Soccer Made Simple

One of the biggest questions I get about soccer is how time works in the sport. In short, time is a relative concept, and referees really like to experiment with the properties of time itself. But we don't need to get into the metaphysical aspects of time, because that would be silly. The true short answer is that matches are 90 minutes long with discretionary additions based on circumstances that happen during a match. 

Aside from some riveting metaphysical discussions, we're also talking about what's happening around the world in soccer.

What if I told you soccer fans get a year of madness and not just in March? College basketball just wrapped up a wild and unpredictable March Madness tournament, with Baylor taking the crown this year. But this week I'm talking about a different kind of tournament. The UEFA Champions League is the annual tournament among the heavyweights of European soccer. While comic book nerds argue about whether Batman could beat up Superman, soccer nerds get the real battles between the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and more.

Thank you for listening! Be well and watch more soccer.

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Also covered in this episode:

This week on the Soccer Made Simple Podcast, we take a brief break to check on what's happening with international competitions. While my attention focuses on club competitions, the international games bring a new kind of flavor to the sport. Like March Madness in college basketball, each international tournament brings its own kind of madness for people who follow their national teams.

So how was your year? It's been roughly a year since I last made one of these episodes. Much has happened between moving home, starting a new career, plus balancing life and relationships. And all of these wild curveballs happened in the midst of a global pandemic.

So along with this newsletter is the resuming of the Soccer Made Simple podcast. In this week's episode I cover much of how 2020 affected soccer leagues and the greater sports world. I'll give you some insight from a competition and business standpoint.

2021 is much more of the same as spectators are largely forced to stay home. However, teams have shown some interesting trends in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been interesting.

As I always say, be well and watch more soccer.

Daniel

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In all my years of helping people understand the beautiful game of soccer, the number one question I get is, "How does the offside rule work?" It's a mystifying rule that escapes the understanding of casual onlookers, but it's an easier rule to understand than they think. So this week I will give you a brief explanation about how the rule works, how the players exploit the rule to their benefit and the general strategy that goes into playing offense and defense. 

But this week's episode is more than a lesson on the value of the offside rule. I will take you to Germany where there is some unrest brewing in the Bundesliga. Thanks to a 50+1 rule, most teams are run and owned by the fans who have the majority say in how the clubs are run. However, a billionaire has skirted the rule and has helped bring a team from the lower to the top flight of German soccer. Also happening in the news but closer to home is the wonderful start to the #SheBelieves Cup competition for the US Women's National Team. The Yankees pulled off an impressive win against England and I'll tell you all about it.

The next match for the USWNT is against Spain and they'll kick-off is slated for Sunday, March 8 at 4:00 PM CST on ESPN. 

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