In the old days of soccer, referees had to purely judge the game on their ability to make split-second decisions among the chaos and violence of bodies clashing and a small, white and black ball flying through the air. Today it's a much different story. Cameras lined across stadiums record the action from myriad angles capturing every moment in HD and slow-motion. This new system is the encroaching eye of the sport, looming overhead. It is always aware, encompassing, watching. Fans are wary of its presence. Referees are befuddled by its complexity. Teams are incredibly frustrated every time the action stops so that Big Brother can decree what exactly happened. Is the implementation of this new technology a boon to the sport that helps officials make accurate decisions? Or is this forceful integration a sinister plot to kill the magic and drama of soccer.
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The hardest job in soccer doesn't belong to the players, coaches, or staff. Their jobs are easy because as long as they do well, the fans will continue to show their love and support. Their weekend battles are a cakewalk compared to the real soldiers who must shoulder the blame no matter the outcome. Millionaire playboys and top-dollar execs have nothing on the true heroes on the pitch. They are loved and hated, but mostly hated. They shoulder the blame for every loss. No harder soul with the thickest skin exists on the field of battle beside the referees who don the loudest of colors and conspicuous of uniforms so that everyone in the stadium knows exactly where to target their anger.
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FIFA is more than the title of the popular soccer video game series. It’s the governing body that makes the soccer world go ‘round for better or for worse. Without structure, you wouldn’t have the kind of cooperation that happens between nations that compete against each other or within their domestic leagues. Thanks to my unique professional experience, I’m able to break down these levels of governance and provide insight into the wild world of Association Football.
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Do you know what's soccer's super bowl? It's not the World Cup, although one would think that has to be the big kahuna of all of soccer. While that's mostly correct, the World Cup is the big kahuna of national team soccer. For club teams around the world, they face off in an international competition called the Champions League. This is where you would see the top clubs like Barcelona FC and Manchester United compete against each other to establish dominance. While various nations in specific regions compete, the one that I'm focusing on is called the UEFA Champions League, which is specific to Europe. This week I'll tell you all about what this competition is and what the heck UEFA stands for. So read on and learn more about...
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This week I'm letting you in on a little secret; there are a ton of soccer terms. From rules to colloquialisms, there are probably thousands of words related to the game. As I write this little blog, I want to be able to refer readers to a glossary of terms to help them understand some of the words I'll be using. This is a double whammy, because I'll be able to append a link to this one post going forward, and you'll finally understand a lot of the slang that I like to use. So read on, and...
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It's tough to talk about time without bringing up tired cliches and tropes. But it's such a universal, ubiquitous concept that is hard to grasp without the use of idioms to help frame it. When it comes to soccer, time is both always moving forward and relative to the discretion of the referee. There are two halves to a game of soccer, but teams also have to account for stoppage time and extra time. For newcomers, the way time is managed during a soccer match may seem random. I used to think it was solely up to the ref to call the end of the half or the game. While that's not too far off, there are a few factors that impact the passage of time during a game. This is why soccer is...
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