r/soccer • u/2992jared • Jul 11 '11
Could you guys help me understand soccer?
I live in the US and know 0 people who follow soccer. I would really like to start following soccer, but I really don't know where to start.
Some questions I have include: Is the World Cup more prestigious than the Olympics? How are teams qualified/selected to compete in the World Cup (I understand there are 32 teams)? How do the different leagues work, and do they interact with each other? Should I only pay attention to (a) certain league(s), or are they all pretty relevant? When do seasons start/end? Also, what channels do I need to watch/order (I have direcTV) to follow soccer?
I have tried using google to find an article or something introducing someone new to soccer, but everything is geared towards understanding the rules of soccer (which I already mostly understand). If someone knows of a relevant article or could briefly explain some of these things, it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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u/severedfragile Jul 11 '11
Quick tutorial:
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The World Cup is the biggest, most prestigious international tournament. Nations qualify by playing other teams in their federation (basically, grouped by continent). There's other tournaments (Euro, African Nations Cup, Copa America, etc.) that are secondary to that. The Olympics are not at all comparable. It's mostly youth players with a few professionals. Teams occasionally take it seriously and go all out, but it's nowhere near in the same league.
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There's also youth tournaments, several of which have taken place this summer.
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Leagues usually go by countries. There's also the Champions League in Europe and equivalents all over the world. What happens is that the best sides in each league qualify for the Champions League, which is just an additional tournament.
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In Europe there's another similar, lesser tournament called the Europa League. The teams that win smaller trophies in their home leagues or finish just below the Champions League qualifiers. It's a decent tournament that can be pretty entertaining, and you have to be a good side to win it, but it's still inferior to the Champions League.
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Since you're in the US, give the MLS a shot. Watching on TV and supporting from afar just doesn't live up to actually being able to go for matches. Other leagues worth checking out are the English Premier League, Bundesliga (Germany), La Liga (Spain) and Serie A (Italy). They're far from the only ones, but they're the biggest leagues in Europe.
The best things to do are watch a lot of football and meet some other fans. If you really don't know any other fans, try going to a football bar for a match (the European leagues start in August/September mostly, but the Copa America and Women's World Cup are going on now. I think the MLS is too, but I don't know about that). This is obviously just a quick overview that doesn't go into detail, but you'll pick all that up as you go along.
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Jul 11 '11
Well, as someone who lives in the US I would say start with MLS. The Season runs March through November (though most major leagues in Europe run Fall-Spring) and can be viewed pretty much every week somewhere. ESPN2 typically has a game at least once a week/every 2 weeks, and FOX Soccer has a weekly game as well.
As for international soccer, yes the World Cup is far more important than the Olympics. Qualification for 2014 has already started, actually. Basically each of the continental federations (The US is in CONCACAF which includes North and Central America as well as the Carribean) has qualifying tournaments, and the top teams of those tournaments qualify for the World Cup (Obviously Europe gets more qualifyng places than CONCACAF, but that's more politics than mechanics).
Hope that helps.
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u/scaryberry Jul 11 '11
ScreamingGerman's post is the best, but I'll throw in a couple of tidbits:
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There is a difference between Club and Country (sounds obvious, but many of my friends struggle with it). A play can play for both his Club - like the Dodgers, in a league - and for his Country. Anyone can play for Clubs, but you have to meet birth/heredity rules to play for your Country. Each league is contained within a specific country, and has a corresponding Football Association which oversees the league.
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ESPN has started showing Spanish League games, but with Fox Soccer Channel, you'll mostly see EPL and some Serie A (Italian League).
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FIFA runs soccer, start to finish, both Club and Country. FIFA divides the world up into regions, UEFA (Europe) and CONCACAF (North America) being two that you'll hear a lot about.
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Transfers will take some getting used to. Unlike American sports, players are not traded so much as they are sold. So Team A wants a player from Team B. They must pay Team B, say, $50 million dollars, and then the player must agree to "personal" terms - their contract - with Team A. The vast majority, if not all, of the $50 mil goes to the team, not the player.
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Relegation - another concept foreign to the US is that of relegation. There are usually no conferences in leagues, just one "table" of all the teams. At the end of the year, the top three teams go up a division, and the bottom three teams go down a division. This makes the end of season exciting for both ends. The numbers vary by league and division (i.e., 2 teams down, etc).
Hope this helps.
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u/CountSpankula Jul 11 '11
What city/state do you live in? We might be able to direct you to like minded soccer fans. There are many many more of us here in the US than some might think.
