Awesome Soccer Goal, Announcer Goes Nuts

That is a passionate guy right there. And that WAS an awesome goal. I lose my mind on breakaways too.

Is there actually anything awesome about Soccer.  Boring!  They had it on at the pub when I was there on Sunday.  Every match ended in a 0-0 tie. WTF?  For some reason there was not a shoot out which is really the only redeeming thing I've seen from this unwatchable sport.  It's like watching paint dry.

Coach Z wrote

Is there actually anything awesome about Soccer.  Boring!  They had it on at the pub when I was there on Sunday.  Every match ended in a 0-0 tie. WTF?  For some reason there was not a shoot out which is really the only redeeming thing I've seen from this unwatchable sport.  It's like watching paint dry.

I used to agree with the above, until I attended a major match in Spain. Hands down the best sport to watch live..

What Ben Askren said...
"When I'm thinking of sports, when I'm thinking of a boy growing up and being a man, I'm thinking of three things - honor, integrity, and toughness. And a grown man, faking an injury, rolling around on the field fails all three of those tests. Listen folks, if you want your son to grow up to be a man, don't have him run around on a field kicking a ball, get him wrestling."

Hmmmm.....American people's political leanings align with their feelings about futbol.  Shocked!

There has been a lot of great soccer the past few weeks with The Copa and Euro going simultaneously.

If you are pulling for one side or the other- you have to be really emotionally invested- then the things that Americans typically find off-putting (low score, long periods, no breaks etc) actually serve to build tension in the crowds. I always loved playing soccer as a kid but I didn't understand how fans went so crazy over the game until I got my kids onto teams and started coaching them. Once you're really invested, the last few minutes of a 0-0 game will marke you insane. I totally understand how people in other countries have riots over this game. The one thing I admit I still can't digest is the idea of ending the game in a tie.  I agree there ought to be some kind of tie-breaker. When I played in Goshen Youth League a hundred years ago, we played overtime. Once I played a full eight quarters and it was still a tie. We had to give up the field at that point but they still scheduled a rematch the following week. We ended playing that team a full twelve quarters in order to reach a decision.

Boring is a matter of opinion. I agree that television can change it too.  When you are at a baseball game, if you don't know the game or unless you have killer seats it's hard to stay engaged.  Minor league ball is cool, you can sit right up front for ten bucks.

If you are at the stadium and get to see a Fiskian body english blast a la 1975, the Kirk Gibson gimp shot or Jeter's final at bat you probably never forget it.

For anyone who takes the time to actually watch what's going on, not just look at the screen in general waiting for a goal, and you see the touch and skills the individual players have, and the physicality of the game, and the runs off the ball, the vision, if you have a clue what's going on......you'd understand why they call it The Beautiful Game, and why it is the most played/watched/loved sport on the planet.  To know how difficult it is for Messi to take a small ball and smash it into a one square foot upper 90 of the goal from more than 80 feet away, over a wall of men and past a goalkeeper intent on stopping him.....and to watch him calmly tie his boot before he drives the ball into the back of the net......you'd know.  

A lot of people might say ski racing is boring....just a bunch of people sliding down a hill....but it's a good thing we know better.  It's a good thing we enjoy watching Bode or Lindsey throw their hip into the hill and put their skis on edge because we appreciate the skill and technicality.

Expand your fucking mind, Coach!!

Agree about minor league baseball. At a game right now

I was one of those hyper kids growing up that hated sitting all day in school, my mind would wander and I would day dream about having adventures while staring out the window but I loved playing soccer. It keeps you busy and running out all of that excess energy. Playing baseball was a lot like school, I would doze off standing out in the field under the hot sun.

I can't say I care to watch either on television, the same goes for any sport really except maybe a free-skiing comp or a dh race.

That was a nice play but I definitely didn't find it as exciting as that guy did.

That announcer wasn't freaking out about the goal.....so much as the situation.  You have to realize that Iceland is a tiny nation of some 300,000, of which about 8% of said population travelled to France for this tournament.  This year is the first time that Iceland has made it into the Euro tournament, which is a Yooooge deal across the pond.  Just making the tournament was exciting for the country and its soccer fans.  Then theyplay Portugal, one of the best teams on the planet, to a draw in the first game of the group stage and keep Ronaldo, one of the best players on the planet, off the score sheet.  That's extra Yoooooge for this tiny soccer country.  Of course Yoooochebag Ronaldo mocks the Iceland team for being so excited about their draw and says they won't do anything in the tournament.  Then Iceland ties Hungary in the second game, setting up the possibility that tiny Iceland, with a victory over Austria, could win the group and advance to the quarterfinals.  So much for not doing anything in the tournament.  So, that it what set the stage for Iceland fans totally freaking out.

raisingarizona wrote

That was a nice play but I definitely didn't find it as exciting as that guy did.

Right.  Without context it seems like that announcer is being a bit melodramatic.

But Iceland had never even qualified for the Euro before, and they are the smallest nation to ever qualify.  By scoring that goal they escaped the group stage and made it to the knockout round (where there will be penalties to decide the winner if a game results in a tie).

That is a huge result on the international stage, akin to our miracle on ice or some other large upset.  So what you are hearing in thst announcer's voice is the excitement of nationalist pride, the team attaining a new level of success.

^ jinx

The whole extra time thing seems quite sketchy. Why not just start and stop the clock like every other sport so everyone knows how much time is actually left

skimore wrote

The whole extra time thing seems quite sketchy. Why not just start and stop the clock like every other sport so everyone knows how much time is actually left

I agree it kills a lot of potential excitement.

"Oh wait what? It's over. Yay!"

I sure as shit hope Coach isn't watching the Portugal-Croatia match.  BORING AS FUCK!  All the quality on the field and neither team is willing to press the attack.    Hey, 30 minutes until the penalty shootout!  Some 0-0 draws are actually exciting.  Lots of attacking and chances, great defending, quality saves.   Not this one.  After 90 minutes of play there has not been one shot on goal by either team.

Was  anyone rolling around like they just got shot when they stubbed their toe

Iceland!!!

Brexit! Well, Wales is still in it.  Big time insult to injury for England in this of all weeks.

skimore wrote

Was  anyone rolling around like they just got shot when they stubbed their toe

It's a tactic not limited to futbol to try to trick the ref. It is part of the "win at all cost" mentality.  It is a bit Trumpish I admit.

Remember Bill Laimbeer?