World Cup 2026
- Thread starter jamesdeluxe
- Start date
I don’t follow?@Sbooker, are you prepared for today's beatdown?
Edit. Got it.
I don’t follow the soccer to be honest. Queensland is traditionally a rugby league state and I played it and rugby union until I was 21. I had the enviable combination of being small and slow.
Last edited:
World Cup game today, accurately predicted by @jamesdeluxe
The game started at 5AM in sbooker's time zone.
I was at the gym. My neighbour is a Scotsman and has either a Scottish or Aussie flag flying off the front of his house depending on who is playing next.
Unhappy neighbor today! 0 for 2.
Wow, you're a lonely exception in the non-US world! Like many Americans, I:
- Love watching condensed 15-minute highlight reels but often find my patience stretched watching an entire match (however, I managed to stick around for most of the US matches and the one with England/Croatia).
- Am constantly trying to figure out unsolicited ways to "improve" the sport:
- Adjust the excitement-killing offside (good thing that there's now video review to reverse the many bad calls like in yesterday's US/AU match)
- The constant uncalled grabbing and pushing (similar to the NBA)
- Melodramatic on-field "injuries" with players grasping their lower legs in alleged pain (to be fair, this has decreased a bit in recent years)
- The Harry Kane stutter step on penalty kicks: goalkeepers already have a very small chance of making a save
- Tie matches: do not allow knockout-stage tournament games to be decided by penalty kicks; instead, have them go 5-on-5 for the overtime period!
- I have more recommendations but I'll stop there for the moment.
I know I’m a little bit strange. I don’t dislike soccer but perhaps because I didn’t play it I’ve never really got into it. I don’t watch tennis or any form of motor racing either. Again I don’t dislike those sports but I’m just not interested. Despite the fact that I play golf (poorly most of the time) I don’t watch a lot of golf either really. I don’t find ski racing that interesting either but I enjoy occasionally watching those free ride experts doing their thing.Wow, you're a lonely exception in the non-US world! Like many Americans, I:
- Love watching condensed 15-minute highlight reels but often find my patience stretched watching an entire match (however, I managed to stick around for most of the US matches and the one with England/Croatia).
- Am constantly trying to figure out unsolicited ways to "improve" the sport:
- Adjust the excitement-killing offside (good thing that there's now video review to reverse the many bad calls like in yesterday's US/AU match)
- The constant uncalled grabbing and pushing (similar to the NBA)
- Melodramatic on-field "injuries" with players grasping their lower legs in alleged pain (to be fair, this has decreased a bit in recent years)
- The Harry Kane stutter step on penalty kicks: goalkeepers already have a very small chance of making a save
- Tie matches: do not allow knockout-stage tournament games to be decided by penalty kicks; instead, have them go 5-on-5 for the overtime period!
- I have more recommendations but I'll stop there for the moment.
I only watch an hour or two of tellie a week and that is reserved for rugby league in winter and cricket in summer. I do watch extra TV if high level swimming competitions are being televised. (I was a decent swimmer as a kid). I’ll often watch the first 10 minutes of the national news. I don’t have any subscriptions like Fox or Kayo or Netflix. I only go to the cinema a couple of times a decade. I only watch movies on planes.
Of course I have watched a little bit of soccer in my time and I like every one of your recommendations. The 5 on 5 being a particularly great suggestion.
Sbooker can correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression is that soccer's place in the pecking order of popular spectator sports is similar in Australia as in the U.S. How many variants of "Aussie Rules" football are there in addition to rugby, which is THE sport in New Zealand?
In July 1997 we were on Heron Island (first place I ever scuba dived) a the time of the Bledisoe Cup. Heron is remote and rustic and there were no TV's. But this was a big deal so they set up some kind of satellite connection and showed the rugby game on a projection movie screen. The next week we were in New Zealand. The Doubtful Sound bus driver was merciless in needling the Aussies about the beatdown the All Blacks had just inflicted upon them, referring to Australia as the "West Island."
So when the US last hosted the World Cup in 1994, Adam was 9 years old and very interested. I took him to the US-Columbia game in the Rose Bowl, where he got sick because it was 107F with no shade in our seats. He was at camp on Catalina during the Finals, but my ex and I went to the Rose Bowl for the 3rd/4th place game and bought tickets on-site for $25, a quarter of face value.
