I'm trying, really I am. I watched most of the Elon game and all the Virginia game, but I just can't do it. I'm trying to get excited, and yeah I cheered when we scored to tie the game and again on the pks, but otherwise I just find it so boring. I played one year of soccer in middle school so I have a VERY minor understanding of the game, but it's just hard to watch them running around and kicking it back and forth for an hour. I know they are awesome athletes, and the endurance they show to run like they all game is impressive. But it's boring.

So I'm asking here, am I alone? Or am I the only Marshall fan who just doesn't get it? For those that didn't get it, but now do, how did you? What changed? If this is something my Herd is going to be good at long term, I want to get behind it, but I don't know if I can. My 13 year old son tried watching the game today and after a very short bit he asked if I planned on watching this often as he wasn't interested. He'll watch football and baseball with me, but he felt this was boring. Any tips or pointers, or am I doomed to yell at clouds and tell the kids in soccer gear to get off of my lawn?

(11-21-2022 02:28 AM)forphase1 Wrote:  I'm trying, really I am. I watched most of the Elon game and all the Virginia game, but I just can't do it. I'm trying to get excited, and yeah I cheered when we scored to tie the game and again on the pks, but otherwise I just find it so boring. I played one year of soccer in middle school so I have a VERY minor understanding of the game, but it's just hard to watch them running around and kicking it back and forth for an hour. I know they are awesome athletes, and the endurance they show to run like they all game is impressive. But it's boring.

So I'm asking here, am I alone? Or am I the only Marshall fan who just doesn't get it? For those that didn't get it, but now do, how did you? What changed? If this is something my Herd is going to be good at long term, I want to get behind it, but I don't know if I can. My 13 year old son tried watching the game today and after a very short bit he asked if I planned on watching this often as he wasn't interested. He'll watch football and baseball with me, but he felt this was boring. Any tips or pointers, or am I doomed to yell at clouds and tell the kids in soccer gear to get off of my lawn?

My daughter played spring and fall soccer from the age of 5 to 12. Then she played Middle school and indoor soccer. After all of that time I still didn't grasp the rules. She played defense and the only advice I was able to give here is that I showed here how to play like a Defensive Back LOL.

And yes, Soccer is boring.

If you haven't truly played, then it's hard to appreciate the beauty of the sport. I played at St. Joe from 1987-1990 (Won the State Championship in '88 and Runners-Up in '89 and '90). Set to play at Wheeling Jesuit, but was derailed by unforseen circumstances. Co-Founded the Huntington Sidekicks Club Team in the early 1990's. Coached Midland girls in 1995 and 1996. I have also been a long time high-school soccer official (referee).

The rules are not very difficult to understand. One of the trickiest is Offside...yes, OFFSIDE. Easy tips.


OFFSIDE is when a player has the ball played to them in the opponent's half and there are not TWO defenders (one may be the goalkeeper) nearer the goal OR if they gain an advantage from being in an offside position.

1) It is impossible for a player to be offside in their own half of the field.
2) A player cannot be offside if they receive the ball DIRECTLY from a corner kick.
3) Offside isn't penalized simply because a player is in an offside position (EX. Right wing is in an offside position but the ball is played down the left wing and the right wing makes no effort to involve himself in the play)
4) It is impossible to be offside on any throw-in.

ADVANTAGE - This is when the referee observes that a foul has occurred but allows play to continue because penalizing the foul would potentially put the offended team at a disadvantage. If the advantage does not materialize, the referee will penalize the original foul at the spot where it occurred. Advantage is indicated by the referee yelling "PLAY ON" and sweeping both arms un an upward fashion. This is also a reason why you see an occasional late whistle.

(Ex. A player gets by the defense on a breakaway and a defender grabs the players jersey causing him to stumble. Player somewhat maintains control of ball and balance. Referee applies ADVANTAGE. Player continues for a couple of steps and falls. Referee penalizes the original foul at the spot where it occurred.)

HANDLING: A good rule of thumb to use:

a) Was the hand/arm in a NATURAL position -if yes, it is ignored
b) Did the ball play the hand or did the hand play the ball - if the ball played the hand in a natural position, it is ignored
c) Was it intentional - if yes, it is penalized
d) Did the player gain an advantage from the handling

Direct/Indirect kicks: A direct kick is a free kick in which a goal may be scored without touching another player. An indirect kick is a free-kick in which the ball MUST be touched by another player before a goal may be scored.

