I know practically nothing about soccer. I know what it is, I've watched my nephews play (usually under the age of 10, which seem like an important detail), and I have played a lot of chair soccer, but chair soccer is hardly the same thing.
I do know that two teams are trying to get the ball into their goal, which obviously is blocked by a goalie. They also are trying not to kick the ball out of bounds and you can't touch it with your hands, but heads are okay. And there are yellow and red cards, but don't ask me what gets you one. And fouls, and positions (but I don't know what they are other than goalie), and lots of running. LOTS.
So, with that being said, I went to a friend's to watch the Argentina vs. Switzerland game. It was a grand old time, especially because there were a lot of Latinos there, so an authentic soccer experience. And, I was very proud of myself because even though I know very little about soccer, there were things I did pick up on, just based on my basic understanding of other sports.
First, and most important, the stereotype of soccer players as drama queens when it comes to injuries? True. 100%. Every few minutes, someone would be rolling on the ground like their leg was broken or tendons torn or muscles disintegrating. And as soon as the ref noticed, they hopped up and ran off fit as can be. I'm pretty sure there is at least one half hour session each week to practice their injury acting. And yes, I know this happens in other sports, but it happens so much more in soccer. Probably because the opportunity to get kicked in the shins is second only to the actual sport of shin-kicking.*
Second, as in other sports, they do try to run down the clock. In soccer, this seems like a high-risk strategy given what a low-scoring game soccer is to begin with, but someone did confirm that they were trying to run down the clock. It makes sense if you are ahead, but this was during the tied portion of the game, so, yeah, it seemed counterproductive. But, I am not an expert, so what do I know?
Third, Switzerland had a really good defense. If I remember, for at least a chunk of the first half of the game, Switzerland had the ball more, and had a lot more attempts at goals. Then Argentina managed to dominate and have possession of the ball most of the time, but there was just a solid wall of red jerseys and they couldn't get close to the goal. So, lots of time kicking the ball to each other, but hardly any goal attempts. It made me think of playing games with my nephews. There's one where you win by getting the most points. And there are 2 dragon cards that are worth a lot of points. They spent the whole game preparing to capture the dragon cards and ended up losing, because they forgot that the goal was points, not dragons, so I'd snatch up all the lower point cards and just rack up the points.** They'd do the same thing in other games.
At times, it really did feel like Argentina had forgotten that the way to win the game is to score, not have the ball the most. But really, it speaks to how strong Switzerland's defense was.
And, finally, fourth: The referees are definitely not given enough credit. Not only do the run just as much as the players, which is a LOT, they have to keep track of everything and everyone on the field. All while putting up with soccer drama. They are definitely athletes.
Anyway, Argentina did manage to pull off a few good minutes in one of the overtimes and scored twice, winning 3-1. And good for them. But also, the Swiss were a tough team. At least to this inexperienced (and also unbiased) eye.
*Yes, this is a thing.
**They've mostly figured it out now, though.
