I’ve been stewing about this one for awhile as a few locals can attest. I’ve had an article drafted but I’m going to turn my soapbox over to one Jeffrey Flanagan of the KC Star. I know someone there reads my site, based upon my webstats. The Star is my most reliable newspaper read in the midwest when it comes to soccer, better then my former hometown papers in Chicago and St. Louis. Jeffrey covers the basics quite well:
The World Cup is finally over, and we salute FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who actually admitted there may be a problem with soccer’s painfully slow pace.
“The (soccer) isn’t that bad, but there aren’t enough goals,” he said last week. “And when there are too few goals, the public isn’t very enthusiastic. The essence of the game is goals.”
Amen.
If soccer fans want to know why Americans have trouble getting fired up about the World Cup, look no further than the lack of scoring. This was the lowest-scoring World Cup since 1990.
It reminds me of the old line by the late, great columnist Jim Murray, who once wrote about soccer, “I’d tell you the final score, but there wasn’t any.”
The solution? Get rid of that idiotic offside rule. Can you imagine how uninteresting football and basketball would be if the same rule applied in those sports? Can you imagine if every time an offensive player broke free behind the defense he would be called for offside?
Hey, beating your defender is the whole point to scoring.
Thanks Jeffrey!
The primary pushback I get when I discuss this within the soccer community is essentially tradition. It’s been a part of the rules from the beginning, in 1886 when the 17 laws were first ratified. In fact, the 11th law used to require three defensive players, not two as it is currently written.
I’m not the only one discussing it. From April, a column in the BBC (scroll down to the end) discusses it from the standpoint of the recent efforts to modify the description of who is offsides. The result suggested - either go back to the original interpretation or eliminate it ‘as Graham Poll suggests’. That recommendation came from the individual considered England’s finest referee. You know him now as the referee who gave out three yellow cards unfortunately.
Beyond tradition, the writer Alan Hansen, whose byline includes “BBC Sport football expert” puts his defence of the offsides rule this way:
There is an art to pushing out as a defence. You are taking a chance by leaving space behind you, but teams won’t take that chance if they could find six players in that space who could be ruled offside.
You will now get teams defending deeper and deeper and you are not going to have a game. Teams will be scared to come out and defend higher up the pitch.
This is from an article he wrote two years ago arguing about the ‘passive vs active’ definition of the offsides law. The majority of the articles I see summarize their desire to revert to the ’simple definition’ that does not differentiate players roles. Bollocks!
Eliminate offsides. It is an anachronism. I say let the defenders go as deep as they want. What would you rather see, Zidane running at six Italian defenders spread 40 yards deep, with Henry and Ribary speeding up the wings, or compressed within a 20 yard ‘art of defence’ as the “BBC Sport football expert” calls it. Give the players that kind of space and the game will improve. Defensive alignments will adjust. It will reduce stoppage time due to arbitrary calls.
I don’t use the word arbitrary lightly. Consider your experience with the rule. In my opinion, it is called inconsistently, more frequently, then any other. It artificially stops games. As Jeffrey tells us above, beating defenders is the point of the game. From the FA Website on the Laws of the Game
the key element remains of football being seen as essentially a simple game, with laws that can be applied in the same way at any level from the World Cup Final to a friendly game on a local park.
What better way to ensure a simple game, played the same from the park up to the World Cup? Eliminate the offsides rule.
The NHL experienced something very similar. Jerry Trecker of the Hartford Courant describes the steps they took to correct the problem while discussing the issues he feels FIFA and MLS must face following Germany 2006. This isn’t the first time FIFA has had to examine issues with the Offsides rule. See his comments about Italia 1990.
Before I go, lets put it into perspective. The US has experience in this area. Remember how they used to play women’s basketball in Iowa? I wonder how Callie Weidel, News-Leader female athlete of the year, and her teammates Melissa & Erica Hogan (also fine soccer players!) and the other Ozark Lady Tigers would feel about going back to those rules?
Law 11 must go!
