Worst World Cup Officiating I've seen

[emmitt01]

This whole tournament has been an exhibition of diving and crying...and getting the calls!

How in the hell have all of the PK's been awarded? The refs are catering to the forwards like nobody's business.

What do I know though, I play defense.

[bigrobdsp]

If given the chance I could fix soccer and make it a sport. the following is a short list of what I would do on the first day in office as FIFA commisioner:

1. no flopping- any person determined to have been flopping in an attempt to draw a penalty will be removed from competition. I have a zero tollerance rule here if you flop you can never play organized soccer again.

2. remove the offsides penalty- I know that this allows for cherry picking, but we need some more scoring.

3. make the goal bigger- see above

4. NO TIES- this may be the most important rule in all of sports. no ties. ever. period. close games are as good as sport gets. ties are more of a let down than the crying game. we can have sudden death overtime, shootouts or a coin flip, but there are no ties in sports

on day two I would make a bunch more changes as well, but in my first 5 minutes I would litteraly create soccer in the eyes of Americans with the changes noted above.

[Stan R]

If given the chance I could fix soccer and make it a sport. the following is a short list of what I would do on the first day in office as FIFA commisioner:

1. no flopping- any person determined to have been flopping in an attempt to draw a penalty will be removed from competition. I have a zero tollerance rule here if you flop you can never play organized soccer again.

2. remove the offsides penalty- I know that this allows for cherry picking, but we need some more scoring.

3. make the goal bigger- see above

4. NO TIES- this may be the most important rule in all of sports. no ties. ever. period. close games are as good as sport gets. ties are more of a let down than the crying game. we can have sudden death overtime, shootouts or a coin flip, but there are no ties in sports

on day two I would make a bunch more changes as well, but in my first 5 minutes I would litteraly create soccer in the eyes of Americans with the changes noted above.

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Great ideas.. Then again, I have some changes to the sport I used to love but am now bored to tears by: Baseball.

1.) Two strikes. That would be the first attempt to keep games to a short 2 hour period.

2.) 3 Balls. Shortens the games in the same way as #1.

3.) Pitch clock. Similar to the 24 second clock in basketball. Pitchers have 10 seconds between pitches. None of this waiting around for 30 seconds inbetween pitches. Throwing to a baserunner resets the clock.

Maybe it is crazy, but I just can't sit through any more 4 hour games. I think those two changes could solve that problem. Of course it will never happen but something to consider.

We could get some crazy angles, a camera on a wire to zoom in close up on diving catches and we'd call it the "XLB".

Edited June 22, 2006 by Stan R

[bigrobdsp]

Great ideas.. Then again, I have some changes to the sport I used to love but am now bored to tears by: Baseball.

1.) Two strikes.  That would be the first attempt to keep games to a short 2 hour period. 

2.) 3 Balls.  Shortens the games in the same way as #1.

3.) Pitch clock.  Similar to the 24 second clock in basketball.    Pitchers have 10 seconds between pitches.  None of this waiting around for 30 seconds inbetween pitches.  Throwing to a baserunner resets the clock. 

Maybe it is crazy, but I just can't sit through any more 4 hour games.  I think those two changes could solve that problem.  Of course it will never happen but something to consider.

We could get some crazy angles, a camera on a wire to zoom in close up on diving catches and we'd call it the "XLB".   

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I would also abolish the DH rule. if you play on a baseball team you have to try to hit the ball once in a while.

[mad dog]

1. no flopping- any person determined to have been flopping in an attempt to draw a penalty will be removed from competition. I have a zero tollerance rule here if you flop you can never play organized soccer again.

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By FAR the worst part of soccer (and, incidentally, the worst part about basketball). My opinion is that if you are so hurt you can't walk and have to sit there clutching your leg/arm/head in pain, you're out for the rest of the game. Stop down the game, take his ass off the field, and don't let him come back. If you're down for longer than, say, 3-5 seconds, you're either seriously injured (in which case you need to leave to get treatment), or you're soft and don't deserve to play the game.

