Despite being in my 40s, I really didn't embrace soccer until last summer. Combination of my kids playing, the FIFA/Football Manager games, and last years European Cup led to me taking a plunge into the beautiful game. One thing I failed to understand in my casual viewing days, was the offsides rule. "Oh if they would just eliminate that offsides rule, what a better and more exciting game it would be," I wondered. I know when I looked at information, it was clear a rule like that would probably lead to a long ball game, but not necessarily more scoring. At any rate, I've come to appreciate the rule better and no longer want to see it eliminated from the game. I just don't necessarily understand it very well. I tend to like to see cause and effect or pinpoint the reason why something failed. When an offsides call happens, is it easy for you to determine who was at fault? I figure there are the following -- !) Over-exuberant line judge who actually called it in error. 2) A player that is in an offsides position and fails to come back. 3) A poorly timed run and/or pass. On the flip side, maybe a player SHOULD be offsides, but a defender off the ball fails to get forward. Are these fairly accurate representations? Are there more? How do you view or understand offsides? Is it something that most teams should avoid being called for? Thanks in advance!
Yes, those are the causes that lead to offside. There is also a situation where a defensive team sets up "offside traps" and then it's not easy for attacking players to avoid it, however, that is also risky for the defensive team if it's no executed well or the ref fails to signal offside. Is it easy to determine whose fault it is? Usually it is, you will sometimes see a lazy player just standing offside or slowly walking while his team has the ball. Other times a player will be trying to get back onside and receive the ball at the wrong moment, in that case it's mostly passers fault but you also have to consider what other options he had, if any. Of course teams should avoid being called offside but it is not something that is too costly. Yes, sometimes it can ruin a really great attack but then again you have players that are constantly on offside line or behind it by half a meter. Example is Filippo Inzaghi, I guess you haven't heard of him. He wasn't a great player but he had what's called "an eye for goal" (good movement and sense where to be) and was constantly in or around offside because he thought (and said once i think): I will get caught 2 times, maybe even 3 but 4th time I will score a goal and it will pay off. And it really did work like that most of the time. We now have a case of Real Madrid, for them, basically, offside rule doesn't even exist since last season (maybe even 2015-16), they have scored tons of goals that should be called offside (mostly C. Ronaldo) and they really shouldn't be bothered by it since they know they have protection.
You're welcome. Always great to see more people becoming football fans, especially in USA which is probably the only part of the world where it's a fringe sport. YNWA!
It is interesting. So many young people play it. It does seem to be growing. My oldest plays football and probably holds opinions about soccer that I used to. At any rate, it seemed like the #s for football players were down a little. Not sure that means more or soccer, but they need to figure out how to keep kids in it longer.
All this talk about concussions in american football could swey kids to play other sports. We'll se how much soccer will benefit from it and how much baseball and basketball will benefit. But the thing that could really help with soccer growth in the states Pulisic becoming world class player. That could be the one thing that will lead to surge in popularity.
USA isn't the only part of the world like that. Pakistan has 201,995,540 people according to a 2016 Wikipedia estimate. They're 200th in the FIFA Rankings, 1 spot ahead of Montserrat who has 4,900 people according to a 2012 Wikipedia estimate.
I wouldn't confuse how good a country in football with how popular it is but you are right that it's not very popular there. It's also not popular in Indonesia and some other countries but in large majority it's the most popular sport or at least top 2.