As an American we have two thoughts on Soccer: first it’s a boring game where people just pass the ball back and forth most of the time, and second, is that it is a game of grown people pretending to be hurt.
However, watching a lot of games over the course of this World Cup in US/Canada and Mexico, I’ve come to admire this game in ways I didn’t expect to.
First is the fact how hard and at the same time easy it is to create a world level team. Tiny countries compete with massive countries because ultimately, the talent does not have to be superhuman. Most of the players have very average human build. They don’t have to be ultra genetic specimens like most other sports. They don’t have to be super flexible like gymnastics, they don’t have to have small limbs like runners, they don’t have to be tall like basketball players or big like football players. All it takes is dedication of time to be fit and have the skill to kick the ball with precision. Because it is a team sport, it requires intellect and communication. They have to be able to read the field, communicate with their teammates in a way that is harder than volleyball. They are too far apart. They cannot do time out to determine a strategy. They have to play and adjust in real time just as the other team does. They have to figure out on the go of how to get the ball to the right player at the right time and then put the ball in through a human net. This is what makes it so difficult. The players have microseconds to get into good position and kick it just right for it to go between defenders and the goalie.
Because the game is about 100 minutes on average, and does not stop, the players also have to gauge how hard they play. If they play hard at the start and get a goal, they risk being too tired at the end. So they have to continue making attacks, continue to stop attacks while also not becoming too tired.
Lastly, you realize that it is a physical game. The players push and pull on each other to stop the players of opposing team from getting into good position. It seems low scoring but it is so hard to hold on to the ball, they continuously loose possession. It is a real battle just to get the ball to the other side of the field and to pass it to an open player is not always possible because the players are pushed and pulled and tripped.
I think this is why it is along with wrestling a great allegory for life but in someways more so. To be successful in life, you need a team. You often have to work in concert together to complete important tasks. Things will constantly conspire against you and your team. You have to have a long term approach to every project. You can’t lose hope. Sometimes things will fail and you have to get up and be ready to play another game, and play it better than before. You have to accept that a referee or someone else will make the wrong call, but that often they will make the right one. You have to be ok with them being there and ok with both calls whether they go in your favor or not. It doesn’t matter how big your opponent is. Every opponent is just another human being with the same time and energy as you. As long as you put in the time and effort, you can beat them. And lastly, you have to take every opportunity, no matter how unlikely it is, and be ok with it when it doesn’t work out, knowing that as long as you have shots on goal, at some point, you will get that goal, and when you do, it will feel spectacular.
not-rushin 