US World Cup

[Metroid]

We discussed flopping on the darkside pretty thoroughly. If you ask any of the soccer purists they'll tell you that flopping is part of the game. I say BS on that. It's part of the game because they've allowed it to become part of the game and have grown accustomed to it. The purists want to point to basketball as a comparison to point out that flopping happens in all sports. They're pretty much right. I don't agree with flopping in any sport, however the difference is that in soccer, where the scoring is already very low, a flop can impact the outcome of a game much more than in other sports.

At least it seems so to me.

[Cowboys 4 life]

Into extra time and not looking good for US. Don't fully understand the rules but there is apparently 2 15 min periods then if it is still tied it goes to penalty kicks. US is down 1-2 now.

[Metroid]

And that does it for the US. Great showing by the States, nothing to be ashamed of.

I like how near the end that dude for Ghana went down near his own goal (after not even being touched) and just laid there while play went on around him. Then they bring the stretcher out, carry him off the field, and he just hops up like nothing happened....awesome.

[Dawinner127]

And that does it for the US. Great showing by the States, nothing to be ashamed of.

I like how near the end that dude for Ghana went down near his own goal (after not even being touched) and just laid there while play went on around him. Then they bring the stretcher out, carry him off the field, and he just hops up like nothing happened....awesome.

Basically why I hate soccer. No one was near that player and they brought out a stretcher for him? Seriously?

[portisfan24]

Tough luck today. After a slow start I thought the US looked much more dangerous. They just couldn't convert outside of the penalty. Oh well I look forward to some of the other round of 16 matches and the inevitable powerhouse matchups in the later rounds.

I've always thought the flopping and theatrics in soccer was total BS. Its one thing to go down when you feel contact to draw a free kick, but faking injury is just classless. If you think about it, every sport has players trying to draw fouls and whatnot, but soccer is the only one I can think of where the players fake injury. I wish it was out of the game because it looks so bush league to casual fans.

As for you Americans now slightly excited about soccer, try catching some MLS games. They don't have quite the quality which usually leads to more breakdowns on defense and more chances/goals. Plus, there is a lot less of the gamesmanship.

[Nfl Fan]

As for you Americans now slightly excited about soccer, try catching some MLS games.

More than likely, I'm done until the next World Cup...

[The Artful Dodger]

We discussed flopping on the darkside pretty thoroughly. If you ask any of the soccer purists they'll tell you that flopping is part of the game. I say BS on that. It's part of the game because they've allowed it to become part of the game and have grown accustomed to it. The purists want to point to basketball as a comparison to point out that flopping happens in all sports. They're pretty much right. I don't agree with flopping in any sport, however the difference is that in soccer, where the scoring is already very low, a flop can impact the outcome of a game much more than in other sports.

At least it seems so to me.

Problem is, the action happens quite quickly that it's difficult for a referee to call foul or to play on. What the referee can do is yellow card or warn a player that they've spotted a dive and they will penalize said player later. Certain players have a reputation for diving and with some referees, they know that reputation and could be cynical to call a foul in favor of that player.

Sadly, diving is part of the game, not because it's condoned though by football fans. Contrast this to about 20 years ago when players would suffer broken knees and legs on a terrible challenge, which didn't even provoke a yellow card, let alone a red card and a sending off. So, it's good that the referees protect players now but it also gets to the point where some players know they can be rewarded by fouls if they simply go to ground and do a sell. Some referees fall for it and some referees don't.

EDIT: As far as the impact of the outcome becoming more important because it's "low scoring", well, what about a charging/blocking call at a crucial time of a basketball game? What about a wide receiver that sells to get a penalty flag? Are those not game-changing moments either? I don't buy the "low scoring" bit, at all.

[Metroid]

We discussed flopping on the darkside pretty thoroughly. If you ask any of the soccer purists they'll tell you that flopping is part of the game. I say BS on that. It's part of the game because they've allowed it to become part of the game and have grown accustomed to it. The purists want to point to basketball as a comparison to point out that flopping happens in all sports. They're pretty much right. I don't agree with flopping in any sport, however the difference is that in soccer, where the scoring is already very low, a flop can impact the outcome of a game much more than in other sports.

