How much do you know about your local professional soccer team?

[Kimkimba]

All I know is their stadium is in the second worst city in Pennsylvania. And every time we cross the bridge to Jersey, my dh says we should go see a soccer game.

 

[RedAngie]

I’m aware of the Philadelphia Union and know they play in a riverfront stadium in Chester, PA, practically under the Commodore Barry Bridge. I’ve never been there.

In the 70s there was the Atoms of the NASL who played in the Phillies/Eagles Veterans Stadium. I attended a handful of games. That league eventually folded; probably one of the causes was expanding to too many teams too quickly. Pele, who I think was an older semi-retired Brazilian superstar, played in the NASL to give it some credibility.

Then there was an indoor team (The Fury?) who played in the Flyers/76ers arena The Spectrum. I don’t think that team lasted very long.

 

[Buzz Rules]

All I know is their stadium is in the second worst city in Pennsylvania. And every time we cross the bridge to Jersey, my dh says we should go see a soccer game.

Second worst?? The videos I posted above on the previous pages showed how the soccer community helped the people who live in Chester. I think the stadium looks nice. You may enjoy a Philadelphia Union game. They actually win games for Philadelphia (just joking as an NY sports teams fan).

 

[Buzz Rules]

Yes we’re going to the DC game.

The game will be on ESPN so you may get on tv.

 

[amylevan]

Second worst?? The videos I posted above on the previous pages showed how the soccer community helped the people who live in Chester. I think the stadium looks nice. You may enjoy a Philadelphia Union game. They actually win games for Philadelphia (just joking as an NY sports teams fan).

My DH went to Widener, which is in Chester. It was never my favorite place to visit, but the area right around the stadium just looks…empty.

But as a die hard NY Giants fan and the daughter of a huge Mets fans, this is the only Philly team I can step into the stadium and cheer for the home team.

The game will be on ESPN so you may get on tv.

I’ll wave. And hopefully not look lost. I feel like I only now understand offsides.

 

[Buzz Rules]

My DH went to Widener, which is in Chester. It was never my favorite place to visit, but the area right around the stadium just looks…empty.

But as a die hard NY Giants fan and the daughter of a huge Mets fans, this is the only Philly team I can step into the stadium and cheer for the home team.


I’ll wave. And hopefully not look lost. I feel like I only now understand offsides.

soccer rules 101:
Two 45 minute halves with a 15 minute halftime. Stoppage time (extra time) in each half is determined by how long play has been stopped due to injuries or fouls. The time allotted is rounded to the nearest minute. When a player is offside, the sideline referee will blow a whistle and raise his flag arm forward. If a foul is seen, the whistle will be blown and the sideline referee will raise the flag straight up. If the referee holds the flag over his head sideways, it means a player is being substituted. Each team in an official match is allowed up to 5 substitutions in three windows of opportunity under the new post Covid rules (originally it was 3 subs at anytime). You won’t need to closely watch about offsides anymore since Video Assistant Review has pretty much made it a non issue in a game when it occurs and therefore less confusing. If VAR is being further reviewed for a specific purpose, the pitch referee will make a square TV signal. There are 11 players for each teams during play on the pitch. A basic format looks like this (4-4-2):

Forward Forward

Left Winger Right Winger

Center Mid Center Mid

Left Back. CB. CB. Right Back

Goalkeeper

Free kicks are awarded after a foul is committed and and opposing players have to stand at least 10 feet away from where the free kick is awarded (where the white shaving cream is sprayed). This is why a “wall” of players are lined up trying to block the goal and others trying to run past it to score. One more thing, hand ball. Hand ball is when the ball in play hits any player on the forearm to any part of the hand. Penalties and free kicks are the most likely outcome, along with possible yellow or red cards could issued if the situation warrants it. It’s up to the referee to see if the player’s body/forearm/hand was in a natural or unnatural position that gave him an advantage during a play. Lastly, if two yellow cards are issued to a player, he is automatically issued a red and is thrown out of the game (the team can’t sub someone to replace him). The team can’t continue with 11 players and therefore have to play with 10 instead while the opposition still plays with 11 players. If a player is issued a straight red, the same result occurs but the player himself is usually suspended from playing the next 3 matches. Players can also get carded for unsportsmanlike conduct such as rudely mishandling the ball, taking off their shirt while celebrating a goal, an unkind gesture, arguing or touching a referee, and similar things). When a ball goes out on the sideline, a thrown in is award. A win equals 3 points, a tie is awarded 1, and a loss is 0. Teams in MLS are divided into two conferences (East and West). Philly obviously plays in East and the top 7 teams make the playoffs. The team in first in their conference gets a bye in the playoffs. Right now, all teams are trying to bridge the gap in order to have an easier time heading towards October. Philly is in a strong position at the moment and they still hate my favorite team (NYCFC) for beating them and going on to win MLS Cup. This is supposed to be Philadelphia’s year for revenge. That Union vs DC game is going to be a key factor in their playoff run. You picked a great game to attend for your first MLS match. Have fun and I hope this helped.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/standings/2022/conference#season=2022&live=true

