General Discussion

A bunch of big sweaty guys in great big pads pushing and shoving each other around while one throws a oointy object that sometimes gets caught? And why is it called "football" at all?

Soccer is, in part, a chess match on the field, but what most Americans don't get, and wouldn't unless they or their child played for many years, is that it is mainly a game of defense rather than offense, which is why the scores are few. My daughter was a defender for most of her career and my brother was a goalkeeper. I grew up in pre-Title IX days and suffered a severe ankle injury at 17 that was not properly treated, so sports for me were strictly spectator, but soccer is a game I grew to understand and love.