Soccer Made Simple

Time is Circular, Like a Soccer Ball

One of the biggest questions I get about soccer is how time works in the sport. In short, time is a relative concept, and referees really like to experiment with the properties of time itself. But we don't need to get into the metaphysical aspects of time, because that would be silly. The true short answer is that matches are 90 minutes long with discretionary additions based on circumstances that happen during a match. Aside from some riveting metaphysical discussions, we're also talking about what's happening around the world in soccer. * The US Women's National Team saw action [https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/04/13/uswnt-france-friendly-video-morgan-rapinoe] against Sweden and France. * "El Cashico [https://medium.com/@TBNSport/excitement-builds-for-el-cashico-as-only-two-champions-league-clubs-backed-by-wealthy-owners-face-e6686bb19d77]" is shaping up to be a big clash between Paris-Saint Germain and Manchester City. * Major League Soccer is kicking off this week, so my GOTW [https://www.soundersfc.com/post/2021/04/14/seavmin-101-everything-you-need-know-when-seattle-sounders-host-minnesota-united] is Seattle Sounders Vs. Minnesota United. Thank you for listening! Be well and watch more soccer.

The Champions

What if I told you soccer fans get a year of madness and not just in March? College basketball just wrapped up a wild and unpredictable March Madness tournament, with Baylor taking the crown this year. But this week I'm talking about a different kind of tournament. The UEFA Champions League is the annual tournament among the heavyweights of European soccer. While comic book nerds argue about whether Batman could beat up Superman, soccer nerds get the real battles between the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and more. Thank you for listening! Be well and watch more soccer. ___ Also covered in this episode: Last year, a friend and I did a podcast series about DC United's MLS championship seasons (1996 [https://dcusoccer.fireside.fm/15], 1997 [https://dcusoccer.fireside.fm/16], 1999 [https://dcusoccer.fireside.fm/17], 2004 [https://dcusoccer.fireside.fm/18]). How to catch UEFA Champions League [https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=uefa+champions+league&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#sie=lg;/g/11fks91v3s;2;/m/0c1q0;mt;fp;1;;], CONCACAF Champions League [https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=CONCACAF+champions+league&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#sie=lg;/g/11hzgl6lcj;2;/m/03hhfdz;mt;fp;1;;], and Major League Soccer [https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Major+League+Soccer&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#sie=lg;/g/11qngzsqd1;2;/m/0jfpf;mt;fp;1;;] matches. Sometimes the best way to get into soccer is with through a video game [https://www.ea.com/games/fifa/fifa-21]. --- Soccer Made Simple is a newsletter [https://danielofdc.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=55231a9e98156d39819f4578e&id=c76ed3c8b2], blog [https://danielofdc.com/soccer-made-simple], and podcast that aims to connect newcomers to the Beautiful Game. I'm on Twitter as @SDakotaSoccer [https://twitter.com/SDakotaSoccer].

An International Update

This week on the Soccer Made Simple Podcast, we take a brief break to check on what's happening with international competitions. While my attention focuses on club competitions, the international games bring a new kind of flavor to the sport. Like March Madness in college basketball, each international tournament brings its own kind of madness for people who follow their national teams. For Americans, there's a society of soccer fans called The American Outlaws [https://danielofdc.com/soccer-made-simple/2019/2/23/somewhere-you-belong-the-story-of-us-soccer-and-the-american-outlaws]. And this group welcomes everyone who loves the Red, White, and Blue. There are chapters all across the United States, and it's a good idea to join if you want to learn more about soccer and the joys of being a spectator. Also in this episode: * World Cup Qualifying is happening right now, and this weekend saw some action with the European qualifiers [https://onefootball.com/en/news/serbia-launch-shock-portugal-comeback-belgium-level-in-prague-32666339]. * The Euros are happening this summer, so keep an eye on the biggest European international tournament [https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11677282/euro-2020-when-is-the-tournament-in-2021-and-who-has-qualified] from June 11 and July 11. * The United States Senior Team had a tune-up match [https://www.google.com/search?q=usmnt&rlz=1CAKDUD_enUS932&oq=usmnt&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l2j0i433l3j0i131i433j69i60l2.9331j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#sie=m;/g/11nsbtz421;2;/g/11b66jrs60;dt;fp;1;;] against Northern Ireland, and the Under 23 squad [https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4348499/us-missed-olympics-due-to-arrogance,-says-former-mexico-assistant-coach-carrillo] fell to Honduras in Olympic qualifiers. Thank you for listening. As always, be well and watch more soccer.

Episode 3 - 2020, Please Don't Come Back

So how was your year? It's been roughly a year since I last made one of these episodes. Much has happened between moving home, starting a new career, plus balancing life and relationships. And all of these wild curveballs happened in the midst of a global pandemic. So along with this newsletter is the resuming of the Soccer Made Simple podcast. In this week's episode I cover much of how 2020 affected soccer leagues and the greater sports world. I'll give you some insight from a competition and business standpoint. 2021 is much more of the same as spectators are largely forced to stay home. However, teams have shown some interesting trends in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been interesting. As I always say, be well and watch more soccer. Daniel ~ Follow me on the web and your favorite socials! Twitter [https://twitter.com/SDakotaSoccer] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sdakotasoccer/] | Blog [https://danielofdc.com/soccer-made-simple] | Newsletter [https://mailchi.mp/70ad8f7bc7b9/subscription-page]

A Podcast Well Onside

In all my years of helping people understand the beautiful game of soccer, the number one question I get is, "How does the offside rule work?" It's a mystifying rule that escapes the understanding of casual onlookers, but it's an easier rule to understand than they think. So this week I will give you a brief explanation about how the rule works, how the players exploit the rule to their benefit and the general strategy that goes into playing offense and defense. But this week's episode is more than a lesson on the value of the offside rule. I will take you to Germany where there is some unrest brewing in the Bundesliga. Thanks to a 50+1 rule, most teams are run and owned by the fans who have the majority say in how the clubs are run. However, a billionaire has skirted the rule and has helped bring a team from the lower to the top flight of German soccer. Also happening in the news but closer to home is the wonderful start to the #SheBelieves Cup competition for the US Women's National Team. The Yankees pulled off an impressive win against England and I'll tell you all about it. The next match for the USWNT is against Spain and they'll kick-off is slated for Sunday, March 8 at 4:00 PM CST on ESPN. ----------- Subscribe to my Soccer Made Simple newsletter and me on social media and send me your questions. Twitter [https://twitter.com/SDakotaSoccer] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sdakotasoccer/] | Soccer Made Simple Newsletter [https://tinyletter.com/soccermadesimple]