 

[Kimkimba]

Second worst?? The videos I posted above on the previous pages showed how the soccer community helped the people who live in Chester. I think the stadium looks nice. You may enjoy a Philadelphia Union game. They actually win games for Philadelphia (just joking as an NY sports teams fan).

Just saying this is the county I live in and my family avoids Chester. The stadium is nice but there’s no denying how bad Chester is.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Just saying this is the county I live in and my family avoids Chester. The stadium is nice but there’s no denying how bad Chester is.

Fair point.

 

[sam_gordon]

soccer rules 101:
Two 45 minute halves with a 15 minute halftime. Stoppage time (extra time) in each half is determined by how long play has been stopped due to injuries or fouls. The time allotted is rounded to the nearest minute. When a player is offside, the sideline referee will blow a whistle and raise his flag arm forward. If a foul is seen, the whistle will be blown and the sideline referee will raise the flag straight up. If the referee holds the flag over his head sideways, it means a player is being substituted. Each team in an official match is allowed up to 5 substitutions in three windows of opportunity under the new post Covid rules (originally it was 3 subs at anytime). You won’t need to closely watch about offsides anymore since Video Assistant Review has pretty much made it a non issue in a game when it occurs and therefore less confusing. If VAR is being further reviewed for a specific purpose, the pitch referee will make a square TV signal. There are 11 players for each teams during play on the pitch. A basic format looks like this (4-4-2):

Forward Forward

Left Winger Right Winger

Center Mid Center Mid

Left Back. CB. CB. Right Back

Goalkeeper

Free kicks are awarded after a foul is committed and and opposing players have to stand at least 10 feet away from where the free kick is awarded (where the white shaving cream is sprayed). This is why a “wall” of players are lined up trying to block the goal and others trying to run past it to score. One more thing, hand ball. Hand ball is when the ball in play hits any player on the forearm to any part of the hand. Penalties and free kicks are the most likely outcome, along with possible yellow or red cards could issued if the situation warrants it. It’s up to the referee to see if the player’s body/forearm/hand was in a natural or unnatural position that gave him an advantage during a play. Lastly, if two yellow cards are issued to a player, he is automatically issued a red and is thrown out of the game (the team can’t sub someone to replace him). The team can’t continue with 11 players and therefore have to play with 10 instead while the opposition still plays with 11 players. If a player is issued a straight red, the same result occurs but the player himself is usually suspended from playing the next 3 matches. Players can also get carded for unsportsmanlike conduct such as rudely mishandling the ball, taking off their shirt while celebrating a goal, an unkind gesture, arguing or touching a referee, and similar things). When a ball goes out on the sideline, a thrown in is award. A win equals 3 points, a tie is awarded 1, and a loss is 0. Teams in MLS are divided into two conferences (East and West). Philly obviously plays in East and the top 7 teams make the playoffs. The team in first in their conference gets a bye in the playoffs. Right now, all teams are trying to bridge the gap in order to have an easier time heading towards October. Philly is in a strong position at the moment and they still hate my favorite team (NYCFC) for beating them and going on to win MLS Cup. This is supposed to be Philadelphia’s year for revenge. That Union vs DC game is going to be a key factor in their playoff run. You picked a great game to attend for your first MLS match. Have fun and I hope this helped.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/standings/2022/conference#season=2022&live=true

A few nits to pick...
The "sideline referee" (actually known as the assistant referee or AR) doesn't have a whistle to blow. If his flag is raised straight up motionless, he's calling offside. If his flag is raised straight up but circling or waving, he's indicating *HE* saw a foul. If his flag is raised at a 45 degree angle, it's pointing the direction of throw in. If it's pointing down at a 45 degree angle, he's indicating a corner. If it's pointing across the field, he's indicating where the restart should happen. *note: even though I'm using the male pronounces, I'm referring to any referee, male or female.

