These 2nd round [or bracket] games of the 2006 World Cup have been really good. We've had three matches go to penalty kicks and 8 of the 11 matches have been decided by 1 goal or in penalty kicks.
Get rid of the penalty kicks.
I know. I know. These guys have been at it for hours running up and down the field. But that is what makes this exciting....sorta like the NHL playoffs. They will play, and play, and play, and play until someone finally knocks one in. Sudden death. Now, the NHL has a shootout during the season, which is fine....everyone needs to get back home, but realized that keeping on playing was what was needed for the playoffs.
I mean, that's like stopping a gripping NBA playoff game with a free throw shooting contest. Or stopping an NFL game for a "who can kick it farther" FG contest. Or stopping a baseball game after 9 innings have having a HR derby.
Actually, it is worse.
This event comes once every four years and is apparantly the biggest sporting event in the world. Then why not go balls out?? Keep playing. Maybe let all the substituted players from regulation be eligible for the overtimes?? I dunno. But after watching a scoreless match for 120 minutes [like Portugal-England] it would be nice to see the winner advance by finally breaking thru and getting that beautiful sudden death winning goal. Isn't that much better than going to penalty kicks??
Imagine the sight across the country of some Portugese player breaking away for a goal; or getting a header in; or just a lucky bounce off a scrum in front of the goal. Anything is better than playing chicken with a 6-foot goalie guarding a huge net.
I just don't like deciding a scoreless, defensive match by having a contest to see who's goalie can guess right at least once more than the other team.
Maybe that is the American in me. Maybe. But that's one thing that I think Americans do well in sport....have gripping endings to games. I watched some of these World Cup matches that were just 1 goal contests that ended like they were still in the 30th minute. It isn't gripping. There is nothing like those extra inning affairs in baseball where one bad pitch could end it [see: Reds-Indians last night where the Reds scored four in the 8th and five in the 9th to win 9-8]. There is nothing like the NFL overtime, or during the season, when a team lines up for a hopeful winning FG. There is nothing like the trailing team pulling the goalie in the NHL to try to get that extra scorer on the ice. And there is nothing, nothing, like that inbounds pass in the NBA where the star has to hit the game winning shot.
Let soccer have that too.
2 comments:
I disagree with you Sportz. If all of you guys think soccer is already boring enough, then why do you want to take away penalty kicks?!?!? The penalty kicks are great to watch. Not only does it take a physical game, it takes a mental game too. For the goalie guessing which way to dive for the ball and for the player where to hit the ball. Penalty Kicks are what make soccer unique. I don't know why any one would want to take them away.
Nick "ESPN Nut"
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I would take them away because it is a complete change of the game which, to me, is moronic. So, if soccer is so beautiful that you would have 120 minutes of scoreless action [or 1-1, 2-2, whatever]...why then decide it by a contest of which goalie can guess on more penalty kicks??
It is a complete set of a new and different set of rules to determine the outcome of the game. I don't mind it in MLS games or even if they used it anywhere else in soccer. But this is the World Cup which is a tad more important. Like I stated in my post....that's like having a FT contest to decide an NBA game or a HR derby to decide a baseball game. Why stop the game to do that?? It is the World Cup...I'm sure everyone can stick around a while longer to see how it turns out. You, like me, are a hockey fan....and that is exactly why the NHL scraps the regular season overtime rules for a sudden death overtime. It may take forever, but it is a contest of will and skill and who can last longer. What if Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final was determined by a shoot-out??!?!? Horrible!
Sure, there is the cat-and-mouse game of the kicker and the goalie in the PKs....but I would gladly give that up to see a team finally break thru and get that game winning and WC advancing goal. I rather see a Kobe Bryant hit the game winner in an NBA playoff game....not to see a FT shooting contest. I just think it is a shame.
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