World Cup Scoring Is Way Down - SI.com
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World Cup Scoring Is Way Down - SI.com
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JOHANNESBURG — I know, I know. We have only seen 14 of the 64 games that will be played at World Cup 2010, so it’s hard to come up with any definitive trends yet. But the paucity of scoring chances and goals is getting worrisome. Consider:
• Brazil’s 2-1 win over North Korea on Tuesday was the first game in which a losing team had scored a goal.
• There has yet to be a single player who has scored more than one goal.
• Only 23 total goals have been scored in the first 14 games of World Cup 2010, by far the lowest of any 32-team World Cup. Compare that to the first 14 games of World Cup 1998 (34 goals), 2002 (39) and 2006 (31).
The question is: Why? Here are some possible answers:
• The ball really is causing problems—but for the attackers, not the goalkeepers. Does anyone recall a goal scored on a bending direct free-kick in this tournament? Me neither. But I have seen a lot of usually deadly free-kick takers launch their attempts high over the bar. I’m starting to wonder if the Jabulani’s flight characteristics are proving a hindrance on free-kicks.
• The altitude in South Africa is preventing games from opening up. I have no idea if this is the case, but think about how differently the U.S. plays against Mexico in the high altitude of Mexico City than at the much-lower altitudes of, say, Columbus, Ohio. Less desire to run equals more compact defenses.
• The relative parity of this World Cup draw. Again, I’m just speculating here, but there is much less variation in the difficulty of the groups this time around. When France, one of the top unseeded teams, got drawn into Group A with host South Africa (the worst seeded team), it ensured that there really wouldn’t be a Group of Death this time around. Relatively even teams might mean fewer goals. What’s more, there don’t appear to be any truly terrible teams in this World Cup. Remember when Germany spanked Saudi Arabia 8-0 in 2002? I doubt we’ll see any scores like that in this tournament.
Then again, this low-scoring “trend” may turn out not to be one at all. No fewer than 50 games remain in this World Cup, and we have yet to see Spain (the tournament’s most entertaining team). For that matter, Wednesday’s game between Chile and Honduras, two of the most attack-minded teams around, could kickstart things in the right direction.
What do you think explains the low scoring?
JOHANNESBURG — I know, I know. We have only seen 14 of the 64 games that will be played at World Cup 2010, so it’s hard to come up with any definitive trends yet. But the paucity of scoring chances and goals is getting worrisome. Consider:
• Brazil’s 2-1 win over North Korea on Tuesday was the first game in which a losing team had scored a goal.
• There has yet to be a single player who has scored more than one goal.
• Only 23 total goals have been scored in the first 14 games of World Cup 2010, by far the lowest of any 32-team World Cup. Compare that to the first 14 games of World Cup 1998 (34 goals), 2002 (39) and 2006 (31).
The question is: Why? Here are some possible answers:
• The ball really is causing problems—but for the attackers, not the goalkeepers. Does anyone recall a goal scored on a bending direct free-kick in this tournament? Me neither. But I have seen a lot of usually deadly free-kick takers launch their attempts high over the bar. I’m starting to wonder if the Jabulani’s flight characteristics are proving a hindrance on free-kicks.
• The altitude in South Africa is preventing games from opening up. I have no idea if this is the case, but think about how differently the U.S. plays against Mexico in the high altitude of Mexico City than at the much-lower altitudes of, say, Columbus, Ohio. Less desire to run equals more compact defenses.
• The relative parity of this World Cup draw. Again, I’m just speculating here, but there is much less variation in the difficulty of the groups this time around. When France, one of the top unseeded teams, got drawn into Group A with host South Africa (the worst seeded team), it ensured that there really wouldn’t be a Group of Death this time around. Relatively even teams might mean fewer goals. What’s more, there don’t appear to be any truly terrible teams in this World Cup. Remember when Germany spanked Saudi Arabia 8-0 in 2002? I doubt we’ll see any scores like that in this tournament.
Then again, this low-scoring “trend” may turn out not to be one at all. No fewer than 50 games remain in this World Cup, and we have yet to see Spain (the tournament’s most entertaining team). For that matter, Wednesday’s game between Chile and Honduras, two of the most attack-minded teams around, could kickstart things in the right direction.
What do you think explains the low scoring?
Re: World Cup Scoring Is Way Down - SI.com
...this is only reason yanks hate soccer, low scoring, they want basket ball scores 
Re: World Cup Scoring Is Way Down - SI.com
meh, its been a boring WC so far.