Opposing team needs to be 10 YARDS away from a free kick. If the Center Referee (CR) holds his arm straight up before a free kick, that means that kick is "indirect" and needs to touch another player (of either team) before going in a goal.

Handling is (generally) when the ball hits any part of the arm below the shoulder. However, the CR does have discretion on whether to call the foul. Whether the player had time to get out of the way, did he make himself "bigger", and did he gain an advantage will all factor into it.

Like other sports, when the ball goes out of bound ("out of touch"), the team that DIDN'T touch the ball last gets to restart. If the ball goes out on the sidelines, play is restarted with a throw in. If the ball goes out on the endlines, it's restarted with a kick (a corner kick if the defense was the last to touch or a goal kick if the offense was the last to touch).

You'll also hear people talk about "advantage". Let's say a player from Team B fouls a player from Team A, BUT Team A maintains possession of the ball and can continue their attack. The referee might see the foul, but not stop play in order to not stop Team A's advantage. It's generally signaled from the CR as two arms pointing forward.

 

[Buzz Rules]

My DH went to Widener, which is in Chester. It was never my favorite place to visit, but the area right around the stadium just looks…empty.

But as a die hard NY Giants fan and the daughter of a huge Mets fans, this is the only Philly team I can step into the stadium and cheer for the home team.


I’ll wave. And hopefully not look lost. I feel like I only now understand offsides.

I hope your family enjoys tonight’s match.

 

[amylevan]

I hope your family enjoys tonight’s match.

We had a blast! Of course, winning 7-0 helps.

 

[Buzz Rules]

We had a blast! Of course, winning 7-0 helps.

Team record. Are you now a fan? Do you understand the sport better?

 

[amylevan]

Team record. Are you now a fan? Do you understand the sport better?

I’m sure we will head back to more games, as my kids already asked to go back. Will I watch games on tv? Eh….I still prefer football .

My daughter is still amazed by Carranza’s bicycle kick goal. I predict her attempting to do those on the trampoline today.

My son is the one who I think will be watching more games now, and my DH will probably join him.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I’m sure we will head back to more games, as my kids already asked to go back. Will I watch games on tv? Eh….I still prefer football .

My daughter is still amazed by Carranza’s bicycle kick goal. I predict her attempting to do those on the trampoline today.

My son is the one who I think will be watching more games now, and my DH will probably join him.

Well it is football (the original). MLS is actually one of the most physical leagues. That’s one reason NFL fans are starting to enjoy the league.

 

[Marrila]

Well it is football (the original). MLS is actually one of the most physical leagues. That’s one reason NFL fans are starting to enjoy the league.

But the NFL isn't goofy enough to move their programming to Apple. It's sad. MLS will lose, not gain fans over this. I wish they'd reconsider, but it looks like a done deal.

 

[Buzz Rules]

But the NFL isn't goofy enough to move their programming to Apple. It's sad. MLS will lose, not gain fans over this. I wish they'd reconsider, but it looks like a done deal.

They had no choice. Disney and Fox did not want majority of the rights.

 

[fivikse]

LISTOS VERDE!!!

 

[gometros]

Forward Forward

Left Winger Right Winger

Center Mid Center Mid

Left Back. CB. CB. Right Back

Goalkeeper

This is not a 4-4-2. A true 4-4-2 is

S S

LW CM RW

DM

LB CB CB RB


Not even the most used formation these days.

 

[Buzz Rules]

This is not a 4-4-2. A true 4-4-2 is

S S

LW CM RW

DM

LB CB CB RB


Not even the most used formation these days.

What I put is correct. The way the post came out made the CMs behind the wingers instead of next to them. I said basic format, not the most commonly used today. It was only an example. Your example is a 4-1-3-2 by the way not a 4-4-2.

 

[gometros]

What I put is correct. The way the post came out made the CMs behind the wingers instead of next to them. I said basic format, not the most commonly used today. It was only an example. Your example is a 4-1-3-2 by the way not a 4-4-2.

Same problem in formatting. But a true 4-4-2 does not have the 4 mids in a line anyway. More of a diamond formation.