Ping: Soccer/Futbol Fans

JWay · 06-18-2010, 12:12 PM

I'm hooked. 2006 World Cup planted the seed, I watch some MLS games on TV, this world cup has me certain that I can could care less about the NFL, and behind baseball, soccer is my new #2.

How do I get into it? I need some sort of primer on how things work. I have some idea, but what's the best way to ease into becoming a fan? Thanks for the tips, links, blogs, comments, and etc!

ukhotstove · 06-18-2010, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWay

I'm hooked. 2006 World Cup planted the seed, I watch some MLS games on TV, this world cup has me certain that I can could care less about the NFL, and behind baseball, soccer is my new #2.

How do I get into it? I need some sort of primer on how things work. I have some idea, but what's the best way to ease into becoming a fan? Thanks for the tips, links, blogs, comments, and etc!

Post and read in the World Cup thread and do the same in the thread that's usually started up a few weeks before the start of the European season, in fact why not start the thread yourself say when the World Cup finishes with a title like World Football/Soccer 2010/11.

Also one of the best ways is to follow a team or teams, why not pick a team from all the big leagues or leagues that you can watch or are interested in. We may seem idiots at time on the football threads

but if you ask for any help there's always someone to answer your questions.

JWay · 06-18-2010, 01:24 PM

Well I guess I know the MLS is pretty far behind the rest of the world, but how far behind? Is it typical to follow teams in MLS and the Premier? To you follow teams or your countrymen?

Is there like a page for soccer for dummies? I got some of the terms, but I have no idea what goes on in basic strategy, I try to follow it while watching, but I find myself following the ball more often than not.

JWay · 06-18-2010, 01:29 PM

Especially roster moves, seems like players play for more than one team, etc. How does that all work? I'm sure its way over most people's head, but is there a general explination?

ukhotstove · 06-18-2010, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWay

Especially roster moves, seems like players play for more than one team, etc. How does that all work? I'm sure its way over most people's head, but is there a general explination?

Unlike American sports they don't trade they buy or sell, you may get the odd transfer were players are exchanged but most transfers (trades) are a straight swap of a player for money.

ukhotstove · 06-18-2010, 01:41 PM

This site as a few terms that may help you.

Football Terminology

ukhotstove · 06-18-2010, 01:44 PM

This will help you as well.

Association football - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cooleyvol · 06-18-2010, 02:05 PM

If you start following the Prem, you'll be through with MLS. Even during the offseason (2 months), the Prem is active with buying and selling of players.

Its totally consumed me for the past three seasons.

Ragnar · 06-18-2010, 03:32 PM

Any good soccer games for the PC that you don't have to actually control a player?

No text sims please. IMO baseball is the only game that I enjoy as a text sim.

CBL-Commish · 06-18-2010, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWay

Well I guess I know the MLS is pretty far behind the rest of the world, but how far behind? Is it typical to follow teams in MLS and the Premier? To you follow teams or your countrymen?

I've been a DC United season ticket holder for about 10 years, and I'd say MLS is roughly the equivalent of the Championship or maybe League 1 in the UK. At their very best, their MLS champsionship squads, I'm pretty confident DC United could have competed with the bottom feeders in the Premier League. But their current team would be battling relegation in the Championship.

I'd say it's common to root for several teams, for various reasons. I've always been a DC United fan, but I also root for:

1) Fulham, because quite a few Americans have been there recently
2) Dagenham and Redbridge in League 2, because I ran them in Championship Manager, and I've seen them live while in London
3) 1860 Munich in the 2nd Bundesliga, because I liked their away jersey from 2000, and I've been to a match at the Olympiastadion
4) Kilmarnock in the SPL, for no good reason

I also used to root for Blackburn when Brad Friedel was there, along with former DC captain Ryan Nelsen.

And it's also standard practice to 100% root for your country, even if the soccer equivalent of Derek Jeter or Barry Bonds plays for you. I can't stand Landon Donovan unless he's in US colors.

CBL-Commish · 06-18-2010, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWay

Especially roster moves, seems like players play for more than one team, etc. How does that all work? I'm sure its way over most people's head, but is there a general explination?

Players are almost always released for national team duty by their clubs, so if you're one of the best from your home country you'll play for the national team and your club team.

There are also loan agreements in soccer. Sometimes a guy who's not getting regular playing time with one club will be loaned for a specific period to another team, often (but not always) in a lower league or foreign league. MLS will often loan good players to European clubs during the North American offseason (winter). Landon Donovan recently completed a loan of several months to Everton. David Beckham convinced the LA Galaxy to loan him to AC Milan and then hurt himself. DC's Ben Olson had aspirations to play in Europe 6-8 years ago, was loaned to Sheffield Wednesday, blew up his ankle and was never the same.

damientheomen3 · 06-18-2010, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Any good soccer games for the PC that you don't have to actually control a player?

No text sims please. IMO baseball is the only game that I enjoy as a text sim.

football manager 2010 is amazing, bought it last week. You go through all the ins and outs of managing a team as if an actual manager would, it's a terrific game. They had a 65% off sale for the world cup, but I think that's over now.

The main way I got immersed into soccer is that I picked a favorite team in the EPL (Arsenal) and started following the Polish league, seeing as how I'm Polish.

mlyons · 06-18-2010, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Any good soccer games for the PC that you don't have to actually control a player?

No text sims please. IMO baseball is the only game that I enjoy as a text sim.

Football Manager is exactly what you want.

Ragnar · 06-18-2010, 04:42 PM

Thanks, you are too kind.