Shoot, I've seen hockey players take 95 mile an hour slap shots to a bare, exposed ankle, grimace in pain, and keep going. You want to play a "sport?" Then play like a man.

I swear, no sport has more prima donnas than soccer.

Edited June 22, 2006 by illuvius32

[EagleD]

on day two I would make a bunch more changes as well, but in my first 5 minutes I would litteraly create soccer in the eyes of Americans with the changes noted above.

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On day three would you take a spelling class? literally

[andrewrozell]

I really think this board should stick to "I hate DD" remarks and other focused more on Mean Green football.

Soccer isn't a sport... Futball is, period.

It is played beautifully and there should be no changes. Watch a Brazilian match and see how they make it look like art.

Soccer isn't a physical sport, are you next going to say Andy Roddick isn't a man for playing tennis?

Flopping is what Europeans do, it is what Africans do, it is what South Americans do, it is what futballers do.

if you don't like watching it because you are bored and the score is low, go watch hockey; they conformed the what the masses wanted.

[Cowtown]

The Northern Euros, Brit Ils & US all play with the tough guy mentality. Most Latin counties play the flop and it seems now most West African do as well. The quick stretcher was pushed for by us because of how bad the flopping and rolling used to be. That 90 world cup was almost unwatchable.

That penalty at the end of the half was a piss poor call, but regardless, our team was either not that good, or un prepaired or both. Ghana's goalie is awful, instead of working for the perfect cross we should be pounding away at the goal, much like Ghana did against the Czech's. We screwed around and it bit us in the butt. Our lobs into the box work agianst our friends in our region, but against the bigger more athletic Euros and Africans it does not.

Arena needs to go. Donovan needs to sit, and we need to pump some new blood into the team.

ShazamFC

By FAR the worst part of soccer (and, incidentally, the worst part about basketball).  My opinion is that if you are so hurt you can't walk and have to sit there clutching your leg/arm/head in pain, you're out for the rest of the game.  Stop down the game, take his ass off the field, and don't let him come back.  If you're down for longer than, say, 3-5 seconds, you're either seriously injured (in which case you need to leave to get treatment), or you're soft and don't deserve to play the game.

Shoot, I've seen hockey players take 95 mile an hour slap shots to a bare, exposed ankle, grimace in pain, and keep going.  You want to play a "sport?"  Then play like a man.

I swear, no sport has more prima donnas than soccer.

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[UNTLifer]

Flopping is b.s. and a chickensh*t way to gain an advantage.

The officiating was horrible. The call that resulted in Ghana's penalty kick was one of the worst calls I've seen, and it resulted in the U.S. losing.

I wish the U.S. would have done better, but maybe we can get back to normal discussions.

I too would eliminate flopping, the offsides call and would either enlarge the goal or require jockeys or midget wrestlers to be goalies.

Soccer/Futball whatever. The only cool thing I've seen is the one commercial showing the pickup game.

On a personal note, I've grown to love Spanish language television.

Edited June 22, 2006 by UNTLifer

[Stan R]

I too would eliminate flopping, the offsides call and would either enlarge the goal or require jockeys  or midget wrestlers to be goalies.

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I almost spit out my DP when reading that. Now you're talking!

[bigrobdsp]

did anyone else see that the US had... wait for it... 1 shot on goal during the first 2 games?? that is the worst stat that I have ever heard. I am kind of glad that the US lost so that no one interupts my day talking about it for at least 4 more years.

on the subject of midget wrestlers (on which I am the foremost expert) I am behind you. 100%.

Edited June 22, 2006 by bigrobdsp

[mad dog]

I really think this board should stick to "I hate DD" remarks and other focused more on Mean Green football.

Soccer isn't a sport... Futball is, period.

It is played beautifully and there should be no changes. Watch a Brazilian match and see how they make it look like art.

