Dumb Football (Soccer) question from American

[Goingonit]

Originally posted by Pembleton


But there are times when you don't have to tag the runner, but only the base. The first example is running to first base.

You can also run to first if you strike out but the catcher drops the ball or lets it go by him.

And if there's a "force out", you don't have to tag the runner either.

I was keeping it simple.

[Pembleton]

Originally posted by Goingonit
I was keeping it simple.

And I wasn't.

[Goingonit]

Originally posted by Pembleton


And I wasn't.

Feh. That's why I said "basic rules of baseball".

[Pembleton]

Originally posted by paiktis22
so a runner can stand next to a base and wait right?
when will he be able to move again?
is it when the next hitter hits the ball and the other team tries to catch it and return it to a «baseman»?

He can move whenever he wants. You can "steal" a base by doing this. If a player tags him with a ball though he's out with an important exception:

The ball is hit in the air. He must go back to the base and "tag up", otherwise he can be forced out without a tag at the previous base. As soon as the ball is caught, or misses it, or it hits the ground, he can leave the base. "Tagging up" means to stand on the base.

[Bereta_Eder]

Ok I think I got the basic rules.
Thanks

[Pembleton]

Originally posted by Pembleton
The ball is hit in the air. He must go back to the base and "tag up", otherwise he can be forced out without a tag at the previous base. As soon as the ball is caught, or misses it, or it hits the ground, he can leave the base. "Tagging up" means to stand on the base.

When I think I about it, what I said isn't *completely* technically correct, but you only want the basic idea, so it's not important that I clarify...

[mactbone]

I would just like to say that I was a soccer ref for a young kids league.

[Pembleton]

Could someone explain how the World Cup qualifiers work? I noticed that Holland has done pretty well when it has qualified, but this year they didn't even qualify. I heard they have some of the best players in the world.

And how international are the leagues? I see on Yahoo Sports that they list England, Italy, Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, Spain.

Where's the Brasil league, the nation with the most World Cup wins? Do most Brasilian players play in other countries?

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Next, we'll explain the Infield Fly rule and the Balk rule.

BTW...soccer truely is the greatest sport. I plan on playing it at some level. I love it.

[MBloomIII]

Originally posted by David Floyd
Offsides is when you try to pass to a player and there are no defenders closer to their goal than he is.

Right?

Not to burst your bubble, but this is not exactly correct.

Offsides occurs when the ball is played past the mid-field stripe and there is an offensive player without the ball behind the defence when the ball is initially passed. The official rule states there must be 2 players in front of the offensive player when the ball is passed across the midfield stripe to take into account the goalie.

[Juggernaut]

Something ain't right. The USA have jumped 11 places in the last month in the world rankings. They're now 13th in the world!

That's because US has played friendlies when most European squads have been on winter break.

But don't worry, at the end of the year they alter the points so that only the seven best results counts. And US will once again end up where it belongs; in the places 21-40 group.

[MBloomIII]

Originally posted by Pembleton
Could someone explain how the World Cup qualifiers work? I noticed that Holland has done pretty well when it has qualified, but this year they didn't even qualify. I heard they have some of the best players in the world.

Keeping really simple, you play various teams in your region and try to earn points towards qualifying. 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Holland was outpointed by, I believe, Ireland in there final qualifying round. You are correct about Holland being good, it was an upset that they didn't advance to the World Cup. They had a horrible defeat in the European Regional tournament (EuroCup) 2 years ago and many people believe they lost their confidence.

And how international are the leagues? I see on Yahoo Sports that they list England, Italy, Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, Spain.

Some more so than others. Engalnd's league (Premiership) has lots of money and can attract top International players. The same for Spain and Italy's league. Those three league's are generally considered the World's best.

Where's the Brasil league, the nation with the most World Cup wins? Do most Brasilian players play in other countries?

Brazil has a domestic league, but it is embroiled in a huge controversy (it's always something with the Brazilians) and the league doesn't have enough money to attract the big-time players or keep their own star players.

[Pembleton]

Thanks MBloom, are you sure you're American? How many teams were in Holland's region besides Ireland?

[MBloomIII]

Originally posted by Pembleton
Thanks MBloom, are you sure you're American? How many teams were in Holland's region besides Ireland?

I've been a huge soccer (football) fan all my life. With the advent of the Internet, it is much easier to follow the sport Internationally now. I'm not exactly sure about the qualifying in Europe. Initially, I believe, you are placed in a group with 3 other teams and play a series of home-away games with each team. After that, I'm not sure how EUFA handles it. When the European posters wake up, they can answer the question much better than I can. Being in North America (CONCACAF) I was following the US's qualifying much more closely. There are a lot of European teams and it's hard to follow them all. I mainly track England in international competitions.

edit: This is the site I usually follow. http://www.internetsoccer.com

[Pembleton]

Is Manchester United the NY Yankees of English Soccer? I believe I remember looking at the standings at the last world cup in 98 and they were the team with the most teams. If so, they must be hated as much as the Yankees are?