Direct kicks are a result of:

Goal Kick
Corner Kick
Tripping
Charging
Striking
Handling
Holding
Jumping In

Indirect Kicks are the result of:

Kickoff
Stoppage of play (non-foul)
Obstruction
Charging not within legal playing distance (non-violent)
Goalkeeper infraction
Dangerous Play

One can distinguish an indirect from a direct kick by the referees arm. If the arm is raised, it is an indirect kick and the referee's arm will remain raised until the ball is touched. if the referee's arm is down, the kick is direct.

Hope this helps

(11-21-2022 02:19 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  If you haven't truly played, then it's hard to appreciate the beauty of the sport.

Hope this helps

Hey, thanks for the information. But I do wonder if the sentence I left in your quote is going to be the deal breaker for me. I'm not sure I'll ever really appreciate it. Maybe something I have more on in the background while I do other stuff rather than really sitting down and watching it. We will see. Either way, I hope we win it all!

(11-21-2022 04:57 PM)forphase1 Wrote:  

(11-21-2022 02:19 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  If you haven't truly played, then it's hard to appreciate the beauty of the sport.

Hope this helps

Hey, thanks for the information. But I do wonder if the sentence I left in your quote is going to be the deal breaker for me. I'm not sure I'll ever really appreciate it. Maybe something I have more on in the background while I do other stuff rather than really sitting down and watching it. We will see. Either way, I hope we win it all!

Anytime my friend. I can certainly see how it could appear worse than watching flies fornicate to an outsider, but the fact you are rooting for them is all they would ever ask for. So thank you for that.

If you want to see more on the athleticism, YouTube greatest goals and greatest saves.

(11-21-2022 06:44 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  

(11-21-2022 04:57 PM)forphase1 Wrote:  

(11-21-2022 02:19 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  If you haven't truly played, then it's hard to appreciate the beauty of the sport.

Hope this helps

Hey, thanks for the information. But I do wonder if the sentence I left in your quote is going to be the deal breaker for me. I'm not sure I'll ever really appreciate it. Maybe something I have more on in the background while I do other stuff rather than really sitting down and watching it. We will see. Either way, I hope we win it all!

Anytime my friend. I can certainly see how it could appear worse than watching flies fornicate to an outsider, but the fact you are rooting for them is all they would ever ask for. So thank you for that.

If you want to see more on the athleticism, YouTube greatest goals and greatest saves.

Yeah thanks for all the info. I played everything but soccer LOL. But i definitely appreciate the athletes and athleticism in the sport. I just wish they scored more LOL

I have become a heavy convert to the "beautiful game" in recent years and actually had my 65+ year old father flip the switch on his opinion of soccer. I have a little bit of a different opinion from THUNDERStruck that you don't really need to fully understand the game or watch-in-detail to embrace it. Soccer is 2/3 cultural and 1/3 the actually results on the field!

I played when I was younger, started following the US Men's and Women's National Team in all their competitions ever since the US hosted the '94 World Cup, and I pretty much understand the game. However, despite all that, for nearly 24 years I've tried to find a Premier League or English Football League club to follow or cheer on - but even after multiple times trying to pick a club and studying its roster and watching games, I'd rather quickly lose interest as I didn't have a personal connection to the club. For the British and much of Europe, cheering on a football club fills the same niche or void that cheering on a college football or basketball program team does for Americans - you usually have a connection to the team you cheer, whether you attended there, have family connections, or they represent your home geographic area. Clubs and teams have their own stories, chants, legends, ethos - again much like college programs.

I attended a few soccer games while I was in college, especially since Marshall won the MAC in 2000 and had a "star" at the time in Byron Carmichael. But the style was more direct and like most I really didn't pay much attention to the program until they became ranked in 2019. When I came back to watch them, they were much more possessive, looked more like international style soccer, and realized the quality was significantly improved. Once we won the double conference title that year and had a massive crowd in the NCAA tournament - I (as well as about a thousand other souls) were hooked.

