The penalty shootout is about as polarizing as fantasy sports between significant others.Some think it's the most exciting event in all of sports. Others think you might as well flip a coin.
I think it's time to settle it right now. Tears will be shed.
Arguments: PRO SHOOTOUT- The stakes are at their highest.
- You aren't running the players for a potentially infinite amount of time.
- Provides automatic, instant excitement to a sport that doesn't always have it.
- Brandi Chastain (right).
- You find out who's calm, who's clutch and who's gonna step up.
- It's epic. 'Nuff said.
Arguments: ANTI SHOOTOUT- Not a reflection of the better team.
- Unsatisfying. Golden Goal (a.k.a. sudden death)? Way better...
- The point of the game is scoring goals. Let 'em score one then.
- You're gonna let the 'keeper decide the game?
- Changes strategy -- some teams start to play for the tie to get to a shootout.
- They can go on forever!
So lemme hear it...
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13 comments:
I like 'em.
Teams have about 90+ minutes of regulation to score a deciding goal, and in many competitions (Asian Cup et al) there's extra time BEFORE we get to penalties. You can't just play ad infinitum.
Exciting...
As a player and coach, I hate them.
As a spectator, they are very exciting. However, I would rather see a team score an actual goal.
But, without a shootout, a game could last a very, very long time.
Can you tell I'm on the fence?
I would like to see FIFA allow an additional substitution (beyond the three) for each extra time period. Then go to a shootout after that.
I could not imagine soccer being like hockey and having a game go 5 or 6 overtimes.
Can't stand em... go to golden goal and let them play. The stronger, fitter team and the team that really wants it will win.
It's the equivalent deciding a football game or baseball game by having the quarterback/pitcher thrown a ball through a tire. It puts too much of the outcome into one player's hands and the result doesn't in any way reflect the effort of the team.
Way better than a bowl off.
I would prefer to see the extra time (20 or 30 minutes after regulation) be played with less than 11 players. My men's league has 9 v 9 for the extra time, and there is rarely a shootout. The extra space creates a lot of 3 v 2, and the game is at least decided on the pitch. Otherwise, it is like ending a baseball tie via home run derby.
As long as they're not called "PKs," I'm all for them. It doesn't make sense to run players to death and expect goals to result.
I'd like to see replays. Remember those?
Here's my crazy compromise:
have each team take two PK's (sorry Amanda) at the end of 90 minutes, then play 15 minutes of extra time.
Repeat as necessary.
If a team fails to convert one (or both) of their PK's they'll have 15 minutes to get back to level (or go ahead). Sure, the team with the goal lead going into the extra time will probably put 11 men behind the ball, but at least they'll have to defend like crazy while the other team throws everything at them.
Much better than watching two teams going through the motions for 30 minutes of extra time just to get to the shootout.
I thought that the Golden Goal getting cut from the rules was quite stupid. I think they should replay matches like they do in England.
As a goalie that was rather good at stopping them, I was all for shootouts. Of course, I was fairly mediocre otherwise, but there's something nice about giving your defense the greenlight to mangle people inside the box.
In the early 90s, one of the London papers (Times?) ran an April Fools article about MIT engineers coming up with an alternative solution: a goal that, in overtime, slowly expands from normal size until it eventually covers the entire endline.
That's brilliant. Not feasible, but an approximation is: after x minutes of overtime, put out new goals the size of the penalty box.
nice post. enjoy the site.
i have a blod as well, i'll be happy to link you.
sneakysports.blogspot.com
As a player and spectator, I really enjoy the penalty shootout. I played baseball as well so it may be easier for me to apreciate the one on one showdown between taker and goalie (like the showdown between batter and pitcher) than some other people.
I just love the intense pressure and the idea of a hero in an otherwise very team oriented game.
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