I was looking through the games on the net a few days ago, but I'd rather go by people's opinion as opposed to just reading about them. Thanks again.

1P4P · 06-19-2010, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlyons

Football Manager is exactly what you want.

Good game

Jordan · 06-19-2010, 10:42 PM

Football Manager is a fantastic game. SI has a gem with that one until the end of time.

Threads like these make me giddy. I love soccer neophytes because it reminds me of a few years ago when I got back into soccer after playing it in my youth-early teenage years.

Immersion is the best strategy. Read as many things about as many different parts of soccer as you can. After a while, things will start to take. Congrats JWay

stevebydac · 06-20-2010, 03:28 AM

I'm no expert, not even close. There are still a lot of nuances I don't really understand. But I actually learned a lot about the sport by reading the London Times online coverage of the Premier League and the rest of Europe. But just this week they're starting to make you pay to read it.

Great paper, one of the best in the world, but I'm not going to pay (I have too many other bills). I'll have to switch to another Euro paper to get my fix. I highly recommend doing the same - you learn a lot about the world's better players and teams that way.

stevebydac · 06-20-2010, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlyons

Football Manager is exactly what you want.

Can you answer this? I love OOTP, particularly the management aspect of trades and free agent negotiations, more so than the game action. I sim most games on OOTP until the playoffs. Is FM the best PC soccer game at those aspects, or is another game better? (I'm not quite sure if that was Ragnar's exact meaning before).

Thanks.

mlyons · 06-20-2010, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevebydac

Can you answer this? I love OOTP, particularly the management aspect of trades and free agent negotiations, more so than the game action. I sim most games on OOTP until the playoffs. Is FM the best PC soccer game at those aspects, or is another game better? (I'm not quite sure if that was Ragnar's exact meaning before).

Thanks.

FM is absolutely the best game out there for the management aspect. That's really its strength.

LFC1892 · 06-20-2010, 08:17 AM

You could try FIFA 10......hahahahahahaha - kidding. Yes, nothing compares to Football Manager for depth and sim enjoyability when it comes to Football.

06-18-2010, 12:12 PM	#1
JWay Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 5,031	Ping: Soccer/Futbol Fans I'm hooked. 2006 World Cup planted the seed, I watch some MLS games on TV, this world cup has me certain that I can could care less about the NFL, and behind baseball, soccer is my new #2. How do I get into it? I need some sort of primer on how things work. I have some idea, but what's the best way to ease into becoming a fan? Thanks for the tips, links, blogs, comments, and etc!

06-18-2010, 01:41 PM	#6
ukhotstove Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: North of England Gods Country Posts: 7,175	This site as a few terms that may help you. Football Terminology __________________ Detroit Diesel Dynasty San Antonio Calzones of Laredo Dynasty

06-18-2010, 01:44 PM	#7
ukhotstove Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: North of England Gods Country Posts: 7,175	This will help you as well. Association football - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia __________________ Detroit Diesel Dynasty San Antonio Calzones of Laredo Dynasty

06-20-2010, 03:28 AM	#17
stevebydac All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: In a fictional baseball world Posts: 843	I'm no expert, not even close. There are still a lot of nuances I don't really understand. But I actually learned a lot about the sport by reading the London Times online coverage of the Premier League and the rest of Europe. But just this week they're starting to make you pay to read it. Great paper, one of the best in the world, but I'm not going to pay (I have too many other bills). I'll have to switch to another Euro paper to get my fix. I highly recommend doing the same - you learn a lot about the world's better players and teams that way. __________________

06-18-2010, 01:24 PM	#3
JWay Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 5,031	Well I guess I know the MLS is pretty far behind the rest of the world, but how far behind? Is it typical to follow teams in MLS and the Premier? To you follow teams or your countrymen? Is there like a page for soccer for dummies? I got some of the terms, but I have no idea what goes on in basic strategy, I try to follow it while watching, but I find myself following the ball more often than not.

06-18-2010, 01:29 PM	#4
JWay Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 5,031	Especially roster moves, seems like players play for more than one team, etc. How does that all work? I'm sure its way over most people's head, but is there a general explination?

06-18-2010, 02:05 PM	#8
Cooleyvol Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Union City, TN Posts: 6,383	If you start following the Prem, you'll be through with MLS. Even during the offseason (2 months), the Prem is active with buying and selling of players. Its totally consumed me for the past three seasons.

06-18-2010, 03:32 PM	#9
Ragnar Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 3,583	Any good soccer games for the PC that you don't have to actually control a player? No text sims please. IMO baseball is the only game that I enjoy as a text sim.

06-18-2010, 04:42 PM	#14
Ragnar Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 3,583	Thanks, you are too kind. I was looking through the games on the net a few days ago, but I'd rather go by people's opinion as opposed to just reading about them. Thanks again.

06-19-2010, 10:42 PM	#16
Jordan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Chi Suburbs now... Posts: 2,022	Football Manager is a fantastic game. SI has a gem with that one until the end of time. Threads like these make me giddy. I love soccer neophytes because it reminds me of a few years ago when I got back into soccer after playing it in my youth-early teenage years. Immersion is the best strategy. Read as many things about as many different parts of soccer as you can. After a while, things will start to take. Congrats JWay

06-20-2010, 08:17 AM	#20
LFC1892 All Star Reserve Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Global Posts: 963	You could try FIFA 10......hahahahahahaha - kidding. Yes, nothing compares to Football Manager for depth and sim enjoyability when it comes to Football.