World Cup Q&A: our US soccer team answers your questions on stadiums, Lalas, hydration breaks and more – live
As we near the end of the group stage, writers from our newly expanded US soccer team Alexander Abnos, Pablo Maurer and Jeff Rueter are now online answering your World Cup questionsPost yours below the line nowAncientFootsteps asks: Many of the pitches used appear to be quite small (perhaps because they are designed for American football which uses a narrower field). Is this really the case? And, if true, are teams taking this into account in their selection and tactics?Jeff: Field dimensions are uniform across every venue at every World Cup, so that’s 105 meters (115 yards) long by 68 meters (74 yards) wide. The difference, as you’ve spotted, is that their stationing in an NFL stadium shows just how narrow those fields are by really cutting into the space around the pitch. Throw-ins and corner kicks look claustrophobic. Fans are perhaps unusually close to the benches. There are no expansive running tracks to serve as a dryland moat, as there were at Italia 90. I think a lot of casual American sports fans are coming to appreciate the amount of space available in this sport – just wait until they learn you can comfortably fit a regulation basketball court inside one penalty box.Jeff: Surprise: Cape Verde! I’ll be gutted if they can’t advance after famous draws against Spain and Uruguay – though I expect them to beat Saudi Arabia.Disappointment: I had Ecuador into the business end because of how stout their defence is, but I completely overlooked the lack of chance creation and alternative scoring threats beyond Enner Valencia. Continue reading...
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As we near the end of the group stage, writers from our newly expanded US soccer team Alexander Abnos, Pablo Maurer and Jeff Rueter are now online answering your World Cup questions
AncientFootsteps asks: Many of the pitches used appear to be quite small (perhaps because they are designed for American football which uses a narrower field). Is this really the case? And, if true, are teams taking this into account in their selection and tactics?
Jeff: Field dimensions are uniform across every venue at every World Cup, so that’s 105 meters (115 yards) long by 68 meters (74 yards) wide. The difference, as you’ve spotted, is that their stationing in an NFL stadium shows just how narrow those fields are by really cutting into the space around the pitch. Throw-ins and corner kicks look claustrophobic. Fans are perhaps unusually close to the benches. There are no expansive running tracks to serve as a dryland moat, as there were at Italia 90. I think a lot of casual American sports fans are coming to appreciate the amount of space available in this sport – just wait until they learn you can comfortably fit a regulation basketball court inside one penalty box.
Jeff: Surprise: Cape Verde! I’ll be gutted if they can’t advance after famous draws against Spain and Uruguay – though I expect them to beat Saudi Arabia.
Disappointment: I had Ecuador into the business end because of how stout their defence is, but I completely overlooked the lack of chance creation and alternative scoring threats beyond Enner Valencia.
Continue reading...
