re: If you could change the game of soccer...?

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And I have no problems with the fact that teams often tie in league games because it works itself out. My problem is in World Cup matches, or other tournaments, where far too often tiebreakers come into play. And tiebreakers are obviously less fair than standard gameplay, or else they would BE standard gameplay.

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I can buy into this argument. The WC has a much smaller sample size, so the tie isn't as effective. There really isn't a fix though because of how much money these clubs invest in players. Clubs will be pissed if there is some sort of overtime in group play and an exted overtime in knockout play.

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A world cup this decade ended in a shootout. Arguably, the most prestigious sporting event in the world was decided with PKs. If that isn't enough to catalyze an amendment to the rules, I don't know what is.

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It's 1 game every 4 years. You can make arguments for changing the goal size, but this isn't a good one.

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field goals

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You still have to execute the play to get the points, though. It's not automatically given.

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Are you serious? They absolutely do. When you break the redzone and then turn the ball over, you have won field position. Compare that to having turned the ball over in your own redzone? Do you not see the reward in field position?

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And when a team in soccer continuously pushes the ball into the other team's defensive third, this is also field position. There is a reward to it, even if there are no points scored. Just like in american football. A turnover in your own defensive third puts you at a disadvantage. Just like in american football.

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But you aren't creating more data. You are just making more shots because the chances of scoring increase. Look at it this way. A crap team like Stoke will just launch balls from 20 yards out. Screw using technique and dribbling ability to get close to the goal. We're just going to get within cannon range and launch it. It would turn into a kickoff fest.

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Only if the goal was big enough? How are you so sure an extra foot would do that? It's not like that is beneficial for crap teams right now.

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Only if the goal was big enough? How are you so sure an extra foot would do that? It's not like that is beneficial for crap teams right now.

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Decreasing the need for accuracy would lead to longer firing range. It's inevitable.

Possession on an opponents side of the field is a huge indicator of whether or not you will win a soccer math. Just like a vast majority of goals in soccer come when the other team gives the ball away on their own side of the field. In fact, the book soccernomics goes into detail about how pk's don't really impact a game that much bc winning a pk is usually an indicator of having the ball in your opponents area alot and therefore it's usually deserved

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You are completely misapplying the law of averages. Anytime more data(goals) are counted, outliers and flukes have less effect.

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I'm not sure that this point is supported by basketball having just as many upsets as soccer? American football, where scoring is lower, has a lot less upsets than basketball.

Look at the top of the tables in soccer leagues. Does it really seem that the best teams are suffering all that much from tons of upset losses?

On another topic:
The 2006 WC final certainly wasn't lacking for drama. Pirlo and Totti's calm, tactical play was a thing of beauty in the same way that people celebrate SEC teams beating old WAC-style pass happy attacks with clock eating ground games and stifling defense.

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the book soccernomics goes into detail about how pk's don't really impact a game that much bc winning a pk is usually an indicator of having the ball in your opponents area alot and therefore it's usually deserved

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Well, the argument here is over shoot outs, not individual penalty kicks.

ETA: I'd also like to add that it is odd that we are arguing over data and law of averages when the lone argument is one game in thousands for a need to change things.

I think most of y'all are subconsciously inflating the effect of increasing the goal size. Remember that it's being proposed as a means to an end, and therefore if the new goal size is tested in exhibition play or some tournament and the amount of goals increases by too much or not enough, then it would be adjusted accordingly.

And I understand that there may not be an overwhelming desire to see more goals, but the idea of the thread wasn't to all post about how much we love all the rules of soccer as they are. It was to make suggestions. And I would bet that far more people would rather see more goals than fewer goals, so that implies that the goal scoring is less than ideal if we are talking about entertainment. In terms of fairness and quality indication I stand by my belief that with more goals comes more accurate results