At least it seems so to me.

Problem is, the action happens quite quickly that it's difficult for a referee to call foul or to play on. What the referee can do is yellow card or warn a player that they've spotted a dive and they will penalize said player later. Certain players have a reputation for diving and with some referees, they know that reputation and could be cynical to call a foul in favor of that player.

Sadly, diving is part of the game, not because it's condoned though by football fans. Contrast this to about 20 years ago when players would suffer broken knees and legs on a terrible challenge, which didn't even provoke a yellow card, let alone a red card and a sending off. So, it's good that the referees protect players now but it also gets to the point where some players know they can be rewarded by fouls if they simply go to ground and do a sell. Some referees fall for it and some referees don't.

EDIT: As far as the impact of the outcome becoming more important because it's "low scoring", well, what about a charging/blocking call at a crucial time of a basketball game? What about a wide receiver that sells to get a penalty flag? Are those not game-changing moments either? I don't buy the "low scoring" bit, at all.

That all makes sense I guess. And I like that the athletes are protected now. I just don't understand why suspensions, or other disciplinary action, levied against players for "flopping" wouldn't help curb it.

[The Artful Dodger]

We discussed flopping on the darkside pretty thoroughly. If you ask any of the soccer purists they'll tell you that flopping is part of the game. I say BS on that. It's part of the game because they've allowed it to become part of the game and have grown accustomed to it. The purists want to point to basketball as a comparison to point out that flopping happens in all sports. They're pretty much right. I don't agree with flopping in any sport, however the difference is that in soccer, where the scoring is already very low, a flop can impact the outcome of a game much more than in other sports.

At least it seems so to me.

Problem is, the action happens quite quickly that it's difficult for a referee to call foul or to play on. What the referee can do is yellow card or warn a player that they've spotted a dive and they will penalize said player later. Certain players have a reputation for diving and with some referees, they know that reputation and could be cynical to call a foul in favor of that player.

Sadly, diving is part of the game, not because it's condoned though by football fans. Contrast this to about 20 years ago when players would suffer broken knees and legs on a terrible challenge, which didn't even provoke a yellow card, let alone a red card and a sending off. So, it's good that the referees protect players now but it also gets to the point where some players know they can be rewarded by fouls if they simply go to ground and do a sell. Some referees fall for it and some referees don't.

EDIT: As far as the impact of the outcome becoming more important because it's "low scoring", well, what about a charging/blocking call at a crucial time of a basketball game? What about a wide receiver that sells to get a penalty flag? Are those not game-changing moments either? I don't buy the "low scoring" bit, at all.

That all makes sense I guess. And I like that the athletes are protected now. I just don't understand why suspensions, or other disciplinary action, levied against players for "flopping" wouldn't help curb it.

In some cases, the league associations review red cards and fouls, and can hand out suspensions. There's an odd chance, they'll ban a diver for a game too.

[The Artful Dodger]

Soccer is full of wussies.

HD TV is great when a player flops and fakes like he is really hurt. Defender puts his foot in front of the ball and the offensive player immediately summersalts to the ground. Camera zooms in and you can see a guy who appears to be hurt badly (must have been the ground that did it given he was not touched) then one eye opens and looks towards the ref, closes again and its back to agony.

At least in Basketball when they flop they don't fake injury. The flopping in Soccer is ridiculous. My AYSO team I played on as a kid was tougher than these pansies.

Sometimes, those fouls actually do hurt. Try running at full speed and have someone take out your legs, worse yet with their boot studs up. That's bloody painful. When I played, I used to have hamstring and calf strains at the least on those tackles. Sure, players "flop" in some instances and play up the foul. Shoot, even your fellow Yanks, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore even pulled out the theatrics. Slow-motion replays do make them seem less painful, but in certain cases, they do.

Oh, and don't belittle the game I love. Don't get me started on what I think about you Yanks' foolish anti-soccer sentiment.