I mention the above, because in that context it shocked me that group round games involving the US or prominent countries like Brazil, England, etc. were going for minimum $1,000+ and games between obscure teams are still $300+. That compares to reseller World Series prices in the $800-$1,000 range, though admittedly Madison Square Garden tickets for the recent NBA finals were far more expensive.
So I thought FIFA was being greedy and that close to game time prices would come down. Adam said no, soccer's position in the US now is far different than in 1994. Adam turned out to be right about that and I was wrong. Prices have held up in the general range that FIFA was charging. We will not be attending anything. SoFi Stadium is a magnificent facility (we saw Rams vs. Tom Brady's Bucs in 2021) but a logistical nightmare. We parked at an LAX remote garage two miles away for $14 because on site parking was $90 and I've heard it's $150 for the World Cup. We also met someone this morning who said it took and hour and a half to park and get through security into the stadium for the US-Paraguay game last week.
The Knicks situation was a perfect storm of demand. Very affluent and rabid fans. No title in 53 years. Basketball is THE sport in NYC because kids don't play as much baseball or football due to lack of space. Many NYC fans flew to San Antonio for the clincher, as was evident from crowd reactions during the game. Liz has paid little attention to the NBA since she moved here in 2013, but after living in NYC all those years she was very interested this time.
In July 1997 we were on Heron Island (first place I ever scuba dived) a the time of the Bledisoe Cup. Heron is remote and rustic and there were no TV's. But this was a big deal so they set up some kind of satellite connection and showed the rugby game on a projection movie screen. The next week we were in New Zealand. The Doubtful Sound bus driver was merciless in needling the Aussies about the beatdown the All Blacks had just inflicted upon them, referring to Australia as the "West Island."
I agree. To me it's just not on the level of last year's World Series (yes, I'm biased on this one) or the recent Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals. This is somewhat weird because unlike most Americans of my generation, I played quite a bit of soccer in middle and high school. It was strictly a preppy sport then, before AYSO started in the 1970's and got a lot of kids playing. That included my son Adam for 10 years. I think soccer is a great participation sport but somewhat meh as a spectator sport.
So when the US last hosted the World Cup in 1994, Adam was 9 years old and very interested. I took him to the US-Columbia game in the Rose Bowl, where he got sick because it was 107F with no shade in our seats. He was at camp on Catalina during the Finals, but my ex and I went to the Rose Bowl for the 3rd/4th place game and bought tickets on-site for $25, a quarter of face value.
I mention the above, because in that context it shocked me that group round games involving the US or prominent countries like Brazil, England, etc. were going for minimum $1,000+ and games between obscure teams are still $300+. That compares to reseller World Series prices in the $800-$1,000 range, though admittedly Madison Square Garden tickets for the recent NBA finals were far more expensive.
So I thought FIFA was being greedy and that close to game time prices would come down. Adam said no, soccer's position in the US now is far different than in 1994. Adam turned out to be right about that and I was wrong. Prices have held up in the general range that FIFA was charging. We will not be attending anything. SoFi Stadium is a magnificent facility (we saw Rams vs. Tom Brady's Bucs in 2021) but a logistical nightmare. We parked at an LAX remote garage two miles away for $14 because on site parking was $90 and I've heard it's $150 for the World Cup. We also met someone this morning who said it took and hour and a half to park and get through security into the stadium for the US-Paraguay game last week.
The Knicks situation was a perfect storm of demand. Very affluent and rabid fans. No title in 53 years. Basketball is THE sport in NYC because kids don't play as much baseball or football due to lack of space. Many NYC fans flew to San Antonio for the clincher, as was evident from crowd reactions during the game. Liz has paid little attention to the NBA since she moved here in 2013, but after living in NYC all those years she was very interested this time.
I think offside was adjusted a while ago. IIRC offside used to be called if ANY offensive player is behind the last defender when the ball is passed into that territory. Now it is called only if the player receiving the ball is offside. When the offside call was made yesterday, my visual impression was that it would be upheld. In the replay there were two other US players offside, but Alex Freeman, who headed in that goal, was not one of them. Freeman FYI is the son of former NFL receiver Antonio Freeman, a scenario what would have been very unlikely 30 years ago.
Last edited:
jasoncapecod
Well-known member
I find soccer on tv a big yawn. Live it’s a different story. A few years ago while in Madrid we went to a game. Boy it was a hoot.