(hat tip to lastkick.com)
10 Comments
I complety agree that the offsides rule should be eliminated. In the 1970’s major league soccer when and got Pele thinking that he would come and rescue soccer and having it compet with Football, baseball, basketball, but all they did was wast money and the game never took off because its just not to exciting. Now they bring that guy from england that married to the spice girl, the los angeles galaxy like the new york cosmos are just throwing money in the garbage. As long as Soccer stays a low scoring game it will never interest the US public. It does not take a Rocket Scientist to figure all this out..I just dont know why the offsides rule has not been eliminated, this rule just eliminates all the dynamics that the game of Soccer has….In my opinion there should also be a 45 second time kick clock similar to what they have in Basketball, just imagine if basketball did not have this rule, you could go at times for minutes with out seeing a shot taken to the basket…The MSL should look at this like a buissness, Ask themselves what do the fans want, will its simple they want goals, and to eliminate this just take the freaken offside rule…….
why is that we must change the game in order to please this country? The offside rule is there to make sure the game is about skill. without it the game turns into a massive kick and run game with no one using skill or tactics. if you take out the offside rule (notice no s at the end) then you dont have maradona streaking through the midfield gracefully dribbling around players.
As far as scoring lets think about it for a second. A football score might be 21-7, 28-14, or something along those lines. In reality that is 3-1, 4-2. hmmm…those sound an awful lot like soccer scores. that is all american football did was just make one goal worth more points. to me it cheapens the game.
Hey andy I not saying to change the game all over the world, If u have a buissnes don’t u want to give your customers what they want. These rules would only be for the USA league…Lets face it its been over 40 years that soccer first came to the USA don’t you think its time for the league to pull their head out of their ass and try to make the game more exciting for the USA Fans, Im just talking USA….and the Maradona example you give is also bull…I think it would bring the game to a higher level of excitement..u can not compare Football to Soccer …althought you make a good point….Football is a sport that even if there is no score it still can be exciting…
Why do you care about pleasing the US public? All you should care about is the essence of the game and how unique it is from other sports. Thats what turns me on to soccer. Forget about the public who loves baseball and who loves football…Love soccer for what it is and stop trying to change rules to please others.
Hey Lucas pull your head out of the sand….The USA people don’t like it, staduims are empty, this is not Europe or South America..
I care about the US Public because I live here and I want soccer to be a competing sport with the ather major sports…The offsides rule sucks and I don’t give a dam what u or anybody else says…..
Well that’s okay if you don’t give a dam…I play soccer and know what its like to score a goal…I like how precious goals are. We can’t force fans into liking soccer…and I doubt taking the offside rule out will help…it will only pack the box even more making the game sloppy
Goals are precious to true soccer fans. If we take the offside rule away the only response would be the defense packing the box even more making the game even more sloppy. I appreciate the sport for how it is…hockey has offsides as well…people like that sport a lot. It is just your preference on the sport…
You go Lucas…offsides is as much a part of the beautiful game as is “a goal”. Soccer games are not won; they are lost due to a defensive breakdown. A nil-nil game is as exciting as a pitcher’s dual in a baseball game that may end with no hits and a score of 1-0..not to mention it may take four hours to play and 17 innings. I am also a baseball, basketball and football fan and I appreciate defensive efforts. Leave the game alone and learn to appreciate the beauty of pure sport.
NBA basketball answered the call and adopted the 3-point arc many moons ago, with college following shortly thereafter. But games are only won or lost in the 4th quarter in the NBA. NBA modernists (is that really a word) have debated to increase the size of the court or decrease the size of the lane or to eliminate the 3-second in the lane violation (do they call that still in the NBA?), yet the NBA moves along at breakneck speed with all kinds of excitement. Oh yes, No ties in the NBA. Debates rage on because of the size of the athletes and to add more excitement to the game. Nasty scandal just broke, perhaps soccer (oops, futbol) will pick up a few fans, now.
To pitch a no-hitter in baseball is a rarity in the modern game. You might even root for the batter to get a hit against a pitcher who may be pitching the game of his life. Yet, we cheer for the pitcher because of the difficulty to pitch a no-hitter in the modern game. Wouldn’t it be grand that the team who can’t hit against the pitcher, loses their at-bat attempts in the 9th, or the 8th inning once the game has reached the 7th inning stretch (last call BTW, I’ll have a cold and frosty)?
