I was at the DC v Dallas match tonight. There was a play late in the first half where DC United had possession deep in the Dallas end out on the wing. Two Dallas players had collided shortly before and there appeared to be a head injury so the referee stopped the match appropriately. But it got me to thinking on the restart that the contested drop ball seems to have been eliminated from the game, at least at the pro level. And I am not sure why. Dallas took the uncontested drop ball and booted the ball all the way to DC's goalkeeper. So DC got possession back but instead of being 30 yards from the goal they were, it was 100 yards from the goal. I know this sportsmanship tradition thing has come up and evolved over the last many years. But if I was the team in possession so close to the goal, I'm not sure how happy I would be to not have the chance to win the ball where I was when play was stopped instead of getting the ball played all the way to my 'keeper. It seems we are on an irreversible course though.
I'll tell you exactly why they're being phased out: because they suck. You have two players kicking directly at each other, 2 steps apart, which is just begging for a kick to the shin on the follow through. You have a referee who is in great position to get a ball booted right into his face. And you have about a 75% chance that somebody is going to kick the ball before it hits the ground, and you have to either ignore the rules or do the whole show again.
Good riddance. Contested drop balls are the absolute worst. Just send it to one of the keepers and have them punt it to the center of the field.
Serious question: when were they alive at the professional level? I think the last one I remember was in the infamous Netherlands v Portugal WC 06 match (yes, I know there must have been some since then, but that's truly the last I can recall in a high-profile match). And even that one was out of character and due entirely to the nature of that match. So, when were contested DBs still in vogue, so to speak, at the professional level? My knowledge starts around WC90, and I think we have to go back to a date before then.
I say we mount a ball cannon at half field that oscillates incredibly fast. All "drop balls" are returned to play via that cannon.
No. We can keep the dropped ball. Put a ramp off to the side at midfield. You drop the ball into an opening at the top, and it rolls out and drops onto the field right at the half line. The teams take turns doing the drops, but no spin on the ball is allowed. This could also replace the kickoff.
OK, but surely there must be a better way than the current situation. When one team has clear possession why not just give them an IFK?
Not saying you're wrong but the uncontested DB also suck. The idea that it is "sporting" to return possession 50+ yards further back than where it was is ridiculous tbh, if you want it done fair then let the team that actually had possession take the uncontested DB. That's one possible solution. One other that I've heard (and championed) is that play re-starts with the ball in the hands of the GK of the team that had possession. It doesn't fix all issues with the current DBs but it is easy enough to organize and prepare and stops all the "he's doing it wrong" bust-ups that people gets so worked up about.
No, they don't. The NFHS approach can lead to other unintended and unwanted consequences. I posted about it here.
I always see a few of the contested drop balls in the Premier League per season so I'm not sure it's totally dead. There aren't many, but IIRC I remember seeing one this season at an Arsenal game, so sometimes they do happen.
Because the Ifk in the attacking third can create a scoring opportunity that didn't exist when play essay stopped.
I understand the "sporting" aspect, but "more fair" seems to be an uncontested dropped ball, but the team who had possession is the one taking it, if you want to enforce it being not an attacking chance like an IFK, put a defender a few steps away to "encourage" a non-attack restart.
I got a yellow once for refusing to back off a drop ball. Only card I ever got. ( in fairness, they had just been implemented) Had it overturned.
Its not even in the attacking third. Pretty much in the attacking 2/3, they throw numbers forward, launch a free kick as far into the opposing field as they can. Force the defense to hold the line, or trap, and then run people through. Its probably one of my least favorite parts of the NCAA game. I can deal with it in HS, because they aren't skilled enough to capitalize, but they way that plays out in NCAA is just manifestly unfair.
I think most of us can agree that NFHS rules go too far in this regard since a potential set piece is an unfair reward for an injured player. But the NCAA rule where it's only an IFK if goalkeeper has possession is certainly a start. I was once told by a very experienced referee to avoid dropped balls in the attacking third at all costs. This rule at least gives the referee the flexibility to stop play once an attack ends with keeper possession rather than risk a contested dropped ball in the penalty area.
The NCAA rule actually calls for a drop ball even with the keeper in possession in his own goal area if the stoppage was due to injury caused by a foul by him or his team. It is only an IFK if there was no foul or the foul was committed by the attacking team. Where is the flexibility? The rule on stoppage for injury says: I once saw a FIFA white badge apply this rule by just whistling a restart ( no drop ball. The ref never took the ball from the keeper) and the keeper walked to the top of the penalty area and punted. A foul that caused the stoppage for injury was committed by the keeper's team ( advantage signaled) Oddest restart I ever saw.