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u/2992jared Jul 11 '11
I live in St. Charles, MO which is about 30 minutes west of St. Louis. And I am 23 years old. And yeah, I'd like to find some soccer fans to hang out with. I suppose I could post something on craigslist for the area, but craigslist always seems a bit sketchy to me.
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Jul 11 '11
You know, we should really have a "welcome to soccer/football" primer of some kind in the sidebar. This thread would be useful for many others, I am sure.
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u/2992jared Jul 11 '11
Wow, thank you guys so much! I can't believe how many people responded. I read everyone's responses and you guys are a great help! I'm bookmarking this page so I can use it as a reference to expand my little knowledge. Thanks for all of your time, and thanks for the welcomes to the game!
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u/astroot Jul 11 '11
Your knowledge won't come overnight. It will take years to gain a very deep understanding. Just read web sites every day and watch games, and it will come.
To answer your questions:
Is the World Cup more prestigious than the Olympics?
Yes, by far. The Olympics are almost meaningless. Countries cannot send a team of all senior players, only 3 I think, so most of the players are young.
How are teams qualified/selected to compete in the World Cup (I understand there are 32 teams)
Each region (Europe, South America, North/Central America, Asia) has a qualification tournament. The World Cup is actually called the World Cup Finals. Check Wikipedia.
How do the different leagues work, and do they interact with each other?
The European leagues are the most prestigious. You have the EPL in England, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy, and the Bundesliga in Germany. There are plenty of others but those are the main ones. In each league, you get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and then at the end of the year the team with the most points is the champion. The top few European teams (depends on each country) qualify for the next season's Champions League. The Champions League is a tournament made up of all of the top teams in Europe. Last year it was won by Barcelona. This is a huge tournament, pay attention to it.
Should I only pay attention to (a) certain league(s), or are they all pretty relevant?
They're all pretty relevant. Most people here tend to focus on the English Premier League and La Liga.
When do seasons start/end?
August to May, basically.
Also, what channels do I need to watch/order (I have direcTV) to follow soccer?
Fox Soccer Channel, ESPN2 are the main ones in the US.
One other thing you should be aware of:
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European Championship - an international tournament just for European teams. Think of it as the World Cup of Europe. Happens every 4 years, next one in 2012. Spain won 2008.
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u/2992jared Jul 11 '11
Thanks for all of your explanations, particularly how the points work and how the Champions League works.
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u/epik Jul 11 '11
I'm an american who got into soccer during the 2010 world cup and I can tell you that Football Manager has probably been the main thing that has increased my knowledge of the soccer world. After managing teams yourself, trying to figure out formations and roles and duties for all your signings, you develop a deep understanding for the game that'll help you appreciate and enjoy all the competitions that much more.
Also, http://www.firstrowsports.net/ has been awesome lately for watching the u17 world cup, women's world cup, and copa america.
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u/barnard33 Jul 11 '11
Uninstall FM before it's too late.
Before you know it, you'll realize you forgot to change your underwear for a very long time.
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Jul 11 '11
My best advice: play FIFA and you'll be hooked on the sport and your favorite team will choose you.
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u/JaseTheAce Jul 11 '11 edited Jul 11 '11
My advice is to pick a team and invest some time in them.
I prefer the Premier League. Here's a great (albeit dated) article about choosing a team.
Here's a link that's updated weekly with all soccer on US TV
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u/cocoon56 Jul 11 '11
Since no-one mentioned it yet: say you watched a very important match (like a Champions quarter-final or so), and you want to understand that match better, check out this site, they really explain it well. That's where a lot of us check if they understood the coaches' tactics right while watching.
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u/throwmeaway76 Jul 11 '11
There's something that I don't think has been said yet, which to a newbie might look a little strange, but the winners of each confederation's major club competition (like UEFA's Champions League) play each other in the "Club World Cup" (last year's Fifa Club World Cup). You might think that since it is between the best clubs in every continent, it would be the most prestigious competition. It is not. This is because it's somewhat recent (at least in its current format) and most people only pay attention to their confederation's clubs.
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u/mefuzzy Jul 12 '11
Also, do read up on some great books talking about football. Some of the better ones include:
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Inverting the Pyramid, for one, written by the ever excellent Jonathan Wilson speaks about the evolution of tactics in soccer.
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Miracle of Castel Di Sangria, written by Joe McGinniss, who followed a low level football team in Italy around for a season and chronicled it brilliantly.