I think the biggest enjoyment is recognizing the players, knowing the squad, seeing individual styles. For example, Milo Yosef has a unique running gate and likes to cut back across the middle about 22 yards out. I think you can get to really know a squad in just a few games - take and learn one position group per game, watch them and see how they move and reaction. Next game, add the next positions group and follow them. Soccer is much more enjoyable when you know and can identify people. And even then, if you're into overanalyzing things, then simply enjoy the moments and keep it on as an event and don't watch every second of it - just tune in and causally stay aware of the games flow and enjoy your favorite food or beverage while causually coming along for the ride!

The last recommendation I have (as silly as it sounds) - watch "Ted Lasso" and "Welcome to Wrexham". Ted Lasso is one of the funnier series in recent years - and it's the story of the American not understanding "football" converting to the game! Welcome to Wrexham is then basically the real-life version Ted Lasso - and its actually had a profound effect on me. The series has done a great job of introducing the club's supporters, the club's story, their town, its players and staff - the lore and the chants - so much so that when I watched their FA Cup Preliminary Round game, I found what I had been looking for in searching for an "English" football club all these years - a football club I know, understand, and find some connection with. I'm now on about month 2 of following along all their games, getting up 7am on Saturdays to watch, etc.

If you don't want to, don't overstudy the game if it's not your cup of tea - just enjoy the opportunity to celebrate with your fellow fan in food, drink, or voice!

(11-22-2022 09:32 AM)CoachMaclid Wrote:  I have become a heavy convert to the "beautiful game" in recent years and actually had my 65+ year old father flip the switch on his opinion of soccer. I have a little bit of a different opinion from THUNDERStruck that you don't really need to fully understand the game or watch-in-detail to embrace it. Soccer is 2/3 cultural and 1/3 the actually results on the field!

I played when I was younger, started following the US Men's and Women's National Team in all their competitions ever since the US hosted the '94 World Cup, and I pretty much understand the game. However, despite all that, for nearly 24 years I've tried to find a Premier League or English Football League club to follow or cheer on - but even after multiple times trying to pick a club and studying its roster and watching games, I'd rather quickly lose interest as I didn't have a personal connection to the club. For the British and much of Europe, cheering on a football club fills the same niche or void that cheering on a college football or basketball program team does for Americans - you usually have a connection to the team you cheer, whether you attended there, have family connections, or they represent your home geographic area. Clubs and teams have their own stories, chants, legends, ethos - again much like college programs.

I attended a few soccer games while I was in college, especially since Marshall won the MAC in 2000 and had a "star" at the time in Byron Carmichael. But the style was more direct and like most I really didn't pay much attention to the program until they became ranked in 2019. When I came back to watch them, they were much more possessive, looked more like international style soccer, and realized the quality was significantly improved. Once we won the double conference title that year and had a massive crowd in the NCAA tournament - I (as well as about a thousand other souls) were hooked.

I think the biggest enjoyment is recognizing the players, knowing the squad, seeing individual styles. For example, Milo Yosef has a unique running gate and likes to cut back across the middle about 22 yards out. I think you can get to really know a squad in just a few games - take and learn one position group per game, watch them and see how they move and reaction. Next game, add the next positions group and follow them. Soccer is much more enjoyable when you know and can identify people. And even then, if you're into overanalyzing things, then simply enjoy the moments and keep it on as an event and don't watch every second of it - just tune in and causally stay aware of the games flow and enjoy your favorite food or beverage while causually coming along for the ride!

The last recommendation I have (as silly as it sounds) - watch "Ted Lasso" and "Welcome to Wrexham". Ted Lasso is one of the funnier series in recent years - and it's the story of the American not understanding "football" converting to the game! Welcome to Wrexham is then basically the real-life version Ted Lasso - and its actually had a profound effect on me. The series has done a great job of introducing the club's supporters, the club's story, their town, its players and staff - the lore and the chants - so much so that when I watched their FA Cup Preliminary Round game, I found what I had been looking for in searching for an "English" football club all these years - a football club I know, understand, and find some connection with. I'm now on about month 2 of following along all their games, getting up 7am on Saturdays to watch, etc.

If you don't want to, don't overstudy the game if it's not your cup of tea - just enjoy the opportunity to celebrate with your fellow fan in food, drink, or voice!

That is very fair Coach and you are correct. I really didn’t word it very well.