Hockey season is over and football season does not start for another 2 months, so I have had to find other sports to watch. With the World Cup of Soccer going on right now I have watched some of the tournament and have found myself enjoying it. Although I am not a true passionate fan of the sport, the World Cup has been entertaining. One thing about the sport is really beginning to bug me though; there are way too many ties in soccer. To this point there have been 22 ties in 40 games. That’s over half the games ending tied, and in my opinion way too many. So I have a few suggestions, well one mainly to help get some more scoring that will lead to fewer ties that everyone hates.
Can the sport please get rid of the offside rule? It is a stupid rule that serves no purpose that I can see, except slowing the game down. Soccer games are extremely low scoring with very few shots on goal, and I think a lot of that has to do with the offside rule. Without it the game would be more wide open and much more exciting for both the players and fans.
Soccer’s offside rule reminds me a lot of the old two-line pass rule that was used in hockey for a long time. It slowed the game down a ton and as a result the game suffered with low scoring games like we see today in soccer. Now granted there were other things affecting the game of hockey that contributed to the low scoring, but since it was taken out of the game 5 years ago, hockey has flourished with more excitement and more scoring in the game. The kings of soccer need to learn from hockey and get rid of the offside rule. If they do that the game will be much better to watch and attract many new fans.
I’m always curious to hear what others have to say. I would especially like to hear from any true soccer fans that happen to read this. Maybe you can explain to me why it is needed in the game.
Bryan – Analyst
67C: A Northwest Sports Blog 
Offside has always been controversial in soccer, particularly for those playing it. It is the only true power that the defense has against the other team. Speaking as a defensive player/goalie, we love the offside rule because it evens the odds a little bit, so nobody can go two-on-one with the goalie. One-on-one with the goalie is stressful enough, but at least it’s a fair fight. Offside makes sure that there are no uneven match-ups at the last line of defense. It’s like the 3 in the key rule in basketball. It just keeps people honest and discourages cherry-picking.
Speaking as an offensive player, the offside rule is a challenge, but not an unbeatable one. Teams who can beat it are much more skilled than teams who would just send the ball long to a guy waiting behind the defense. Without the offside rule, we would just be watching a game of launch it to the forward. Soccer would turn into a game of field-length kickball, and nobody wants to watch that.
Soccer, as a spectator sport, isn’t so much focused on the scoring as how well players can maneuver the ball. The teams who are very good at it tend to be the ones taking all the shots. That’s why the offside rule is a necessary part of the game. It forces players to have more finesse. Creativity is what makes the game fun to watch.