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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There was a time when soccer was poised to become the next great American sport. The North American Soccer League was that platform for teams and players to enter the pantheon of athletic greatness. But something happened. Maybe a fervor of anti-communist rhetoric had kept the sport born of the working class from taking a foothold. Perhaps a cabal of capitalist pig millionaires had conspired to quash incoming competition. Maybe America just had too many sports for people to care about. When the NASL died shortly after its founding, America was devoid of professional soccer on a major level. That was until 1993 when the US Soccer Federation won a bid for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and established Major League Soccer. The league kicked off last week, so now is a good time to...
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While the weather here in Washington, DC is getting nasty, it makes my decision to just hole up in my home with some coffee and soccer justifiable. One aspect that I like about soccer is that it is a year-round sport. With so many leagues around the world and here in America, I can sometimes feel a little spoiled. Different leagues and different countries will kick-off and finish at different points in the year. When the titans in Europe finish up their championships, I'm already in full swing with Major League Soccer over here. Then there are various tournaments and international competitions, which are the cherries on top of a rich, decadent cake. But it took me a while to figure out when and where to catch these competitions. So in this issue of Soccer Made Simple, I will answer the question...
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