Soccer isn't a physical sport, are you next going to say Andy Roddick isn't a man for playing tennis?

Flopping is what Europeans do, it is what Africans do, it is what South Americans do, it is what futballers do.

if you don't like watching it because you are bored and the score is low, go watch hockey; they conformed the what the masses wanted.

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AHA! The soccer "apologist."

The game is like a beautiful woman, and flopping is the two inch mole on her face. She might have a "great personality," but I'm not going to date her.

The difference between soccer and tennis is that soccer puports itself to be a "contact sport." If it is a contact sport, then let there be contact, and weed the wussies out. If you don't want contact, go play tennis or golf. So Andy Roddick can be a man and play tennis, but he can't be a man playing soccer afraid of contact, and falling to the ground crying everytime someone breathes on him.

I don't care about a low score. In fact, I like lower scoring games. I like it to mean something every time points go on the board. And they didn't take the hitting type of contact out of hockey, they just took (or tried to, anyway) the clutching and grabbing type out.

[TIgreen01]

I don't know if this match sets soccer back in this country or not (as the media would have you believe)...but that one game against Ghana alone had to have turned many people away once again. We found a tv in my building that was showing the game (only caught the last 20 minutes) and about 15 people were huddled around it....just from looking at most of the folks watching it, they were not soccer types.....that said, all the diving, flopping, falling, time killing that Ghana did at the end of that game just made the group moan and groan and look at each other with expressions like, "this is a joke....they allow this in this sport...etc...etc.." I am a soccer guy and that game made me sick....at least the final 15-20 minutes of it. I have to think the MLS suffers some from that game.

[FirefightnRick]

Maybe it's just the month of June this year? One guy in basketball can brush against anyone, instantly slowing down the other team with his infinite trips to the free throw line, changing an entire series to his teams favor. Another group of guys can end a World Cup teams' season by gaining similar calls with the flop?

Which points out why I made the statement two February's ago after the Super Bowl was played: "Now it's basketball season!" Meaning, with me it's football or nothing around here.

We have six weeks to go until Mean Green Football Training camp opens up. The football DT's are starting to set in, I may not make it!

Rick

[buff64]

Keep in mind that, unless you are 6 year's old or younger, soccer is a secondary sport in the USA . We are sending soccer teams against countries that regard soccer as their number one sport , we are not sending our best athletes . While the other countries are.

[andrewrozell]

illuv,

i am no soccer "apologist", but i do get frustrated with people who would like the game to change so that their personal experience watching it would heighten.

i think flopping can be excessive, sure, but it is truly part of the way momentum and the game in general is played, especially in the World Cup. everyone flops, our very own Devon Harris was the king of flops in the finals. why? because he got the calls.

i hope soccer grows in the US, so someday the world has one less thing to laugh at us at.

hey, at least we have AMERICAN FOOTBALL!

[bigrobdsp]

Keep in mind that, unless you are 6 year's old or younger, soccer is a secondary sport in the USA . We are sending soccer teams against countries that regard soccer as their number one sport , we are not sending our best athletes . While the other countries are.

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I think we are sending our best soccer atheletes. most of the people who are great soccer players could not play any other sport in America. with the exception of baseball, you have to be bigger, taller and stronger to play basket ball, football, and hockey. soccer players are built smaller and faster, not that speed and agility arent the #1 factors in the other sports but it is a differnt type of athleticisim that is required to be an elite soccer player than other American sports. my point is; I think that if you would have been a great soccer player had you been born in Europe, you will be a great soccer player here. had you been a great football player that was born in Eroupe you would drive a delivery truck.

[TIgreen01]

I think we are sending our best soccer atheletes. most of the people who are great soccer players could not play any other sport in America. with the exception of baseball, you have to be bigger, taller and stronger to play basket ball, football, and hockey. soccer players are built smaller and faster, not that speed and agility arent the #1 factors in the other sports but it is a differnt type of athleticisim that is required to be an elite soccer player than other American sports. my point is; I think that if you would have been a great soccer player had you been born in Europe, you will be a great soccer player here. had you been a great football player that was born in Eroupe you would drive a delivery truck.

