Euro 2020

[Capt. Tuttle]

We just watched a penalty shoot out decide a continental championship.
Forgive me for saying "wouldn't it be interesting ..."

How is that different than when a NCAA championship game becomes a FT shooting contest (NC State over Houston, for example) or when a Super Bowl comes down to a FG as time expires?

 

[CanadianSU]

If sterling isn’t confident taking a pen why not sub him off before the 120’ lol

 

[CanadianSU]

I'd hate to see someone lose a World Cup.game because of a fluke goal with no goalie in the net.

That’s not really a legit solution... and quite frankly with all due respect a terrible idea.

however, perhaps there are other ways. Idk maybe going 10 v 10. 9 v 9 etc etc.

 

[IthacaMatt]

How is that different than when a NCAA championship game becomes a FT shooting contest (NC State over Houston, for example) or when a Super Bowl comes down to a FG as time expires?

Because they're not consecutive, like penalty kicks are.

Never mind. I was just making conversation, and everybody got their undies in a knot about it.

 

[jordville]

Yay Messi

Happy for Leo...

 

[jordville]

Finally got some hardware for Argentina.

Happy for him.

The old guard...

 

[jordville]

He had little impact in the game. Couldn't believe he fluffed his chance to seal it for Argentina with just a couple minutes left, 1 on 1 with the goal keeper.

Great player. No longer has to listen to that criticism that he never won a championship with his country, just like Cristiano Ronaldo got his with Portugal a few years ago in Euro 2016, and then again in the Euro Nations League in 2019.

Cool moment with his wife and son...

 

[jordville]

Speaking of penalties from the Euro and just in general...

I am still not a fan of all the hesitations some players take now. They end up over thinking it or faking themselves out.

As a former player and current coach, always best to place is low and hard into the side netting at least at the high school level. I always preferred upper 90 myself when playing as you generally need to as you go up levels. Keepers get better and better, especially with lower shots. Hips are key in your approach and shot as well.

Every year while coaching, there seems to be at least one high level player who you would think would be eager for a PK, but they sike themselves out or just don't want the pressure. As a former player who loved taking PKs it boggles my mind, so I've learned over the years they aren't for everyone (even some of the natural goal scorers). I tend to let my players pick who takes them in games and if we ever go to a shootout along with the order. Confidence is another key when taking a PK.

 

[Orangezoo]

Speaking of penalties from the Euro and just in general...

I am still not a fan of all the hesitations some players take now. They end up over thinking it or faking themselves out.

As a former player and current coach, always best to place is low and hard into the side netting at least at the high school level. I always preferred upper 90 myself when playing as you generally need to as you go up levels. Keepers get better and better, especially with lower shots. Hips are key in your approach and shot as well.

Every year while coaching, there seems to be at least one high level player who you would think would be eager for a PK, but they sike themselves out or just don't want the pressure. As a former player who loved taking PKs it boggles my mind, so I've learned over the years they aren't for everyone (even some of the natural goal scorers). I tend to let my players pick who takes them in games and if we ever go to a shootout along with the order. Confidence is another key when taking a PK.

Yeah personally I would be more in favor of the UCL approach for title games , at all levels to decide it with two legs and PKs only if that doesn't settle it.

 

[Alsacs]

Yeah personally I would be more in favor of the UCL approach for title games , at all levels to decide it with two legs and PKs only if that doesn't settle it.

Champions League Final is just a one off though.
Also UEFA is getting rid of the away goal rule. They are just going to play 2 legs and if the teams are tied after the regulation of the second leg they will play 30 minutes of extra time and/or penalties to decide it.

 

[Orangezoo]

Champions League Final is just a one off though.
Also UEFA is getting rid of the away goal rule. They are just going to play 2 legs and if the teams are tied after the regulation of the second leg they will play 30 minutes of extra time and/or penalties to decide it.

Yeah I know. I'm just alluding to a more football specific answer to some of the suggestions on here.

 

[Alsacs]

Yeah I know. I'm just alluding to a more football specific answer to some of the suggestions on here.

Yeah I get it.

I don’t like how some domestic cups force teams to replay their matches if they end in draws rather than just do PKs. The federations want the replays for the gates.

Soccer has a good system. Their is stuff to fix like diving and how cards are shown but overall the PK shootouts are accepted by fans as a fair resolution after 2 hours are played.

Changing how extra time would work would change the sport.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Okay, so very sporadic watcher, but were at a Dutch couple's house last night for dinner during the game and we all watched the ending and got to see the English fall apart.

I opined that elevated shots to either corner seem to be the best way to go against keepers at this level, and immediately after Harry Maguire put his in making me seem, at least to my wife, to be a sports genius. I'm wondering why they all don't attempt those. Guessing that if all PKs went that way, the goalies wouldn't dive to cover, but would attempt to stay on their feet. Also, someone guessed there may be less pace/speed on those kicks that would allow goalies to catch up, and finally, they appear to be more difficult to execute.

 

[Orangezoo]

Okay, so very sporadic watcher, but were at a Dutch couple's house last night for dinner during the game and we all watched the ending and got to see the English fall apart.

I opined that elevated shots to either corner seem to be the best way to go against keepers at this level, and immediately after Harry Maguire put his in making me seem, at least to my wife, to be a sports genius. I'm wondering why they all don't attempt those. Guessing that if all PKs went that way, the goalies wouldn't dive to cover, but would attempt to stay on their feet. Also, someone guessed there may be less pace/speed on those kicks that would allow goalies to catch up, and finally, they appear to be more difficult to execute.

Yeah it's much more difficult to hit those with accuracy and with the run-up factor. It's easier to put it top corner from the top of the box than from the spot. That said to be an elite PK taker it's the best skill to master outside of being able to fool the keeper with your hips. I see more of the latter attempted given the challenge of going top corner.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Just a friendly reminder for fellow football fans that Euro 2020 gets really rolling starting tomorrow. Italy/Turkey was today.

9MM viewers for the final between ESPN and Spanish-language TV.

That matches the viewership for the NBA finals on ABC in primetime.

This country has come a long, long way since the 1982 World Cup final, which was the first live broadcast of a World Cup game on American television (complete with commercials - fortunately, there were no goals scored during the commercial breaks).

The Euros, on the other hand, were first aired only in 2008.

When I tell my son that, when I returned from Europe in the late seventies, that none of my friends knew what the World Cup was, what the Euros were, what Copa America was, what Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga, the Football league, the Cup of Champions, the Cup Winners Cup or the UEFA cup were and that the only soccer on TV was a highlights show on PBS called "Soccer Made in Germany" or the occasional Cosmos game, he just shakes his head.

 

[kirbivore]

It didn't help for United States interest in the sport that the national team had a 40 yr. world cup drought. (1950 - 1990).