles? I mean, I watch the attack on a goal from the Midfield "up-high" camera, and then all the repalys are out of position, blurred, and just weak on all counts. I mean, if this was the Super Bowl, we would have angles from 7-8 directions for any action on the field. Even a regular play-off game would have 4-5. This is the WORLD CUP! 2 Billion People are going to watch.....

Rant over.

LG