A Sport To Sink Your Teeth Into

I've never really watched soccer before. I kinda sorta like it.  It is like hockey only there's no ice, no puck, no pads, no fights, and they play in much warmer temps.  It is like hockey in slow motion. 

So I guess maybe it really isn't like hockey after all.

Regardless I found myself watching a couple of games in the last week.  I'm probably most amazed at the handling of the ball with the feet and how accurate and well-timed the passes are.  I was also impressed with the players' ability to resist putting their hands up when a ball flies at them.  I know, unless you are the goalkeeper touching the ball with your hands is a no-no. I would struggle with that.  Self-preservation would have me raising my hands to protect myself constantly. 

The similarity to hockey (although apparently not as similar as I thought) is what kept me interested enough to watch the US team play on Sunday.  

It was a good game.  I don't completely get the clock.  A game is 90 minutes but apparently the refs (I think that is what they are called in soccer) add in time that is "wasted" (my wording, not theirs), so I was never really sure how close it was to the end of the game.  Even the announcers seemed to guess at how much time was left to play.  That's a little too vague for me.  I like seeing that clock ticking down and knowing exactly how much time is left to make that last minute play that could win the game. And actually, in soccer the clock counts up.  That was a bit unusual for me.  

I admit that hockey fans can be fanatics.  As in every sport you have people who go to the games because they don't have much else going on, people who really really like the game, and people who live for and through the game.  This last group is likely the ones sporting the wacky wig, the face paint, the "we're #1 finger" (we've all seen them). This group roots on their team with every ounce of passion in their being.  They rejoice with their team at every win, as if they were there on the ice with them, and they leave the arena dejected at a loss.  

I discovered soccer fans are pretty similar.  One U.S. fan dresses up as Teddy Roosevelt.  He told why, but obviously it wasn't enough to grab my attention as I don't remember his answer.   I don't totally get that,  as Teddy Roosevelt and soccer aren't two things I think of in the same sentence, but I don't need to "get it".  While some of the fans are totally "out there", so is at least one player.  

Luis Suarez, a Uruguay soccer player in the World Cup, just got a hat trick.  No, he did not get 3 goals, but for the third time in his soccer career he bit an opponent.  This time the unfortunate player was a member of Italy's team. As one headline said, "If you can't beat em, eat em." 

Seriously, Luis, the rest of us learned as children that this was a no-no.

Even hockey players know you don't bite an opponent.

Fight yes, bite no.

I think I've had enough soccer for now.  It has only made me miss hockey more.  

Only 114 days until hockey season starts.

I have to go find my foam finger.