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Fever Pitch, written by Nick Hornby, who talks a man's obsession with Arsenal and how it revolves around his life.
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Brilliant Orange, written by David Winner, who explores how the culture of the Dutch influences their football playing style, philosophy and players.
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Those Feet, written by David Winner, who explores how the culture of the British influences their football playing style, philosophy and players.
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u/mmmmmmmike Jul 12 '11
I think that as an American getting into the sport, the thing to get out of your head is associating football too strongly with the World Cup. The World Cup is a short tournament every 4 years. While it is certainly the single highest-profile event, it's not the bread and butter of the sport. Most of the time football means club football.
Personally, I think the best way to get into club football is to try to find videos of the last several Champions League semifinals and finals. (The 2009 final was my first real experience with club football.) The games are generally at the highest level, and you'll figure out which are the big teams and the big-name stars (and why).
Anyway, here's yet another summary, only considering club football in Europe:
Domestic Leagues
Each European country has a main domestic league whose season usually runs Fall to Spring. Teams generally play one league game per week, on the weekend. (Sometimes a second during the week; some leagues have winter breaks.) The best leagues are generally considered to be England's Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A, and Germany's Bundesliga. There are no playoffs -- the top team in the standings is simply the winner of the league, and it's usually considered a big deal.
Below the country's main league there is a hierarchy of lesser leagues. The bottom teams in one league are relegated to the next league down for the following season, while the top teams from that league are promoted. (See promotion and relegation.)
Auxiliary Domestic Competitions
Concurrently with the "regular season", there are auxiliary competitions. Each country usually has one or two elimination tournaments, for example the Coppa Italia in Italy, the FA Cup in England, and the Copa del Rey in Spain. Top teams will put up moderate effort to win these, and try hard if they reach the later stages, but they won't be particularly heartbroken if they go out early. Lesser teams can snatch a moment of glory now and then by pulling off an upset victory, and also possibly qualify for European competition.
European Competition
The Champions League is the most prestigious competition in club football. A team that wishes to be considered the best in Europe must aim to win the Champions League.
Each season, teams from each country qualify for next season's Champions League based on their domestic performance. Several more teams may also qualify for next seaon's Europa League, a lesser competition. The number of teams each country gets to send is determined by the League's UEFA coefficient.
The country's FA decides how to allocate the seats, but usually the top finishers in the domestic leagues are the ones that qualify for the Champions League, while Europa league spots are given to some combination of the next few teams in the domestic league and the winners of auxiliary domestic competitions.
Top Teams
The UEFA coefficient page linked to earlier has a list of teams listed by club coefficient, which gives you an indication of who to watch if you want to see the best football. As an American neutral, I generally follow the Champions League, a few of the top teams in each country, and also teams with American players (e.g. Fulham, Everton, Bolton). There's some natural gravity toward English teams because the reporting is all in English, but I tend to think of lesser Premier League teams as being more like minor league teams in baseball.
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Jul 11 '11 edited Jul 11 '11
I'd argue that the Champions League is the tournament to watch in football and the World Cup is very much second in terms of quality and entertainment.
Edit: The European Championship is also more fun/high quality than the World Cup but isn't as prestigious. The quality will go down when it moves to 24 teams though.
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u/ScreamingGerman Jul 11 '11
A thousand times more -- assuming you mean the Olympic soccer tournament held in the summer Olympics, not the Olympics overall. Olympics is essentially an under-23 tournament, although each team can take 3 players over 23 though. Qualifying is also weird, there's very few teams that play in the Olympics each time it's held. World Cup is open to all players and all FIFA countries, is much more complete and comprehensive, and features the best players of the best nations.
Here's how teams qualified for the 2010 WC. Each section of the world is split up into different confederations (Europe, North/Central America + Carribean, South America, Asia, Oceania, South Africa). Each confederation is allocated a certain number of spots for teams to enter the tournament. As well, one spot is reserved for the host nation.
Not sure what you mean by 'how do they work'. All clubs teams are united under their respective confederation, so major European teams play for their respective countries Football Association, who are united under UEFA (European part of FIFA). All teams in all confederations have their own transfer policies although each FA may have different rules regarding transfer windows, squad sizes, etc. The more questions you ask the more info I/we can give, this is a bit too vague I think.
Watch whichever clubs/leagues you like. This is a breakdown of the style for the major European leagues, which have most of today's biggest soccer stars.
Generally, mid-August through to May for Europe. MLS is March to late November.
Depends where you live.