Indoor soccer plays with a no offside rule (albeit the 3-line / 2-line pass restrictions). Pro indoor soccer has tinkered with numerous rule changes in the past decade (2 point goals, 3 point goals, 1 point goals, shoot-outs, 2-min penalties, etc) and the MISL of today has pretty much returned to the rules it had in place 20 years ago. Most games are pretty exciting too.
The United System of Interregional Soccer Leagues (USISL) of days ago experimented with kick-ins (instead of throw-ins) for balls awarded to the attacking team 35-yards or closer to goal. The USISL also had the 7th foul (and subsequently 14th / 21st foul) rule which resulted in a 35-yard shoot-out. These were designed to increase goal scoring opportunities, for the American game.
Once the game has reached full time and the score is nil-nil (or tied at 0-0), why not play overtime and each team removes a player and doing so for each subsequent overtime until a goal has been scored and a winner declared?
Why not enforce the offside law (rule) only 35-yards and closer to the attacking team’s goal? Why not enforce it 18 yards and closer to the attacking team’s goal? Why not give yellow cards to attacking players who are repeatedly whistled for offside during the course of the match; for persistently infringing the laws of the game (Law 11 - Offiside)?
Why is it, that those who don’t appreciate soccer in America have to change the rules of play to suit the American spectator? A number of tickets sold to witness David Beckham’s MLS debut were purchased by people who normally wouldn’t give two shakes of a lamb’s tail about soccer; unless their kids play the game. It was the spectacle of the event which attracted them. During Drew Carey’s interview in the 1st half (who claims to be a season ticket holder since the Home Depot center opened), he simply indicated, that he hoped that soccer will continue to grow and thrive and that it catches on in mainstream American sport.
We’ve been saying this for these past 30-years. By and large, with nearly 12 million people across this nation playing either recreationally or otherwise, one day, soccer will be a dominating sport force in the USA. Our sport is still primarily driven by youth participants. Until multiple pro games are televised weekly, and crowds are at capacity week in and week out, our sport will continue to be a second tier option after NBA, NFL, NASCAR, Golf, Tennis, college athletics (and high school to a large degree) and whatever other sport recreation endeavor suits one’s fancy.
The point is (refill glass here), one change in the rules (laws) of play will not translate to an increase in goal scoring opportunities or goals scored. Teams will still devise defensive tactics to counter offensive threats. Offenses will still find a way to break down defensive schemes. And you still may only get 1 goal after 90 minutes of play.
Lastly, since affiliated soccer in the US is played under the Laws of the Game as directed by FIFA (that ominous international governing body of world futbol), don’t expect any major changes exclusive to the American game. That Frankestein (as often as it has made comebacks time and time again) has been laid to rest (for now), fortunately.
Cyrus, you forgot that when MLS first started we had 35 yard shootouts for all games ending in ties. We can remember how long that lasted.
We cannot change the a game that the entire world plays just because we as Americans are bored with the game and want to see more goals. Now if FIFA decided to change things, which I highly doubt that will ever happen, then the world changes the game and we are all on the same page. What would happen if ever four years when the World Cup came and all the American players had to get use to playing an offside trap again because that is how the rest of the world plays it. You either have to change the game across the board or not change it at all. You cannot just change it in one coutry.
In the 1994 we hosted the World Cup and American watched with mild interest as we met Brazil on July 4th and lost 1-nil. Two years later we started our own league, that has grown tremendously. In 2002, the people of this country actually paid attention as the boys met Germany in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Leading up to the 2006 tournament, our national team was on national morning news programs talking about the Cup. There was a national stir about that summer’s games. I can remember talking about the headbutt for weeks after the final. This year was the first year that television companies actually paid for the rights to broadcast MLS games (MLS had been paying the companies to show the games). Now just look at the coverage soccer has received this week as Beckham prepared to play for the Galaxy. What does all this mean? the game is growing here in America. each year more and more people are watching games. SportsCenter is showing more and more soccer highlights.
What does all this have to do with offside? We dont need to change the game in order to get people into stadiums. We need all the youth players in the country demanding to go to games whether they be PDL, USL, MISL, or MLS games. We need all the high school players to attend to the local college games. Fans need to continue to talk their friends into coming out to games. When people get out to the games they make the game grow, not changing the rules, for our pleasure.
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