World Cup/Soccer for Dummies and soccer silliness

[jim]

I think this game is beyond me, because if that is as exciting and beautiful as it gets then I'm missing something.

Stupid question - what is it with the constant blaring of the horns? Sounds like a swarm of bees.

Legit question and I've been wondering myself.

[G. Keenan]

I like the horns. I really don't understand why people are bothered by them.

[Leroy]

I like the horns. I really don't understand why people are bothered by them.

I don't care either way, but I read that they can reach 127 db, which is the equivalent of a jack hammer.

[jim]

I like the horns. I really don't understand why people are bothered by them.

I wasn't feeling well Saturday, was just lying on the couch with body aches and a headache. But it really got to me, seemed to make my headache worse. Maybe if I was feeling better it wouldn't bother me, but that monotone buzz really got to me after a while.

They must be really loud, because there is virtually no difference in noise when a goal is scored. I expected the place to erupt when a goal went in, but nothing. So I assume that they are just blowing those damn things as loud as they can from start to finish.

[Fat Strat]

You're both wrong. Yes it was intentional, no he wasn't aiming for Podolski.

The ball is about to cross the end line, what do you do? You center it across the goal mouth. The other forwards know this, so when Mueller crosses it, Klose and Podolski are both making runs towards the center of the area. Klose overran it and Podolski poached in behind him for the finish.

That's fundamentals 101. You learn that in 8 and under leagues. If you have no shot and aren't in position to see your teammates, center it. If your teammate is in deep, you lose your man and run towards the middle or the back post.

That's really all I was meaning. Not that he knew exactly where Podolski was, but, rather, that's where the forwards/midfielders are supposed to be. You have certain spots that you run to on crosses. The cross went where it was supposed to go. The offensive players were where they were supposed to be. Two players had chances on it, one overran, the other was in perfect position for a shot. That's how it's drawn up. I don't know that I would call it poaching at all, unless you're simply meaning that Klose had the best chance and Podolski was the following player.

[vinsanity]

You're both wrong. Yes it was intentional, no he wasn't aiming for Podolski.

The ball is about to cross the end line, what do you do? You center it across the goal mouth. The other forwards know this, so when Mueller crosses it, Klose and Podolski are both making runs towards the center of the area. Klose overran it and Podolski poached in behind him for the finish.

That's fundamentals 101. You learn that in 8 and under leagues. If you have no shot and aren't in position to see your teammates, center it. If your teammate is in deep, you lose your man and run towards the middle or the back post.

That's really all I was meaning. Not that he knew exactly where Podolski was, but, rather, that's where the forwards/midfielders are supposed to be. You have certain spots that you run to on crosses. The cross went where it was supposed to go. The offensive players were where they were supposed to be. Two players had chances on it, one overran, the other was in perfect position for a shot. That's how it's drawn up. I don't know that I would call it poaching at all, unless you're simply meaning that Klose had the best chance and Podolski was the following player.

I think this is part of the reason I can't get in to Hockey or Soccer - I don't see the 'plays'. It's going to sound hypocritical a lil bit, but it does seem like a lot of just kicking the ball around and hoping for an open shot - no real plays. You move the ball down, hope to find an open guy near the net and try and set up at the right angle to cross the ball so he can shot and the goalie is out of position, right?

There's a lot of things you can teach about what to do in certain situations, but are there any 'plays' called? It's not that those things don't take immense amounts of talent, concentration and instinct, it has just always seemed to me like you're move the ball around the field hoping for a lucky shot.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I think this is part of the reason I can't get in to Hockey or Soccer - I don't see the 'plays'. It's going to sound hypocritical a lil bit, but it does seem like a lot of just kicking the ball around and hoping for an open shot - no real plays. You move the ball down, hope to find an open guy near the net and try and set up at the right angle to cross the ball so he can shot and the goalie is out of position, right?

There's a lot of things you can teach about what to do in certain situations, but are there any 'plays' called? It's not that those things don't take immense amounts of talent, concentration and instinct, it has just always seemed to me like you're move the ball around the field hoping for a lucky shot.

What do you think of basketball? Does it just look like dribbling around and waiting for a lucky shot to you? Soccer is much the same way, but with so much more space and actual people, it's much more open ended. You have a framework of understanding where people are supposed to be on the field, and an idea of what your responsibilities are when the ball is in a particular spot. From that you have a huge variety of options that can all lead to the same result.

[TabascoElvis]

It's not that those things don't take immense amounts of talent, concentration and instinct, it has just always seemed to me like you're move the ball around the field hoping for a lucky shot.

I think soccer is the only sport where I've ever heard a player being described as creative. What you're seeing as luck is someone exploiting an opening in the defense. Take football (American) as an example, where offensive coordinators call particular plays that allow the offense to take advantage of a particular defensive alignment; well that's happening dozens and dozens of times as the ball moves from side to side and up and back at the edge of the defense, without benefit of the eyes of a guy in the sky box calling plays into a QBs helmet.

[vinsanity]

I think this is part of the reason I can't get in to Hockey or Soccer - I don't see the 'plays'. It's going to sound hypocritical a lil bit, but it does seem like a lot of just kicking the ball around and hoping for an open shot - no real plays. You move the ball down, hope to find an open guy near the net and try and set up at the right angle to cross the ball so he can shot and the goalie is out of position, right?

There's a lot of things you can teach about what to do in certain situations, but are there any 'plays' called? It's not that those things don't take immense amounts of talent, concentration and instinct, it has just always seemed to me like you're move the ball around the field hoping for a lucky shot.

What do you think of basketball? Does it just look like dribbling around and waiting for a lucky shot to you? Soccer is much the same way, but with so much more space and actual people, it's much more open ended. You have a framework of understanding where people are supposed to be on the field, and an idea of what your responsibilities are when the ball is in a particular spot. From that you have a huge variety of options that can all lead to the same result.

So I thought of basketball and to a lesser extent baseball. And my only answer I see it as a mix. Sometimes the PG just brings the ball up, guys are breaking through the paint, the ball moves and there are pump fakes and it's just a natural flow. But sometimes the PG stands at the top of the key, someone comes to run a screen, he'll break either to the hoop or dish it on someone who's supposed to be moving. It's a 'called' play.

In basketball I see the different strategies as well, shooting from the outside to draw out the big men if you're undersized, driving the basket to draw a foul on a young center. I'm not suggesting that doesn't exist in soccer, but I've not be able to find someone who can explain that it's there either - some because I haven't watched matches with big fans and some because the ones I have asked try and use very broad terms. It would be like saying in basketball 'The one guy takes the ball up and he tries to find someone open to score'.

[StL Dan]

You're both wrong. Yes it was intentional, no he wasn't aiming for Podolski.

The ball is about to cross the end line, what do you do? You center it across the goal mouth. The other forwards know this, so when Mueller crosses it, Klose and Podolski are both making runs towards the center of the area. Klose overran it and Podolski poached in behind him for the finish.

That's fundamentals 101. You learn that in 8 and under leagues. If you have no shot and aren't in position to see your teammates, center it. If your teammate is in deep, you lose your man and run towards the middle or the back post.

I'm pretty sure that's what I posted earlier.