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That's crazy. Did you see the Czech's Jan Koller before he went down to injury? 6'7"....very little ball skills, but he could run and head the ball. England has a very similar player in David Crouch. Guys with that body type in America play basketball. Take a look at some of the other team's rosters....they are filled with 6' athletes....our roster is a bunch of 5' types---it's almost comparable to how golf used to be in this country before Tiger Woods happened and made the sport popular to a wider range of people. Before Tiger Woods, golf was played and dominated by little guys...or fat guys. Check it out now....the tour is littered with bigger, stronger looking athletes (ok, at least bigger and stronger than they were)....

[Cowtown]

American Soccer is in a transition from the old days of the forwards are all 5'7".

I still feel this teem is too slight, Donovan & Beasley get knocked around by anyone that is not from Latin America.

It has been the trend in Europe to have bigger forwards and we are just slow to catch up.

It is like the old days of basket ball where your position was determined by your size, now it is where to best use the talent.

The new US feeder program will have us Really able to compete with the worlds powerhouses in 8 years.

Watch Holand v Portugal and look at how big, quick and talented the Dutch are.

And it looks like Mexico will continue their streak of never having won a 2nd round match.

[mad dog]

illuv,

i am no soccer "apologist", but i do get frustrated with people who would like the game to change so that their personal experience watching it would heighten.

hey, at least we have AMERICAN FOOTBALL!

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I know, man... I'm just messing with ya. Also, that word "apologist" gets thrown around so often on this board, it just felt weird not seeing it for a while.

[Guest JohnDenver]

I know, man... I'm just messing with ya.  Also, that word "apologist" gets thrown around so often on this board, it just felt weird not seeing it for a while.

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Ah, you're just sensitive because you got railed for "apologizing" to Dickey on behalf of everyone on the board.

Edited June 22, 2006 by JohnDenver

[Talon90]

Great ideas.. Then again, I have some changes to the sport I used to love but am now bored to tears by: Baseball.

1.) Two strikes. That would be the first attempt to keep games to a short 2 hour period.

2.) 3 Balls. Shortens the games in the same way as #1.

3.) Pitch clock. Similar to the 24 second clock in basketball. Pitchers have 10 seconds between pitches. None of this waiting around for 30 seconds inbetween pitches. Throwing to a baserunner resets the clock.

Maybe it is crazy, but I just can't sit through any more 4 hour games. I think those two changes could solve that problem. Of course it will never happen but something to consider.

We could get some crazy angles, a camera on a wire to zoom in close up on diving catches and we'd call it the "XLB".

←

The great thing about baseball is it has no clock.

Soccer and baseball are fine as they are.

[Talon90]

I would also abolish the DH rule. if you play on a baseball team you have to try to hit the ball once in a while.

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The problem is that the majority of NL pitchers can't hit.....it's so exciting to watch them consistently bunt and strike out.

[mad dog]

Ah, you're just sensitive because you got railed for "apologizing" to Dickey on behalf of everyone on the board.

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Yep... baptism by fire to the land of GMG.

[emmitt01]

I think we are sending our best soccer atheletes. most of the people who are great soccer players could not play any other sport in America. with the exception of baseball, you have to be bigger, taller and stronger to play basket ball, football, and hockey. soccer players are built smaller and faster, not that speed and agility arent the #1 factors in the other sports but it is a differnt type of athleticisim that is required to be an elite soccer player than other American sports. my point is; I think that if you would have been a great soccer player had you been born in Europe, you will be a great soccer player here. had you been a great football player that was born in Eroupe you would drive a delivery truck.

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You're telling me the U.S. defender Onyewu couldn't play any other sport? Hmmm