THE PIECE
I’m passionate about soccer in that I’m passionately annoyed by it.
I was in Seattle during the the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and I attended the USA vs. Australia match at Lumen Field (the venue isn’t allowed to have a branded name during the event).
It was entertaining, and I had a good time. It was intriguing to see how passionate the fans were for their teams and their sport. I stood in line for a watch party with Mexico fans as they were festejando like it was September 16th (Mexican Independence Day). There were so many green and white jerseys around me, it felt more like Mexico City than the Pacific Northwest.
But the way the sport itself is played, I just can’t leave it alone. There is so much potential in it—wasted potential. I know, “most popular sport in the world” and all that. I’ve heard it.
Yes, they run a lot. Impressive.
Yes, it can be a beautiful game, but it really ought to be beautiful for more than a fleeting moment every now and then to warrant the title of THE Beautiful Game.
The obvious low-hanging hater fruit is to point out the flopping. I won’t belabor that point, but I don’t want to hear the retorts about how athletes in other sports flop. Stop it. There is a difference between flopping to sell a call versus flopping like you took a bullet mid-match and never got to say goodbye to your loved ones. Both are somewhat shameful, but soccer flopping should be embarrassing to the human spirit.
The flopping is bad, but that isn’t what annoys me most about the sport. As I mentioned earlier, it’s the wasted potential. Fútbol could be awesome, if it would get out of its own way. Here are some of the ways it shoots itself in the foot:
The offsides rule
Besides the manner of its enforcement being a blight on the game, the fact that it even exists prevents soccer from being the best it could be. Worried no offsides might lead to cherry picking and more scoring? Oh no, MORE SCORING, IN SOCCER? I believe play styles would… adjust.
Ambiguous extra time
Why? The amount that accrues during match play, and the running of the extra time when it activates—why the big secret? Doesn’t that encourage more flopping? Isn’t it interesting how extra time never seems to run out right as someone is rearing back to attempt a goal kick? Is keeping with tradition worth making your game an unserious joke?
The potential to end a ticketed and televised professional sporting event, with paid athletes, in a score of 0-0
Missing the goal by so much, so often
Inconsistent defensive effort
I’ll stop there.
The passing, the space to move, the complicated footwork and timing… it could all be great. But give me basketball over soccer any day of the week.
I wasn’t able to do much filming on this trip, but I talked to a few fans. Here’s what it looked like in Seattle during the festivities. Enjoy.
— Camden
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