Soccer can be fascinating, for maybe eight seconds of a 90-minute match. I know, I know, I’m an American without an appreciation for the strategic intricacies, the feel of the pitch, or the offensive creativity involved. Also I think the word nil is funny. And it isn’t that I want more goals. Let’s face it, high scores don’t help lacrosse. Similar to a good, low-scoring pitchers’ duel in baseball, a 1-nil game is fine and exciting, but I think a few rule changes may make the matches more interesting.
First, 11-on-11 is too many. I was watching a scoreless match and team lost a player due to a severe foul. Playing with 10 did not appear to alter the game. The field is too crowded for the stars to shine. “Ronaldo skillfully eludes the first four defenders, but then loses the ball to, uh, Phil, because he was pretty much standing there.” Maybe it should be 7-on-7, with yellow cards resulting in a 5-minute stint on the sidelines.
Next, maybe there should be a variety of ways to score, like in rugby or football. A two-point line? Half-points for shots on goal, corner kicks, uniform cleanliness, anything to prevent Scotty McScot from saying, “Aye, it’s the 87th minute, nil-nil.”
1 comment:
Your proposed rule changes make it sound more like hockey. Sounds good to me. Anything to make it more like hockey.
Some contact would be cool too. You can check the player with the ball.
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