Anybody else notice a growing number of long throw ins this season? Seems like more and more teams are heaving it into the box every chance they get. Personally, from an aesthetics point of view, I think they suck and I'd be just fine and dandy if no MLS team ever did it again. On the other hand, they actually, like, work sometimes and lead directly to goals (some of them amazing, like Amerikwa's the other week), so I understand why a team might do it. Curious how other fans of the league see this growing trend. Your thoughts? Also -- I don't watch nearly enough international soccer to know whether this is a MLS thing, or if long throws are trending elsewhere. Anybody?
I see long throws in all leagues all the time. Anytime you can get the ball into the box, something good can happen.
Yeah, they're just as common in the Eredivisie as they are in MLS. And I speak as a fan of SKC, when we can have Besler throw the ball into the box from anywhere within the stadium. We've gotten, what, two or three goals off it this year? Pretty neat.
Teams are going to employ this tactic because it can be successful and lead to goals. Cant fault them for it. Honestly i wouldnt mind seeing the throw in done away with completely. Its pretty antiquated imo. The goalie doesnt have to throw the ball back into play from the 6 yard box and it isnt a throw in from the corner for the attacking team if the ball crosses the end line. Why should it be different if it crosses the side line?
I said this in an MLS PBP thread some time ago, but I'll say it again. Long throw-ins are the way of the future. I'm not even kidding, they are going to be a staple of many, many teams in years to come. Anyway, who wouldn't want a set piece from nearly any throw-in in the opponent's half. I have no reservations about it, they are a good thing.
Given Sheanon Williams' (aka the Trebu-Sheanon) long throw in skills, and the Union's recent penchant for actually scoring off of them, I'm biased when I say keep 'em coming.
If anything, I wish the Dynamo would do this, or at least a faster restart. I hate how someone will grab the ball, then wait, hand it off to another player, who then tosses it 5 feet to a guy has no where to go because he is marked tight because of the sloooooow restart.
I think you would see a lot of long free kicks into the box from much further out if the throw-in was replaced with a kick-in. At that point kick-ins instead of corners would become more of an offensive threat. I am fine with the throw-in as is, and kudos to those teams that develop strategies for long, short, and quick throws. This is a vital piece of the game and can be used to attack the goal if employed correctly.
I said this in another thread: They can be very effective, but there's something so "un-soccerish" about them they just kind of bug me. I particularly detest them when the team I'm rooting for gives up a goal on one. Downright pisses me off.
What I hate about throw-ins is when the guy throwing the ball in casually shuffles five steps or more upfield before throwing the ball in. It's amazing how much the ref will let them get away with on average. ------RM
Like many aspects of football, they work well for some teams and not for others, and teams who once used them have already discarded the tactic, and some still use it once in a while. Just a case of playing to your strengths and playing the percentages, and long throws won't be effective for everyone.
As a stoke supporter, who cares about aesthetics? There is no point in looking pretty if you lose every game. It's a results business and, if your team has a weapon to help get those results, such as a long throw, then you should bloody well use it.
Five steps? Don't you mean 10-15 yards? Most players will pick up the ball 5 yards up field. And then walk further as they are looking for the open player. I usually see the ref tell them to move back when it's a tight game or a playoff type game, but other than that it seems to be free game.
maybe you're team should learn to defend them better...? RSL historically sucks very bad on long throws - both sides of the ball - but that doesn't mean I should say "go away with that!". They're part of the game and will be for quite some time. Learn to deal with them
Defending set pieces? http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/2013/06/questions-defending-set-pieces-in-major-league-soccer.html
If you are advocating a "kick-in" can you imagine how much this would slow the game down? A throw in now that takes 2-10 seconds would become a 30 sec or much longer affair as the ref marches off 10 yards, sprays his line, delays play because Lenhart and some defender are pulling and tugging on each other.....it would be brutal.
Yep, long throw-ins are great - and tactically interesting in that as with corner kicks and goal kicks, the offside rule does not apply. I would like to see a bit less permissiveness in terms of how far up the field players are allowed to creep on a throw-in, however - as fun as it was to see that goal, there was definitely an uncredited assist from the ball kid who spotted Evans at least 5 yards on that throw-in.