Last edited by a moderator:
Yes, Liz and I went to a game in Buenos Aires. The visiting team fans were segregated into a section behind one of the goals with a 20+ foot high chain link fence. When the game was over those fans were let out of the stadium immediately and no one else was allowed to leave for 15 minutes.
Last edited:
You would be correct.
The pecking order is dependent on state. In Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia Australian Rules is number one by a long way. In NSW and Queensland Rugby League is king. To by knowledge there is only one variant of Aussie Rules but a number of different competitions. I know we play Ireland in a hybrid game of Gaelic footy.
Soccer is followed more in Melbourne because of the higher percentage of ethnic people. Rugby Union is supported in all states but at a lesser level than rugby league. Union is followed, generally speaking of course, by the private school set. Rugby Union is number one in NZ as you say but league has gained popularity since their Auckland side has been admitted to our national rugby league comp.
What is the difference between Rugby Union and Rugby League? Is one of them the 7-man version that is popular in Fiji?
Rugby union is 15 players per side. Rugby league has 13 players per side. Rugby union was first played in about 1875 and league was a break away variant that happened 20 years later. They are similar games but union does not have a set 'play the ball' between tackles. It has a ruck or maul. Union also has a 'lineout' which league doesn't. Rugby Union is the Bledisloe you were referring to. It's a more international game than league. Australia has won rugby union world cups in the past but NZ and South Africa are now dominant. Australia dominates all others in rugby league and pretty much has always done so. England can sometimes be competitive. Rugby league is the game that has been played in Vegas to start our season in March the previous few years.
You are thinking of Rugby 7s which is a seven man version of Rugby Union.
- Too many players, which frequently creates a traffic jam, especially in front of the net. Make it eight players instead of ten (not counting the goalkeeper).
Patrick
Well-known member
I’ve watched a few games and the ones I choose to watch were very entertaining. France-Senegal, Argentina-Algeria, England-Croatia, Germany-Cote d’Ivoire plus the Canada games.
I know more than a few Europeans that find that baseball as exciting and watching paint peeling off the bottom of the reflecting pool.
Patrick
Well-known member
Do you remember the old NASL(?) with the NY Cosmos and Montreal Manic back in the 1980s? They had a winter league played indoors with the hockey board 6 on 6, it was insane. The Manic would play at the Forum in Winter and Big O in the regular season.
- Too many players, which frequently creates a traffic jam, especially in front of the net. Make it eight players instead of ten (not counting the goalkeeper).
jasoncapecod
Well-known member
Agree baseball is brutal live.
Yes, loved it! There are many clips of entire matches, such as this between Fort Lauderdale and the Manic (check out the ghastly artificial "turf" at the Olympic Stadium). Here's one with the indoor variant, which I agree is bonkers/similar to box lacrosse
Here's the overview:
The original North American Soccer League (NASL, 1968–1984) radically altered traditional soccer rules to appeal to American sports fans who disliked ties and low scoring.
Rule Comparison: Historic NASL vs. Global Soccer
| Historic NASL (1968–1984) | Typical Global Soccer (IFAB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Match Clock | Counted down to 0:00 and stopped when the ball was out of play. | Counts up to 90:00 with continuous time and added "stoppage time." |
| Handling Draws | No ties allowed. All draws went to a 35-yard shootout. | Games can end in a tie (draw), earning both teams 1 point. |
| Tiebreaker Shootout | Dribbler had 5 seconds to shoot from 35 yards out against the keeper. | Stationary penalty kicks from the 12-yard mark. |
| Offside Line | 35-yard line used instead of the halfway line to reduce offside traps. | Halfway line determines offside positioning. |
| Points System | 6 points for a win, 0 for a loss, plus up to 3 bonus points for goals scored. | 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss. |
| Substitutions | Allowed 3 substitutions early on, ahead of global adoption. | Historically 0 to 2; modern global rules allow 5 substitutions. |
Why the Rules Differed
- Eliminating the Draw: American sports culture in the 1970s rejected the concept of a tie game. The NASL created the 35-yard shootout to guarantee a winner while keeping it more dynamic than a standard penalty kick.
- Increasing Goal Scoring: The 35-yard offside line compressed the defending team. This created more space in the attacking third, resulting in higher-scoring, fast-paced games.
- Broadcaster Influence: A clock that counted down and stopped allowed television networks to accurately predict commercial breaks and match end times.
Agreed. It's fascinating how impatient Americans are about futbol but tolerate the unbelievably slow pace of baseball.
Hah!